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James Earl Carter Elementary

Q: Is James Earl Carter Elementary a good school?

James Earl Carter Elementary ranks 1550 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1550^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of California elementary schools

Summary

James Earl Carter Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 487 students in Palm Desert, part of the Desert Sands Unified district, and it consistently ranks in the top 25% of all California elementary schools despite serving a community with significant economic need.

Academically, Carter Elementary is a strong performer, particularly in mathematics where over half of students are proficient, significantly outpacing both the district and state averages. The school achieves these results effectively across all student groups, including those from low-income families and English learners. This success is notable when compared to some nearby schools with similar student demographics, such as Abraham Lincoln Elementary located less than a mile away, which has much lower proficiency rates. While the school spends more per student than many others in Desert Sands Unified, this investment correlates with strong academic outcomes.

A key area for improvement is chronic absenteeism, which at 25.5% is higher than the state average and than nearby schools like Ronald Reagan Elementary or George Washington Charter. Despite this challenge, the school maintains its high standing. When looking at schools in the neighboring Palm Springs Unified district, such as Cathedral City Elementary, Carter's performance is notably stronger. Overall, Carter Elementary demonstrates that a school can deliver excellent and consistent results for its students through effective practices.

487

Students ?

22.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$32,344

Per pupil spending ?

63.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

74-251 Hovley Ln. East
Palm Desert, CA 92260-1700

(760) 862-4370

District: Desert Sands Unified

Students who attend James Earl Carter Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle
	Palm Desert Charter Middle
High:	Palm Desert High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.5%

White:

26.3%

Asian:

10.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare James Earl Carter Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 83rd percentile in 2013 → 74th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (53% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Desert Sands Unified

✓Above the California median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2013

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

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg33%

California avg41%

1,550^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to top 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	71.1	1550 of 5857	73.5%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	1344 of 5869	77.1%	★★★★☆
2023	79.8	1175 of 5859	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	77.6	1301 of 5883	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	81.0	1124 of 5789	80.6%	★★★★☆
2018	82.0	1032 of 5662	81.8%	★★★★☆
2017	83.3	989 of 5692	82.6%	★★★★☆
2016	83.3	990 of 5614	82.4%	★★★★☆
2015	86.1	820 of 5611	85.4%	★★★★☆
2013	81.8	962 of 5530	82.6%	★★★★☆
2012	82.7	868 of 5390	83.9%	★★★★☆
2011	83.9	789 of 5377	85.3%	★★★★☆
2010	89.9	445 of 5314	91.6%	★★★★★
2009	88.9	538 of 5193	89.6%	★★★★☆
2008	85.3	741 of 5113	85.5%	★★★★☆
2007	87.0	671 of 5113	86.9%	★★★★☆
2006	85.5	712 of 4818	85.2%	★★★★☆
2005	85.3	716 of 4822	85.2%	★★★★☆
2004	88.1	589 of 4809	87.8%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	83.6	54 of 1149	95.3%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	71.1	403 of 2227	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	51.4	942 of 2585	63.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	76.9	349 of 3311	89.5%	★★★★☆
2019	88.4	192 of 3275	94.1%	★★★★★
2018	77.2	402 of 3246	87.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.4	1537 of 5597	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	72.5	1383 of 5612	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	1124 of 5609	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	75.5	1302 of 5635	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	76.5	1239 of 5492	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	80.7	999 of 5413	81.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.7	1222 of 5107	76.1%	★★★★☆
2024	82.8	625 of 5107	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	85.2	540 of 5087	89.4%	★★★★☆
2022	76.5	884 of 5084	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	80.3	697 of 4963	86.0%	★★★★☆
2018	82.4	585 of 4830	87.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.0	1050 of 5460	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	816 of 5517	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	83.8	627 of 5363	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	83.0	634 of 5264	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	82.7	594 of 5173	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	90.1	281 of 5084	94.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	70.1	1509 of 5628	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	74.9	1284 of 5643	77.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.3	1207 of 5638	78.6%	★★★★☆
2022	77.0	1241 of 5663	78.1%	★★★★☆
2019	82.5	935 of 5510	83.0%	★★★★☆
2018	80.2	1047 of 5431	80.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.9	1156 of 2598	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.6	1424 of 2651	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.4	1179 of 2661	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.2	689 of 2726	74.7%	★★★★☆
2019	64.9	1030 of 2834	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.6	842 of 2737	69.2%	★★★☆☆

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 (2019)95th percentile+15 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)89th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2022)82nd percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)81st percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)76th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)73rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)73rd percentile~ school

White (2025)56th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy56%+7 vs state

Mathematics52%+14 vs state

Science49%+16 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Sunday, October 6, 2019

The teachers are passionate, caring, and hard working. The students are happy, and love coming to school. Close Quote

by a citizen
Wednesday, March 15, 2017

I live in Colorado. I have never been to this school, but I just read about an incident that has been going on with a 2nd grade student and bullying. I am totally unimpressed by the way this school, in particular the Principal, has handled this situation. I am a school nurse and every child who walks through my door has a detailed report of their complaint, how I treated them and if I phoned parents.
The fact that a child can be injured at school, over and over, and nothing is done is APPALLING.
This is the job of the Principal, to be ever vigilant about the safety of his students. What a poor example he is to the community and other schools. Close Quote

Schools Near James Earl Carter Elementary

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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 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 (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/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
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	$32,344	$30,092	$2,252
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		$24,163	$22,452	$1,711
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	$31,557	$31,494	$63
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						$24,625	$23,846	$779
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		$23,875	$22,190	$1,685
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	$27,245	$25,536	$1,709
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	$24,527	$22,930	$1,597
Della S. Lindley Elementary	Public	K-5	31-495 Robert Rd.	Thousand Palms	92276	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 343-7570	552	29	19.3	92.6%	35 (6.3%)	8 (1.4%)	493 (89.3%)	8 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.1%)	23.6	4536^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.6%		24.5	4411^th of 5869 public elementary schools	24.8%	125	20.4	20.4	36.6	22.2	32.4	30.6	30.1	23.3	16.7	23.0	95.7	98.3	98.3	98.3	96.5		$24,393	$23,510	$883
Cathedral City Elementary	Public	K-5	69300 Converse Rd.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8583	606	33	18.6	96.5%	16 (2.6%)	9 (1.5%)	564 (93.1%)	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.7%)	23.2	4566^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.0%		20.8	4784^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.5%	218	16.7	16.7	29.9	31.7	31.7	31.2	25.3	26.0	20.6	23.9	94.9	97.4			94.9		$21,498	$20,470	$1,028
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	$24,892	$23,270	$1,622

Frequently Asked Questions about James Earl Carter Elementary

Is James Earl Carter Elementary a good school?

James Earl Carter Elementary ranks 1550^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of James Earl Carter Elementary attend?

Students who attend James Earl Carter Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle
Middle : Palm Desert Charter Middle
High : Palm Desert High

What district is James Earl Carter Elementary in?

Desert Sands Unified

How many students attend James Earl Carter Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 487 students attended James Earl Carter Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of James Earl Carter Elementary?

Students at James Earl Carter Elementary are 52% Hispanic, 26% White, 10% Asian, 9% Two or more races, 2% African American.

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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.