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Desert Mirage High

Q: Is Desert Mirage High a good school?

Desert Mirage High ranks 1466 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1466^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 32% of California high schools

Summary

Desert Mirage High is a large public high school serving about 1,875 students in grades 9-12 in Thermal, California, and it has shown notable improvement in its statewide ranking over the past few years.

The school demonstrates clear strengths, particularly in English Language Arts, where it is the top performer within the Coachella Valley Unified district, and it achieves a graduation rate above both district and state averages. It also shows exceptional effectiveness with specific student groups, such as English Learners and migrant students. However, significant challenges remain in mathematics and science proficiency, and the school, like others in its district including Coachella Valley High, contends with a high rate of chronic student absenteeism.

When compared to high schools in neighboring districts, such as Palm Desert High in the Desert Sands Unified district, a performance gap is evident, suggesting broader district-level factors may be at play. Interestingly, the charter school NOVA Academy - Coachella, which serves a similarly economically disadvantaged population, achieves stronger academic outcomes, highlighting different approaches within the area.

1,875

Students ?

22.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,784

Per pupil spending ?

97.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

86150 Avenue 66
Thermal, CA 92274

(760) 397-2255

District: Coachella Valley Unified

Feeder schools for Desert Mirage High:

Elementary:	John Kelley Elementary
	Las Palmitas Elementary
	Mecca Elementary
	Oasis Elementary
	More...
	Saul Martinez Elementary
Middle:	Toro Canyon Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

98.5%

American Indian:

0.7%

White:

0.2%

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Compare Desert Mirage High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 31st percentile in 2015 → 32nd in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Coachella Valley Unified

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (20% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 19% California)

!Science scores 25 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg22%

California avg41%

1,466^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4High Schools in the Coachella Valley Unified

1305^th of 1,543Coachella Valley Unified 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	31.1	1466 of 2162	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.6	1497 of 2159	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.6	1662 of 2170	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.1	1556 of 2123	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.2	776 of 1290	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	1319 of 2133	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.8	1215 of 2017	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.0	1328 of 2021	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	29.2	1373 of 2039	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.7	1383 of 1994	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	18.2	1731 of 2426	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.3	1682 of 2354	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.3	1488 of 2367	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	19.9	1619 of 2281	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	21.9	1747 of 2238	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.0	1545 of 2117	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	15.7	1685 of 2063	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	25.5	1235 of 1968	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	31.6	1006 of 1901	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	23.3	1137 of 1653	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	29.8	831 of 1161	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.1	511 of 555	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.0	605 of 1117	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.6	688 of 1052	34.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	48.0	385 of 1085	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.0	506 of 1064	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.6	651 of 1044	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.8	147 of 467	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.9	732 of 941	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	676 of 938	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.5	1379 of 1906	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	1423 of 1915	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	1527 of 1915	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.1	1468 of 1858	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.0	705 of 1054	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.2	1188 of 1833	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.7	1170 of 1760	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.4	1237 of 1900	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.8	1268 of 1902	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.3	1441 of 1917	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.9	1343 of 1861	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.8	1044 of 1814	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.9	974 of 1742	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.2	269 of 410	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.1	1318 of 2013	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	1364 of 2026	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.0	1515 of 2030	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	1392 of 1943	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.9	596 of 1126	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.1	1102 of 1937	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.9	1058 of 1862	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.8	1325 of 1942	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.1	1330 of 1948	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.0	1520 of 1963	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	1428 of 1916	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.9	757 of 1122	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.8	1244 of 1880	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	1133 of 1834	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.8	34 of 85	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.9	63 of 85	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	68 of 74	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.7	811 of 1252	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.8	915 of 1216	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	1010 of 1197	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)65th percentile+34 vs school

Migrant (2025)60th percentile+28 vs school

Special Education (2025)35th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)35th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)34th percentile~ school

Male (2025)32nd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)28th percentile~ school

Female (2025)28th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy48%~ state avg

Mathematics15%-22 vs state

Science8%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Mirage High

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 (2024)
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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	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 Mirage High	Public	9-12	86150 Avenue 66	Thermal	92274	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 397-2255	1,875	85	22.1	97.3%	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	1,847 (98.5%)	2 (0.1%)	13 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	31.1	1466^th of 2162 public high schools	32.2%		29.6	1497^th of 2159 public high schools	30.7%	31	8.5	7.0	7.8	48.1	48.1	15.3	15.3	$28,784	$1,262	$27,522
La Familia Continuation High	Public	10-12	56-615 Olive St.	Thermal	92274	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 399-5929	254	15	16.7	98.4%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	252 (99.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	11.5	1940^th of 2162 public high schools	10.3%		12.2	1931^st of 2159 public high schools	10.6%	9	3.7	3.3	3.5	5.3	5.3	3.5	3.5	$31,385	$1,214	$30,171
Coachella Valley High	Public	9-12	83-800 Airport Blvd.	Thermal	92274	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 399-5183	2,300	111	20.6	90.3%	10 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	2,275 (98.9%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	3 (0.1%)	27	1551^st of 2162 public high schools	28.3%		29.2	1509^th of 2159 public high schools	30.1%	42	9.7	4.8	7.3	40.8	40.8	14.9	14.9	$29,949	$1,303	$28,646
NOVA Academy - Coachella	Public, Charter	9-12	52-780 Frederick St.	Coachella	92236	Riverside County	NOVA Academy - Coachella District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(714) 569-0948	235	11	22.1	88.5%	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	229 (97.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	53.6	958^th of 2162 public high schools	55.7%		48.1	1054^th of 2159 public high schools	51.2%	96		15.8	15.8	68.3	68.3	14.6	14.6	$21,292	$3,076	$18,216
Indio High	Public	9-12	81-750 Avenue 46	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 775-3550	1,962	83	23.5	93.8%	57 (2.9%)	16 (0.8%)	1,835 (93.5%)	15 (0.8%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (1.8%)	29.9	1487^th of 2162 public high schools	31.2%		29.1	1511^th of 2159 public high schools	30.0%	24	18.6	7.1	17.9	37.8	37.8	10.3	10.3	$20,034	$3,291	$16,743
Amistad High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	83-501 Dillon Ave.	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 775-3570	192	15	12.6	94.8%	5 (2.6%)	1 (0.5%)	183 (95.3%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	9.6	2035^th of 2162 public high schools	5.9%		9.9	2076^th of 2159 public high schools	3.8%	41	2.3	8.3	2.8	8.3	8.3	1.5	1.5	$34,283	$3,935	$30,348
Desert Sands A.T.L.A.S.	Public	12	83-391 Dillon Ave	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 775-3810	69	4	16.9	49.3%	14 (20.3%)	2 (2.9%)	47 (68.1%)	3 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.3%)								(n/a)								$49,676	$10,118	$39,558
La Quinta High	Public	9-12	79-255 Blackhawk Way	La Quinta	92253	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 772-4150	2,425	98	24.8	74.4%	385 (15.9%)	30 (1.2%)	1,860 (76.7%)	70 (2.9%)	6 (0.2%)	3 (0.1%)	71 (2.9%)	64.2	707^th of 2162 public high schools	67.3%		63	696^th of 2159 public high schools	67.8%	11	31.2	0.0	30.6	64.1	64.1	29.6	29.6	$18,875	$2,787	$16,088
Summit High (Continuation)	Public	10-12	43-330 Palm Royale Dr.	La Quinta	92253	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 238-9760	195	12	16.4	88.7%	22 (11.3%)	7 (3.6%)	155 (79.5%)	4 (2.1%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.1%)	12	1916^th of 2162 public high schools	11.4%		16.8	1763^rd of 2159 public high schools	18.3%	153	3.8		3.7	19.4	19.4	1.9	1.9	$30,814	$3,674	$27,140
Shadow Hills High	Public	9-12	39-225 Jefferson St.	Indio	92203	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 393-5400	1,650	71	23.4	80.1%	130 (7.9%)	23 (1.4%)	1,424 (86.3%)	19 (1.2%)	8 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (2.8%)	44	1169^th of 2162 public high schools	45.9%		43.6	1156^th of 2159 public high schools	46.5%	13	30.9		30.9	48.7	48.7	9.9	9.9	$20,963	$3,067	$17,896

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Mirage High

How many students attend Desert Mirage High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,875 students attended Desert Mirage High.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Mirage High?

Students at Desert Mirage High are 99% Hispanic.

What district is Desert Mirage High in?

Coachella Valley Unified

What schools feed into Desert Mirage High?

Desert Mirage High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : John Kelley Elementary
Elementary : Las Palmitas Elementary
Elementary : Mecca Elementary
Elementary : Oasis Elementary
Elementary : Saul Martinez Elementary
Middle : Toro Canyon Middle

Is Desert Mirage High a good school?

Desert Mirage High ranks 1466^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Desert Mirage High!

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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.