Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

George Washington Charter

Q: Is George Washington Charter a good school?

George Washington Charter ranks 681 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-5

681^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 88% of California elementary schools

Summary

George Washington Charter is a highly-regarded public charter elementary school (grades K-5) serving 746 students in Palm Desert, California, within the Desert Sands Unified district, and it consistently ranks among the top schools in the state.

The school's academic performance is exceptional, with proficiency rates in English, math, and science that are dramatically higher—often by 30 to 40 percentage points—than both the district and state averages. This success is consistent across all student groups and is paired with a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of just 10.5%, which is less than half the rate of the surrounding district. Impressively, the school achieves these outstanding results while spending significantly less per student than other high-performing local schools like Gerald R. Ford Elementary and James Monroe Elementary.

When compared to nearby schools, George Washington Charter's effectiveness is particularly striking. For instance, its closest neighbor, Abraham Lincoln Elementary, has similar resources but performs significantly lower, highlighting that the charter's success is driven by its specific programs and culture. The school has maintained this high level of excellence for over a decade, demonstrating a stable and effective educational model that delivers strong outcomes for all students in the Coachella Valley.

746

Students ?

25.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,402

Per pupil spending ?

50.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

45-768 Portola Ave.
Palm Desert, CA 92260-4861

(760) 862-4350

District: Desert Sands Unified

Students who attend George Washington Charter usually attend:

Middle:	La Quinta Middle
	Palm Desert Charter Middle
High:	Palm Desert High

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.9%

Hispanic:

35.9%

Two or more races:

8.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare George Washington Charter to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 86th percentile in 2015 → 88th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (68% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Desert Sands Unified

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school68%

District avg33%

California avg41%

681^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 12%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 19Elementary Schools in the Desert Sands Unified

989^th of 1,543Desert Sands 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	89.7	681 of 5857	88.4%	★★★★☆
2024	89.9	707 of 5869	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	89.9	718 of 5859	87.7%	★★★★☆
2022	87.3	841 of 5883	85.7%	★★★★☆
2021	82.0	247 of 1417	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	89.7	655 of 5789	88.7%	★★★★☆
2018	90.6	602 of 5662	89.4%	★★★★☆
2017	88.4	739 of 5692	87.0%	★★★★☆
2016	90.7	573 of 5614	89.8%	★★★★☆
2015	87.0	781 of 5611	86.1%	★★★★☆
2013	87.8	595 of 5530	89.2%	★★★★☆
2012	91.0	362 of 5390	93.3%	★★★★★
2011	88.9	503 of 5377	90.6%	★★★★★
2010	92.3	311 of 5314	94.1%	★★★★★
2009	92.8	302 of 5193	94.2%	★★★★★
2008	88.3	572 of 5113	88.8%	★★★★☆
2007	86.6	689 of 5113	86.5%	★★★★☆
2006	89.1	529 of 4818	89.0%	★★★★☆
2005	83.4	794 of 4822	83.5%	★★★★☆
2004	83.6	767 of 4809	84.1%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	87.8	23 of 1205	98.1%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	82.6	261 of 2227	88.3%	★★★★☆
2021	67.6	59 of 293	79.9%	★★★★☆
2019	64.6	611 of 2585	76.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	96.4	62 of 3245	98.1%	★★★★★
2022	73.2	424 of 3311	87.2%	★★★★☆
2021	81.0	55 of 602	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	88.1	195 of 3275	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	87.1	227 of 3246	93.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.7	656 of 5597	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	86.5	804 of 5612	85.7%	★★★★☆
2023	84.6	907 of 5609	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	82.0	1016 of 5635	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	78.9	249 of 1267	80.3%	★★★★☆
2019	84.4	852 of 5492	84.5%	★★★★☆
2018	87.9	676 of 5413	87.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.1	337 of 5107	93.4%	★★★★★
2024	80.7	693 of 5107	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	75.9	925 of 5087	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.8	1030 of 5084	79.7%	★★★★☆
2019	84.0	554 of 4963	88.8%	★★★★☆
2018	86.8	423 of 4830	91.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.9	285 of 5460	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	88.9	486 of 5517	91.2%	★★★★★
2023	88.4	447 of 5363	91.7%	★★★★★
2022	90.5	328 of 5264	93.8%	★★★★★
2021	78.7	150 of 1110	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	86.4	436 of 5173	91.6%	★★★★★
2018	75.1	910 of 5084	82.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.4	667 of 5628	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	90.4	575 of 5643	89.8%	★★★★☆
2023	92.3	474 of 5638	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	89.3	666 of 5663	88.2%	★★★★☆
2021	82.3	226 of 1272	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	92.0	448 of 5510	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	90.1	569 of 5431	89.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	77.6	132 of 669	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	71.8	180 of 610	70.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.2	317 of 2847	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.7	503 of 2635	80.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.2	575 of 2598	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	74.6	643 of 2651	75.7%	★★★★☆
2023	79.0	473 of 2661	82.2%	★★★★☆
2022	75.9	591 of 2726	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	83.4	323 of 2834	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	82.3	372 of 2737	86.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Asian (2024)98th percentile+10 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)98th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)93rd percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2025)89th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)88th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)88th percentile~ school

Male (2025)88th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)80th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)78th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy69%+21 vs state

Mathematics67%+30 vs state

Science65%+32 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate George Washington Charter

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near George Washington Charter

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)				% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
George Washington Charter	Public, Charter	K-5	45-768 Portola Ave.	Palm Desert	92260	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 862-4350	746	29	25.7	50.3%	372 (49.9%)	6 (0.8%)	268 (35.9%)	38 (5.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (8.0%)	89.7	681^st of 5857 public elementary schools	88.4%		89.9	707^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.0%	26	64.7	64.7	65.6	71.9	70.6	69.4	69.6	70.3	62.2	67.5	94.5	98.4		98.4	95.3	98.4	$13,402	$335	$13,067
Abraham Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-5	74-100 Rutledge Way	Palm Desert	92260	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 862-4340	607	24	25.2	86.7%	76 (12.5%)	7 (1.2%)	482 (79.4%)	18 (3.0%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.1%)	30.8	3894^th of 5857 public elementary schools	33.5%		23.6	4515^th of 5869 public elementary schools	23.1%	621	24.7	24.7	32.7	44.1	40.0	39.1	18.8	31.5	16.5	22.9	93.3		98.1	98.1	96.2		$20,048	$3,300	$16,748
James Earl Carter Elementary	Public	K-5	74-251 Hovley Ln. East	Palm Desert	92260	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 862-4370	487	22	22.0	63.2%	128 (26.3%)	10 (2.1%)	251 (51.5%)	51 (10.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	43 (8.8%)	71.1	1550^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.5%		75.7	1344^th of 5869 public elementary schools	77.1%	206	48.9	48.9	55.6	44.9	66.3	56.1	54.9	47.4	52.2	51.6	89.9	93.3		95.5	94.4	95.5	$22,746	$3,433	$19,313
Rancho Mirage Elementary	Public	K-5	42-985 Indian Trail Rd.	Rancho Mirage	92270	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 836-3680	349	17	20.6	81.7%	92 (26.4%)	8 (2.3%)	227 (65.0%)	12 (3.4%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.0%)	43.5	2979^th of 5857 public elementary schools	49.1%		60.5	2049^th of 5869 public elementary schools	65.1%	930	41.9	41.9	42.1	30.5	49.2	40.8	49.1	21.7	25.8	31.8	93.5						$22,491	$1,836	$20,655
Gerald R. Ford Elementary	Public	K-5	44-210 Warner Trail	Indian Wells	92210	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 772-4120	598	25	23.9	62.9%	179 (29.9%)	8 (1.3%)	332 (55.5%)	43 (7.2%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.0%)	83.6	983^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	83.2%		80.5	1136^th of 5869 public elementary schools	80.6%	153	59.3	59.3	60.9	68.2	63.7	64.2	59.8	63.5	57.5	60.0	93.6	96.3	97.3		96.3	98.2	$20,189	$3,104	$17,085
Ronald Reagan Elementary	Public	K-5	39-800 Liberty Dr.	Palm Desert	92211	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 772-0456	808	35	23.4	59.0%	123 (15.2%)	10 (1.2%)	598 (74.0%)	16 (2.0%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (6.9%)	51.2	2544^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.6%		57.2	2182^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	62.8%	362	32.0	32.0	51.2	47.6	49.2	49.3	50.4	31.0	31.3	37.4	95.1			97.9	96.5		$19,531	$3,122	$16,409
Benjamin Franklin Elementary	Public	K-5	77-800 Calle Tampico	La Quinta	92253	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 238-9424	627	29	21.6	82.1%	85 (13.6%)	10 (1.6%)	503 (80.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	25 (4.0%)	34.8	3601^st of 5857 public elementary schools	38.5%		32.8	3710^th of 5869 public elementary schools	36.8%	109	29.1	29.1	25.7	37.6	51.5	38.0	26.6	33.7	25.2	28.4	97.3		98.2		98.2		$20,603	$3,090	$17,513
James Monroe Elementary	Public	K-5	42-100 Yucca Ln.	Bermuda Dunes	92203	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 772-4130	562	22	25.5	69.0%	113 (20.1%)	4 (0.7%)	386 (68.7%)	17 (3.0%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.4%)	69.3	1635^th of 5857 public elementary schools	72.1%		73.6	1425^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.7%	210	35.8	35.8	47.9	63.5	63.2	58.4	41.5	55.8	61.1	52.9	96.1	98.0	98.0		96.1	98.0	$20,257	$3,229	$17,028
Harry S. Truman Elementary	Public	K-5	78-870 Avenue 50	La Quinta	92253	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 777-4230	635	25	25.4	80.2%	71 (11.2%)	11 (1.7%)	488 (76.9%)	10 (1.6%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (8.0%)	47	2759^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.9%		42	3071^st of 5869 public elementary schools	47.7%	312	29.4	29.4	43.2	52.3	39.5	45.0	32.4	54.2	27.5	37.9							$20,659	$3,121	$17,538
Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies	Public	K-5	45-250 Dune Palms Rd.	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 200-3720	748	30	24.9	65.1%	169 (22.6%)	5 (0.7%)	492 (65.8%)	30 (4.0%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.4%)	48.1	2691^st of 5857 public elementary schools	54.1%		43.6	2954^th of 5869 public elementary schools	49.7%	263	37.5	37.5	40.9	47.2	48.4	45.5	43.3	36.8	26.8	35.6	96.8			98.1	97.5	98.1	$19,984	$3,063	$16,921

Frequently Asked Questions about George Washington Charter

What district is George Washington Charter in?

Desert Sands Unified

Is George Washington Charter a good school?

George Washington Charter ranks 681^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of George Washington Charter?

Students at George Washington Charter are 50% White, 36% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

What schools do graduates of George Washington Charter attend?

Students who attend George Washington Charter usually go on to attend:

Middle : La Quinta Middle
Middle : Palm Desert Charter Middle
High : Palm Desert High

How many students attend George Washington Charter?

In the 2024-25 school year, 746 students attended George Washington Charter.

Rate George Washington Charter!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Palm Desert, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for George Washington Charter!

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.