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La Quinta High

Q: Is La Quinta High a good school?

La Quinta High ranks 707 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

707^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 67% of California high schools

Summary

La Quinta High is a large public high school serving grades 9-12 to approximately 2,425 students in the Desert Sands Unified district, demonstrating solid performance with a particular strength in graduating students successfully.

The school has clear academic strengths, especially in English Language Arts where it outperforms both its district and the state average, and it excels at ensuring students graduate, with a rate over 97%. However, it faces challenges in mathematics proficiency and has a notable issue with chronic student absenteeism. Performance varies for different student groups; for instance, the school has been very effective for Hispanic students but has seen a significant recent decline in results for its Asian student population.

Interesting comparisons emerge with nearby schools, particularly Palm Desert High, which consistently outperforms La Quinta High across all core subjects despite being in the same district and located less than five miles away. While La Quinta High's statewide ranking has declined over the past decade, it still performs better than most high schools in the neighboring Coachella Valley Unified district and operates with lower per-student spending than several Desert Sands Unified peers like Shadow Hills High and Rancho Mirage High.

2,425

Students ?

24.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,875

Per pupil spending ?

74.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

79-255 Blackhawk Way
La Quinta, CA 92253-4244

(760) 772-4150

District: Desert Sands Unified

Feeder schools for La Quinta High:

Elementary:	Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies
	Benjamin Franklin Elementary
	Carrillo Ranch Elementary
	Harry S. Truman Elementary
Middle:	John Glenn Middle School of International Studies

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

76.7%

White:

15.9%

Two or more races:

2.9%

See top rated California high schools

Compare La Quinta High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 57th percentile in 2022 → 67th in 2025

Strengths

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 67th (2025) from a 57th-percentile low (2022)

✓Above the California median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 19% California)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg33%

California avg41%

707^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 33%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

From top 13% (2015) to top 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6High 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	64.2	707 of 2162	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.0	696 of 2159	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.1	587 of 2170	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	50.4	922 of 2123	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.6	403 of 1290	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.0	904 of 2133	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.1	659 of 2017	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	77.1	461 of 2021	77.2%	★★★★☆
2016	82.4	334 of 2039	83.6%	★★★★☆
2015	85.3	266 of 1994	86.7%	★★★★☆
2013	80.4	132 of 2426	94.6%	★★★★★
2012	75.7	207 of 2354	91.2%	★★★★★
2011	76.0	191 of 2367	91.9%	★★★★★
2010	72.4	245 of 2281	89.3%	★★★★☆
2009	66.9	307 of 2238	86.3%	★★★★☆
2008	64.2	387 of 2117	81.7%	★★★★☆
2007	57.4	509 of 2063	75.3%	★★★★☆
2006	48.1	669 of 1968	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	50.6	579 of 1901	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	47.6	542 of 1653	67.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	79.5	79 of 517	84.7%	★★★★☆
2019	59.8	187 of 592	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.7	139 of 582	76.1%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.4	385 of 585	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	71.5	191 of 591	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.8	150 of 581	74.2%	★★★★☆
2019	18.9	486 of 582	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	57.9	291 of 581	49.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	23.7	1016 of 1161	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.1	311 of 555	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.4	678 of 1117	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.0	704 of 1052	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.5	838 of 1085	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.4	344 of 1064	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.8	646 of 1044	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	88.5	33 of 467	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	72.9	100 of 941	89.4%	★★★★☆
2018	44.2	368 of 938	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.9	671 of 1906	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.5	706 of 1915	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.7	624 of 1915	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.3	811 of 1858	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.5	401 of 1054	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.1	638 of 1833	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.0	650 of 1760	63.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.3	500 of 1900	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	68.1	510 of 1902	73.2%	★★★★☆
2023	72.4	437 of 1917	77.2%	★★★★☆
2022	53.7	757 of 1861	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.5	465 of 1814	74.4%	★★★★☆
2018	69.3	509 of 1742	70.8%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	55.9	114 of 290	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.9	570 of 2013	71.7%	★★★★☆
2024	64.3	610 of 2026	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.5	424 of 2030	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	54.9	745 of 1943	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.5	382 of 1126	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.9	706 of 1937	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.4	557 of 1862	70.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	62.6	661 of 1942	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.9	629 of 1948	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.1	505 of 1963	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	45.4	925 of 1916	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.8	342 of 1122	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.4	625 of 1880	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.8	634 of 1834	65.4%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	69.2	48 of 183	73.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.5	437 of 577	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	58.0	251 of 574	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.8	364 of 541	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.4	314 of 515	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.9	790 of 1252	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.5	575 of 1216	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.3	860 of 1197	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.6	355 of 1155	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	516 of 1173	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.2	383 of 1193	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.2	730 of 1204	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.5	451 of 1222	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.9	523 of 1173	55.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2024)85th percentile+17 vs school

Military Connected (2024)74th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)74th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)72nd percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)69th percentile~ school

Male (2025)66th percentile~ school

Female (2025)65th percentile-3 vs school

Homeless (2022)61st percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2025)37th percentile-30 vs school

Asian (2025)34th percentile-33 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)24th percentile-43 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)23rd percentile-45 vs school

Disabled (2022)12th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy64%+15 vs state

Science31%~ state avg

Mathematics30%-8 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 11, 2022

unsafe school, a lot of bully overcrowded compare to near by high schools Close Quote

Schools Near La Quinta 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
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
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
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
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
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
Palm Desert High	Public	9-12	74-910 Aztec Rd.	Palm Desert	92260	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 862-4300	2,079	80	26.0	60.2%	734 (35.3%)	40 (1.9%)	1,008 (48.5%)	174 (8.4%)	11 (0.5%)	3 (0.1%)	109 (5.2%)	78.7	435^th of 2162 public high schools	79.9%		85.2	323^rd of 2159 public high schools	85.0%	112	43.7	18.2	43.1	69.3	69.3	37.5	37.5	$19,647	$3,223	$16,424
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about La Quinta High

What district is La Quinta High in?

Desert Sands Unified

Is La Quinta High a good school?

La Quinta High ranks 707^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into La Quinta High?

La Quinta High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies
Elementary : Benjamin Franklin Elementary
Elementary : Carrillo Ranch Elementary
Elementary : Harry S. Truman Elementary
Middle : John Glenn Middle School of International Studies

What is the racial makeup of La Quinta High?

Students at La Quinta High are 77% Hispanic, 16% White, 3% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

How many students attend La Quinta High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,425 students attended La Quinta High.

Rate La Quinta 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.