Desert Palms’s public schools outscore 56% of California districts
The grade covers the public school district serving Desert Palms, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. On the state math tests, 25% of Desert Palms’s students scored proficient, below the California average (33%). Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within California, not nationally.
From California state tests taken in spring 2022, when 97% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Desert Palms’s schools, in brief
Better than its incomes would predict
Among the 551 California towns with household incomes within a quarter of Desert Palms’s, its schools beat 65%, higher than their 56% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 40% of tested students were proficient in reading and 25% in math, against 47% and 33% statewide; 97% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
94% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 86% across California. Districts ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $19,599 per student, against $21,206 across California (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
18 elementary schools, then six middle and four high schools
Which school depends on the address at every step. Enrollment is down 5% since 2020–21. See the path ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Desert Palms’s grade
B: better than 56% of California school districts, #406 of 847 California towns. Graduation is above the California average; test scores are below it.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Desert Palms, with each school’s own grade.
Desert Palms’s public schools are run by Desert Sands Unified School District, which also serves Coachella, Indian Wells, Indio and La Quinta and others. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
Desert Palms vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the California towns that share Desert Palms’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Desert Palms | B | Desert Sands Unified |
| Indio | B | Desert Sands Unified |
Every school in Desert Palms
28 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with California’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Desert Palms’s schools
Are Desert Palms’s schools good?
They sit near the middle of California: the public schools Desert Palms children attend outscore 56% of California’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B Schools grade, #406 of 847 California towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 65%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Desert Palms in?
Desert Sands Unified School District, which runs grades K–12 and enrolls 25,613 students in 34 schools (2024–25).
Where do Desert Palms kids go to high school?
One of 4 high schools, depending on your address: La Quinta High, Palm Desert High, Indio High and Shadow Hills High.
What is Desert Palms’s graduation rate?
94% of the class of 2023 in Desert Sands Unified School District graduated in four years, against 86% across California.
How much does Desert Palms spend per student?
$19,599 in Desert Sands Unified School District (FY2024), against $21,206 across California. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Parents talk
What Desert Palms families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Desert Palms → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within California. Stars are from neighbors.