Desert Sands Charter

Desert Sands Charter is a public high school serving 727 students in grades 8-12 in Lancaster, CA, operating within the Desert Sands Charter District and serving a community where many families face economic challenges.

The school faces significant hurdles, particularly with chronic absenteeism, where over 62% of students miss too much school, and mathematics proficiency, which is below 7%. These challenges contribute to lower graduation rates compared to traditional comprehensive high schools in the area like Quartz Hill High and Lancaster High. However, it's important to note that Desert Sands performs within a similar range as other local schools serving students with comparable needs, such as Antelope Valley High and Assurance Learning Academy.

While the school's overall performance has room for improvement, its context is key; it exists in an educational landscape with both high-performing options like SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) and alternative schools for at-risk youth. The presence of a top-performing school like SOAR High in the same region demonstrates that strong outcomes are achievable, suggesting that targeted strategies to improve attendance and math instruction could be pathways for growth at Desert Sands Charter.