Photo: Patrick Pelster · CC BY-SA 3.0Indian Wells’s public schools outscore 56% of California districts
The grade covers the public school district serving Indian Wells, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. 25% of students in Indian Wells’s public schools are proficient in math, 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.
Indian Wells’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 250 California towns with household incomes within a quarter of Indian Wells’s, its schools beat 27%, lower 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 ↓
One elementary school, then six middle and four high schools
Which school depends on the address at the later steps. 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 Indian Wells’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 Indian Wells, with each school’s own grade.
Kindergarten in Indian Wells
Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Grades K–5 · 598 students · 24:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Indian Wells
Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Grades K–5 · 598 students · 24:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Indian Wells
Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Grades K–5 · 598 students · 24:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Indian Wells
Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Grades K–5 · 598 students · 24:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Indian Wells
Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Grades K–5 · 598 students · 24:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Indian Wells
Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Grades K–5 · 598 students · 24:1 students per teacher
Indian Wells’s public schools are run by Desert Sands Unified School District, which also serves Coachella, Indio, La Quinta and Palm Desert. 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
Indian Wells vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the California towns that share Indian Wells’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Wells | B | Desert Sands Unified |
| Palm Desert | B | Desert Sands Unified |
| La Quinta | C+ | Desert Sands Unified K–12 · Coachella Valley Unified K–12 |
All 2 neighbors share Desert Sands Unified with Indian Wells, so their letters differ mainly through other districts.
Every school in Indian Wells
11 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 Indian Wells’s schools
Are Indian Wells’s schools good?
They sit near the middle of California: the public schools Indian Wells 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 27%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Indian Wells in?
Desert Sands Unified School District, which runs grades K–12 and enrolls 25,613 students in 34 schools (2024–25).
Where do Indian Wells 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 Indian Wells’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 Indian Wells 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 Indian Wells families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Indian Wells → 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.