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School Profile · Indio

Thomas Jefferson Middle: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Thomas Jefferson posts low test scores — and grade 8 tests above grade 6 here this year, by 1.4pp. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

83-089 Highway 111, 92201 (opens in new tab)·Desert Sands Unified·Indio·Grades 6-8·591 students·92% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 863-3660·Website
Scope Score
20
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #2,135 statewide · #8 of 8 in Desert Sands Unified

Thomas Jefferson Middle scores 20 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 5th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

Most rating sites would stop at “9% proficient” and call it done. Thomas Jefferson deserves a closer read. The school sits in Indio, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

90%
Grade 6 · 10% proficient
16%
82%
Grade 7 · 18% proficient
14%
83%
Grade 8 · 17% proficient

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
2.1%
State 16.8%
14.7pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+1.4pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
9.4%
State 39.3%
29.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
33.8%
State 18.5%
15.3pp above state avg
Suspension rate
6.4%
State 3.7%
2.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
10.1%
State 18.0%
7.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic91.0%
White2.2%
Asian1.0%
Black0.7%
Other5.1%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 92.0% (28pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
591
269 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
28:1
7 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$20,205
District avg: $13,985 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
10.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$63,775 – $132,451
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Thomas Jefferson Middle in Indio, 15.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Thomas Jefferson Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 20.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (3.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (16.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 14.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 529 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Homeless+13.3pp
47.1% vs 33.8% overall · n=34
Suspension · Foster Youth+18.6pp
25.0% vs 6.4% overall · n=16
ELA · English Learner−14.6pp
0.5% vs 15.1% overall · n=184
1 more gap by subject
Math · Disabilities−3.8pp
0.0% vs 3.8% overall · n=54

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income529 tested
ELA 15.1%·Math 3.6%· -20.0pp vs district
Hispanic523 tested
ELA 16.3%·Math 3.8%· -19.5pp vs district
English Learner184 tested
ELA 0.5%·Math 0.0%· -5.4pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 7.7pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -2.3pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 62%Support 35%Other 3%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$67K
$18K below CA median
Median Home Value
$403K
$256K below CA median
Bachelor's+
15%
20pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
8.4 years avg experience
24 teachers · 29% first-year · 4% second-year
Teacher Credentials
95% fully credentialed

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

Frequently asked questions

Is Thomas Jefferson Middle a good middle school?
Thomas Jefferson Middle has a Scope Score of 20 out of 100, placing it in the 5th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #2,135 statewide. 2.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 14.7 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Thomas Jefferson Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 9.4% of students at Thomas Jefferson Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 2.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 7.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 2.1% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 1,156 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Thomas Jefferson Middle rank in California?
Thomas Jefferson Middle ranks #2,135 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 5th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Thomas Jefferson Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Thomas Jefferson Middle increases by 1.4 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Thomas Jefferson Middle?
33.8% of students at Thomas Jefferson Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 6.4%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Thomas Jefferson Middle compare to other schools in Indio?
Thomas Jefferson Middle scores 20/100 (5th percentile) among California middle schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 591 students. Use the schools in Indio page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Thomas Jefferson Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Thomas Jefferson Middle in Indio, 15.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Thomas Jefferson Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 20.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (3.6% Math proficient); Hispanic students (16.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 14.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 529 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 38%
2.1%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 34th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
+1.4pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 37th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
9.4%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 26th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
33.8%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 29th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
6.4%
↓ vs CA 3.7% · 39th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
10.1%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 35th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61833%7%20%70%10%−37
Grade 71772%16%24%58%18%−30
Grade 82193%14%35%47%17%−29
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61814%2%14%80%6%−29
Grade 71771%3%20%76%4%−30
Grade 82190%1%15%84%1%−31
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/112171%6%60%32%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged52915.1%−20−23
Hispanic/Latino52316.3%−19−23
English Learners1840.5%−5−10
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Thomas Jefferson Middle ←202.1%9.4%+1.46.4%
Indio Middle2 mi222.1%11.9%+1.33.7%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
20%20%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1884 → #1990 → #2075 → #1877 → #2135
What we can't show
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 23 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue