Desert Sands Charter

Q: Is Desert Sands Charter a good school?

Desert Sands Charter ranks 1658 th of 2346 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public, Charter 9-12

44130 20th St. W.
Lancaster, CA 93534-4045

(661) 942-3357

District: Desert Sands Charter District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1658^th of 2,346 California High Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 20.1

Number of students: 742

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.8%

Two or more races:

20.6%

African American:

15.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 84.8%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Desert Sands Charter ranks worse than 70.7% of high schools in California. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.38. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Desert Sands Charter freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Desert Sands Charter:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Sands Charter 1658^th of 2346 California public high schools. (See Desert Sands Charter in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Desert Sands Charter District:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Sands Charter District 1203^rd of 1560 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Desert Sands Charter

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Rank History for all students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	32.15	1386^th	2133	35.0%
2021	26.92	952^nd	1290	26.2%
2022	28.23	1464^th	2123	31.0%
2023	21.38	1647^th	2335	29.5%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	2.91	410^th	422	2.8%
2022	5.72	489^th	515	5.0%
2023	16.05	632^nd	780	19.0%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	33.51	860^th	1539	44.1%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	32.81	1304^th	1937	32.7%
2021	33.66	787^th	1126	30.1%
2022	35.45	1236^th	1943	36.4%
2023	24.30	1550^th	2237	30.7%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	25.87	1349^th	1833	26.4%
2021	18.55	887^th	1054	15.8%
2022	16.81	1568^th	1858	15.6%
2023	14.40	1736^th	2106	17.6%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	35.75	628^th	1117	43.8%
2021	40.01	289^th	555	47.9%
2022	55.85	329^th	1161	71.7%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	32.86	1228^th	1880	34.7%
2021	28.92	814^th	1122	27.5%
2022	38.28	1095^th	1916	42.8%
2023	27.04	1414^th	2195	35.6%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	31.58	394^th	592	33.4%
2022	12.49	497^th	522	4.8%
2023	15.53	636^th	713	10.8%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	34.35	1190^th	1814	34.4%
2022	29.27	1329^th	1861	28.6%
2023	21.31	1566^th	2132	26.5%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Desert Sands Charter

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	22.08	977^th	1222	20.0%
2022	25.86	904^th	1204	24.9%
2023	6.03	1309^th	1424	8.1%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Desert Sands Charter

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2019	184	145	2	439	8	3	53	0	834
2020	150	159	5	432	6	1	54	0	807
2021	140	146	2	457	4	2	50	0	801
2022	110	122	2	390	2	1	75	3	705
2023	100	116	2	362	6	0	153	3	742

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Desert Sands Charter

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	834	36.8	22.6	78.5
2020	807	n/a	n/a	80.2
2021	801	38.6	20.7	77.9
2022	705	39.8	17.6	85.4
2023	742	36.7	20.1	84.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Desert Sands Charter

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	834	36.8	22.6	78.5
2020	807	n/a	n/a	80.2
2021	801	38.6	20.7	77.9
2022	705	39.8	17.6	85.4
2023	742	36.7	20.1	84.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Desert Sands Charter

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 1386^th of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1647^th of 2335 High schools	5.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Desert Sands Charter)	42.9	31.1	11.7%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	55.4	1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Desert Sands Charter)	3.1	2.8	0.3%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27.4	4.9%
12th Grade Science (Desert Sands Charter)	18.2	14.3	3.9%
12th Grade Science (California)	25.6	26.9	1.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	834	742	11%
African American	145	116	20%
American Indian	8	6	25%
Asian	2	2
Hispanic	439	362	17.5%
Pacific Islander	3	0	100%
White	184	100	45.7%
Two or More Races	53	153	188.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	78.5%	84.8%	6.2%

Schools Near Desert Sands Charter

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				CAST Science (2023)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2023)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2023)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Desert Sands Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	44130 20th St. W.	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Desert Sands Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 942-3357	742	37	20.1	84.8%	100 (13.5%)	116 (15.6%)	362 (48.8%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	153 (20.6%)	21.4	1658^th of 2346 public high schools	29.3%		28.2	1464^th of 2123 public high schools	31.0%	194				14.3	14.3				31.1	31.1				2.8	2.8
Empower Generations	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	44236 10th St. W. Ste. 105	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Empower Generations District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(661) 429-3264	81	4	18.9	76.5%	9 (11.1%)	30 (37.0%)	34 (42.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)	6 (7.4%)	18.7	1731^st of 2346 public high schools	26.2%		13.1	1875^th of 2123 public high schools	11.7%	144			9.1		7.7									9.1	9.1
SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)	Public	9-12	3041 W. Ave. K	Lancaster	93536	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 722-6509	537	18	30.6	48.4%	59 (11.0%)	71 (13.2%)	332 (61.8%)	38 (7.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.7%)	97.1	52^nd of 2346 public high schools	97.8%		95	111^th of 2123 public high schools	94.8%	59		50.4		73.6	61.6				91.2	91.2				68.1	68.1	$6,095
Lancaster High	Public	9-12	44701 32nd St. W.	Lancaster	93536	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 726-7649	2,642	109	24.3	58.6%	300 (11.4%)	579 (21.9%)	1,491 (56.4%)	110 (4.2%)	10 (0.4%)	3 (0.1%)	149 (5.6%)	25.1	1554^th of 2346 public high schools	33.8%		32.1	1377^th of 2123 public high schools	35.1%	177		10.3		12.0	11.0				34.9	34.9				10.2	10.2	$8,800
Antelope Valley High	Public	9-12	44900 N. Division St.	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 948-8552	1,558	68	22.7	82.9%	63 (4.0%)	429 (27.5%)	992 (63.7%)	10 (0.6%)	6 (0.4%)	3 (0.2%)	55 (3.5%)	16.2	1796^th of 2346 public high schools	23.4%		16.1	1765^th of 2123 public high schools	16.9%	31		5.1		6.0	5.5				27.8	27.8				3.5	3.5	$9,455
Assurance Learning Academy	Public, Charter	8-12	43145 Business Center Ste. 102	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Assurance Learning Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 272-1225	2,915	105	27.8	87.8%	237 (8.1%)	229 (7.9%)	2,261 (77.6%)	29 (1.0%)	11 (0.4%)	4 (0.1%)	136 (4.7%)	14.9	1841^st of 2346 public high schools	21.5%		19.3	1675^th of 2123 public high schools	21.1%	166				12.5	12.5				21.6	21.6				1.9	1.9
Mission Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	43141 Business Center Pkwy Ste	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Mission Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(844) 788-3965	384	16	23.7	80.5%	64 (16.7%)	41 (10.7%)	235 (61.2%)	11 (2.9%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.5%)	26.8	1510^th of 2346 public high schools	35.6%		35.5	1293^rd of 2123 public high schools	39.1%	217	7.7			19.2	13.5	25.0	24.2	34.8	29.3	28.7	25.0	14.7	9.1	15.8	15.6
Desert Winds Continuation High	Public	9-12	415 E. Kettering St.	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 948-7555	635	28	22.5	78.3%	36 (5.7%)	172 (27.1%)	394 (62.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.4%)	10.3	2036^th of 2346 public high schools	13.2%		12.3	1908^th of 2123 public high schools	10.1%	128		4.2		4.5	4.4				11.9	11.9				0.0	0.0	$5,622
Phoenix High Community Day	Public	9-12	228 E. Ave. H8	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 729-3936	25	7	3.5	100.0%	4 (16.0%)	9 (36.0%)	11 (44.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.0%)	7.8	2214^th of 2346 public high schools	5.6%					(n/a)		0.0			0.0											$30,031
Quartz Hill High	Public	9-12	6040 W. Ave. L	Quartz Hill	93536	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 718-3100	3,066	115	26.6	41.7%	868 (28.3%)	306 (10.0%)	1,510 (49.2%)	137 (4.5%)	10 (0.3%)	6 (0.2%)	229 (7.5%)	37.4	1217^th of 2346 public high schools	48.1%		42.2	1123^rd of 2123 public high schools	47.1%	94		18.5		23.4	20.8				38.6	38.6				13.7	13.7	$7,687

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Sands Charter

Is Desert Sands Charter a good school?

Desert Sands Charter ranks 1658^th of 2346 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Desert Sands Charter in?

Desert Sands Charter District

How many students attend Desert Sands Charter?

In the 2022-23 school year, 742 students attended Desert Sands Charter.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Sands Charter?

Students at Desert Sands Charter are 49% Hispanic, 21% Two or more races, 16% African American, 13% White.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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