Summary:
Edwards has three schools in Muroc Joint Unified: Desert Junior-Senior High serves grades 7–12 and has 497 students; Irving L. Branch Elementary serves grades 3–6 and has 388; and William A. Bailey Elementary serves kindergarten–grade 2 and has 366. The clearest academic concern in the reported results is math: the two schools with scores averaged 23% proficient in 2025–2026, 15 percentage points below the state’s 38%; Desert was lowest at 16%, 22 points below the state.
The schools lead in different subjects. Desert had the stronger all-grades ELA result, at 43% versus Irving’s 38%, a 5-point difference. Irving led in math, with 30% proficiency versus Desert’s 16%, and in science, at 32% versus 26%. Both schools were below the state in all three subjects. Desert also reported a 93% graduation rate, 5 points above the state’s 88%, but its chronic absenteeism was 29%, compared with 18% statewide. Irving’s absenteeism was 13%, and Bailey’s 11% was the lowest reported rate—7 points below the state. Bailey has no proficiency results supplied, and the schools’ tested grade spans differ, so their scores are not same-grade comparisons.
Recent changes are mixed: Irving’s science proficiency climbed 12 percentage points from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, while its ELA fell about 2 points and math was nearly unchanged. Desert’s ELA also fell about 2 points; its math rose 1 point and science rose 3. SchoolDigger’s rankings moved down over time: Desert went from the 60th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 49th in 2025–2026, while Irving moved from the 44th to the 39th. For context, 2024–2025 student-teacher ratios were 16.4 at Desert, 23.5 at Irving and 17.4 at Bailey; reported free/reduced lunch eligible shares that year were 13%, 17% and 15%, respectively. These are context, not explanations for test results.
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