Coachella Valley High

Coachella Valley High is a large public high school serving about 2,300 students in grades 9-12 in Thermal, CA, operating within the Coachella Valley Unified district in a high-need community where over 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

While the school achieves an exceptionally high graduation rate of 95.5%, far exceeding state and district averages, this success contrasts sharply with its academic performance, which ranks in the bottom third of California schools; only about 41% of students are proficient in English and just 15% in math, highlighting a significant gap between graduating and being academically prepared. The school faces a severe challenge with chronic student absenteeism, at 42.2%, which is more than double the state average and likely a major contributor to academic struggles, and it spends significantly more per student (nearly $30,000) than higher-performing neighboring schools like Palm Desert High and La Quinta High.

This pattern of high spending and low academic proficiency is seen across the district at schools like Desert Mirage High, suggesting systemic challenges, though a nearby charter school, NOVA Academy - Coachella, serves a similar student population with better academic results and lower spending. Special education students at Coachella Valley High are particularly underserved, performing far below other student groups, and the school's overall academic ranking has declined in recent years despite increased funding.