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Desert Sands Charter

Q: Is Desert Sands Charter a good school?

Desert Sands Charter ranks 1417 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 8-12

1417^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 34% of California high schools

Summary

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.

727

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

78.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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

(661) 942-3357

District: Desert Sands Charter District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

59.4%

Two or more races:

14.6%

African American:

13.5%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 35th percentile in 2019 → 34th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the California average (15% vs 86%)

!Dropout rate above the California average (20% vs 9%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

California avg41%

1,417^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 1 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1089^th of 1,543Desert Sands Charter District among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	1417 of 2162	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.4	1644 of 2159	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	1613 of 2170	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	1464 of 2123	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.9	952 of 1290	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.2	1386 of 2133	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.9	504 of 523	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	484 of 517	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	460 of 521	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.5	497 of 522	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	394 of 592	33.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	55.9	329 of 1161	71.7%	★★★★☆
2021	40.0	289 of 555	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.8	628 of 1117	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.7	1398 of 1906	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	1569 of 1915	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	1603 of 1915	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	1568 of 1858	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.6	887 of 1054	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.9	1349 of 1833	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	1188 of 1900	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.0	1447 of 1902	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	1477 of 1917	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.3	1329 of 1861	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.3	1190 of 1814	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.5	1347 of 2013	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.1	1562 of 2026	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	1485 of 2030	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	1236 of 1943	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.7	787 of 1126	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.8	1304 of 1937	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	1232 of 1942	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.4	1471 of 1948	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.0	1328 of 1963	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.3	1095 of 1916	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.9	814 of 1122	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.9	1228 of 1880	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.0	526 of 577	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	539 of 574	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	473 of 541	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	5.7	489 of 515	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.9	410 of 422	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.9	829 of 1252	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.4	442 of 1216	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.7	693 of 1197	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	932 of 1155	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	1056 of 1173	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.1	1128 of 1193	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	25.9	904 of 1204	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.1	977 of 1222	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2022)72nd percentile+41 vs school

Hispanic (2025)37th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)37th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)34th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)27th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)19th percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)9th percentile-26 vs school

African American (2025)4th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-8 vs state

Science32%~ state avg

Mathematics7%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Sands Charter

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	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 All Grades	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 All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Desert Sands Charter	Public, Charter	8-12	44130 20th St. West	Lancaster	93534	Los Angeles County	Desert Sands Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 942-3357	727	37	18.7	78.7%	80 (11.0%)	98 (13.5%)	432 (59.4%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	106 (14.6%)	33.3	1417^th of 2162 public high schools	34.5%		22.4	1644^th of 2159 public high schools	23.9%	227				32.0	32.0				40.3	40.3				6.7	6.7
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	2	36.4	85.2%	13 (16.0%)	32 (39.5%)	29 (35.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (7.4%)	21.1	1671^st of 2162 public high schools	22.7%		12.6	1907^th of 2159 public high schools	11.7%	236			9.5		8.0				30.4	30.4				8.7	8.7
SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise)	Public	9-12	3041 West Avenue K	Lancaster	93536	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 722-6509	670	25	26.6	57.9%	88 (13.1%)	79 (11.8%)	409 (61.0%)	47 (7.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	43 (6.4%)	93.5	130^th of 2162 public high schools	94.0%		94.9	115^th of 2159 public high schools	94.7%	15		53.1			52.8				83.2	83.2				53.4	53.4	$18,582	$17,728	$854
Lancaster High	Public	9-12	44701 32nd St. West	Lancaster	93536	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 726-7649	2,688	107	25.1	66.5%	259 (9.6%)	617 (23.0%)	1,562 (58.1%)	95 (3.5%)	8 (0.3%)	3 (0.1%)	144 (5.4%)	27.9	1529^th of 2162 public high schools	29.3%		29	1516^th of 2159 public high schools	29.8%	13		13.8		11.1	13.6				35.4	35.4				11.6	11.6	$22,389	$21,536	$853
Antelope Valley High	Public	9-12	44900 North Division St.	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 948-8552	1,498	69	21.5	77.9%	39 (2.6%)	445 (29.7%)	946 (63.2%)	12 (0.8%)	8 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (3.1%)	22.2	1649^th of 2162 public high schools	23.7%		23	1627^th of 2159 public high schools	24.6%	22		7.0		5.3	6.8				33.6	33.6				10.3	10.3	$27,306	$25,558	$1,748
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	3,014	115	26.1	84.3%	310 (10.3%)	202 (6.7%)	2,308 (76.6%)	27 (0.9%)	10 (0.3%)	4 (0.1%)	139 (4.6%)	18	1726^th of 2162 public high schools	20.2%		18.9	1723^rd of 2159 public high schools	20.2%	3				18.9	18.9				22.7	22.7				3.3	3.3
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	694	34	20.2	78.2%	142 (20.5%)	51 (7.3%)	420 (60.5%)	17 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	48 (6.9%)	54	948^th of 2162 public high schools	56.2%		32.6	1433^rd of 2159 public high schools	33.6%	485	15.9			46.2	19.2	40.0	36.7	23.4	41.5	34.8	32.0	36.0	20.6	31.1	28.5	$42,536	$42,464	$72
Desert Winds Continuation High	Public	9-12	415 East Kettering St.	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 948-7555	605	28	21.8	74.4%	33 (5.5%)	191 (31.6%)	345 (57.0%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.0%)	11.7	1929^th of 2162 public high schools	10.8%		10.1	2063^rd of 2159 public high schools	4.4%	134		5.5		6.7	5.8				10.2	10.2				3.8	3.8	$16,943	$16,006	$937
Phoenix High Community Day	Public	9-12	228 East Ave. H8	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 729-3936	19	6	3.2	68.4%	0 (0.0%)	8 (42.1%)	9 (47.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (10.5%)								(n/a)
Quartz Hill High	Public	9-12	6040 West Avenue L	Quartz Hill	93536	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 718-3100	3,175	115	27.6	42.2%	820 (25.8%)	357 (11.2%)	1,639 (51.6%)	123 (3.9%)	10 (0.3%)	6 (0.2%)	220 (6.9%)	51.6	1004^th of 2162 public high schools	53.6%		50.4	989^th of 2159 public high schools	54.2%	15		23.3		17.0	22.9				51.4	51.4				25.8	25.8	$20,386	$19,632	$754

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Sands Charter

What is the racial makeup of Desert Sands Charter?

Students at Desert Sands Charter are 59% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 13% African American, 11% White.

What district is Desert Sands Charter in?

Desert Sands Charter District

How many students attend Desert Sands Charter?

In the 2024-25 school year, 727 students attended Desert Sands Charter.

Is Desert Sands Charter a good school?

Desert Sands Charter ranks 1417^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Desert Sands Charter!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.