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Desert Winds Continuation High

Public Grades 9-12

1850^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,135 California High Schools

Better than 13% of California high schools

Summary

Desert Winds Continuation High is a 605-student school serving grades 9–12 in Lancaster, in the Antelope Valley region. The most urgent concern is keeping students in school and helping them graduate: in 2025–26, 75% of students were chronically absent and 41% graduated, compared with 28% chronic absenteeism and 85% graduation in the Antelope Valley Union High district. The dropout rate was 57%, versus 9% in both the district and statewide. These figures point to attendance and graduation as the school’s most serious challenges.

Test results are low across all three subjects, and the school generally trails nearby options as well as district and state results. In 2025–26, proficiency was 13% in English language arts (ELA), 4% in math and 9% in science; state results were 49%, 38% and 36%, respectively, and district results were 41%, 16% and 14%. Science is strongest relative to those benchmarks, while ELA has the largest gaps. Among nearby same-district schools with reported results, Desert Winds was lowest in ELA and math and second-lowest in science; Antelope Valley High was the one lower in science, at 6%.

Results have risen since 2022–23—by 1 percentage point in ELA, 4 in math and 4 in science—but the state gaps widened in ELA and science and narrowed only slightly in math. SchoolDigger placed the school at the 13th statewide percentile with 1 star in 2025–26, below the five other nearby same-district schools with ranks; its percentile has climbed from 4 in 2023–24. In 2024–25, the student–teacher ratio was 21.8, and 74% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. One subgroup ranking shifted sharply: SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile for how well the school serves students receiving special education went from 5 in 2023–24 to 28 in 2024–25, then to 4 in 2025–26, while the overall percentile rose from 4 to 11 to 13.

605

Students ?

21.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,716

Per pupil spending ?

74.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

415 East Kettering St.
Lancaster, CA 93535-2503

(661) 948-7555

District: Antelope Valley Union High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.0%

African American:

31.6%

White:

5.5%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Desert Winds Continuation High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 13th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (9% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (41% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school9%

District avg27%

California avg42%

1,850^th of 2,135

California public high schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 7% (2016) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 12High Schools in the Antelope Valley Union High

1003^rd of 1,530Antelope Valley Union High 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
2026	11.9	1850 of 2135	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.7	1929 of 2162	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.1	2063 of 2159	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	1925 of 2170	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	1908 of 2123	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	1850 of 2133	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.2	1753 of 2017	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	11.6	1727 of 2021	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	9.6	1897 of 2039	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.5	1726 of 1994	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.9	1887 of 2426	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	14.1	1846 of 2354	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	15.0	1853 of 2367	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	14.1	1866 of 2281	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.6	1792 of 2238	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	16.7	1681 of 2117	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	18.5	1571 of 2063	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	16.2	1610 of 1968	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	18.6	1446 of 1901	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	19.7	1286 of 1653	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	8.3	472 of 492	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.9	470 of 523	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	487 of 517	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	472 of 521	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	474 of 522	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	525 of 592	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.3	541 of 582	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	19.3	1119 of 1161	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	819 of 1117	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	23.8	1059 of 1085	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.1	927 of 1064	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	987 of 1044	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	876 of 941	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	28.9	659 of 938	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	9.8	1694 of 1864	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.0	1738 of 1906	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	1825 of 1915	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	1762 of 1915	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.4	1730 of 1858	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.9	1688 of 1833	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.1	1571 of 1760	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.8	7 of 8	12.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.2	1 of 8	87.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	14.4	1581 of 1880	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.9	1656 of 1900	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	1789 of 1902	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	1656 of 1917	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.8	1662 of 1861	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.9	1468 of 1814	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.7	1483 of 1742	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	12.5	1728 of 1997	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.7	1764 of 2013	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.0	1900 of 2026	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	1830 of 2030	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	1750 of 1943	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	1679 of 1937	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	1594 of 1862	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	11.5	1691 of 1930	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.9	1705 of 1942	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	1852 of 1948	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	1728 of 1963	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.5	1731 of 1916	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	1592 of 1880	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	1616 of 1834	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	2.8	571 of 577	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.6	572 of 574	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.2	534 of 541	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.8	505 of 515	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	0.6	366 of 366	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	14.3	1185 of 1235	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	29.0	904 of 1252	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.5	1151 of 1216	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	1158 of 1197	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	4.9	1100 of 1155	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.8	1117 of 1173	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.9	1117 of 1193	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	1119 of 1204	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.6	1197 of 1222	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.3	1075 of 1173	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)16th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile~ school

Foster Care (2025)12th percentile~ school

Male (2026)12th percentile~ school

Female (2026)9th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)5th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2026)4th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)4th percentile-9 vs school

Disabled (2022)4th percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)2nd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)1st percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy13%-36 vs state

Science9%-27 vs state

Mathematics4%-34 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Winds Continuation High

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)					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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th 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 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%)	11.9	1850^th of 2135 public high schools	13.3%		11.7	1929^th of 2162 public high schools	10.8%	79		8.1	9.7	8.8				13.3	13.3				3.9	3.9	$15,716	$937	$14,779
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%)	21.9	1620^th of 2135 public high schools	24.1%		22.2	1649^th of 2162 public high schools	23.7%	29		11.1	2.9	5.8				31.2	31.2				8.9	8.9	$21,303	$1,748	$19,555
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)
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%)	14.5	1770^th of 2135 public high schools	17.1%		21.1	1671^st of 2162 public high schools	22.7%	99		16.7		28.6				20.0	20.0				0.0	0.0	$23,462	$945	$22,517
Assurance Learning Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	43145 Business Center Ste. 102-103	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%)	18.5	1678^th of 2135 public high schools	21.4%		18	1726^th of 2162 public high schools	20.2%	48			14.2	14.2				23.0	23.0				4.1	4.1	$23,152	$508	$22,644
Mission Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	43141 Business Center Pkwy Ste. 102	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%)	56.9	885^th of 2135 public high schools	58.5%		54	948^th of 2162 public high schools	56.2%	63	24.4		38.9	28.6	27.3	24.2	20.9	40.6	32.5	22.7	24.2	31.9	37.0	32.8	$21,304	$72	$21,232
Desert Sands Charter	Public, Charter	8-12	44130 20th St. West	Lancaster	93535	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%)	19.2	1665^th of 2135 public high schools	22.0%		33.3	1417^th of 2162 public high schools	34.5%	248			15.6	15.6				27.6	27.6				0.0	0.0	$23,345	$238	$23,107
Eastside High	Public	9-12	3200 East Ave. J-8	Lancaster	93535	Los Angeles County	Antelope Valley Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 946-3800	2,631	105	25.1	68.5%	98 (3.7%)	582 (22.1%)	1,809 (68.8%)	32 (1.2%)	3 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	103 (3.9%)	24.1	1593^rd of 2135 public high schools	25.4%		27.7	1534^th of 2162 public high schools	29.0%	59		14.3	5.0	9.3				35.6	35.6				7.5	7.5	$18,320	$817	$17,503
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%)	27.1	1541^st of 2135 public high schools	27.8%		27.9	1529^th of 2162 public high schools	29.3%	12		7.7	15.4	12.0				34.4	34.4				12.4	12.4	$18,397	$853	$17,544
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%)	97.5	37^th of 2135 public high schools	98.3%		93.5	130^th of 2162 public high schools	94.0%	93								93.8	93.8				66.7	66.7	$16,494	$854	$15,640

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Winds Continuation High

How many students attend Desert Winds Continuation High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 605 students attended Desert Winds Continuation High.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Winds Continuation High?

Students at Desert Winds Continuation High are 57% Hispanic, 32% African American, 5% White, 5% Two or more races.

What district is Desert Winds Continuation High in?

Antelope Valley Union High

Is Desert Winds Continuation High a good school?

Desert Winds Continuation High ranks in the bottom 13.3% of California high schools.

Rate Desert Winds Continuation High!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.