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Palm Desert High

Public 9-12

 74-910 Aztec Rd.
       Palm Desert, CA  92260-5639

(760) 862-4300

District: Desert Sands Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
352nd of 2,123 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,348 Help

Feeder schools for Palm Desert High:

Elementary:    Abraham Lincoln Elementary
    George Washington Charter
    Gerald R. Ford Elementary
    James Earl Carter Elementary
    More...
Middle:    Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle
    La Quinta Middle
    Palm Desert Charter Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  26.8
Number of students:  2,122

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
48.3%
White:
37.9%
Asian:
7.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  58.5%

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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Palm Desert High ranks better than 83.4% of high schools in California. It also ranks first among 6 ranked high schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2022 the calculated Average Standard Score was 81.04. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (48.3%), White (37.9%), Asian (7.6%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 58.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Desert Sands Unified School District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Palm Desert High is 26.8. 4 high schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
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Compare Palm Desert High employs 79.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Palm Desert High is $8,348. 4 high schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District spend more per student.
Map and boundary of Palm Desert High


School Attendance Areas provided by ATTOM.

Schooldigger 2022 Rankings:

Palm Desert High:

SchoolDigger ranks Palm Desert High 352nd of 2123 California public high schools. (See Palm Desert High in the ranking list.)

Desert Sands Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Sands Unified 972nd of 1535 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Palm Desert High

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Rank History for all students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 69.53 198th 1653 88.0%
2005 67.18 296th 1901 84.4%
2006 66.72 339th 1968 82.8%
2007 68.17 296th 2063 85.7%
2008 72.29 229th 2117 89.2%
2009 72.04 226th 2238 89.9%
2010 63.54 429th 2281 81.2%
2011 67.52 340th 2367 85.6%
2012 68.63 329th 2354 86.0%
2013 70.58 292nd 2426 88.0%
2015 87.42 225th 1994 88.7%
2016 86.62 258th 2039 87.3%
2017 80.63 401st 2021 80.2%
2018 79.67 415th 2017 79.4%
2019 65.09 635th 2133 70.2%
2021 76.20 285th 1290 77.9%
2022 81.04 352nd 2123 83.4%

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 36.56 342nd 515 33.6%

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 55.69 255th 938 72.8%
2019 56.15 214th 941 77.3%
2021 34.04 298th 467 36.2%
2022 34.01 704th 1044 32.6%

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 72.23 477th 1862 74.4%
2019 60.25 676th 1937 65.1%
2021 75.09 232nd 1126 79.4%
2022 83.94 217th 1943 88.8%

Rank History for Female students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 78.10 382nd 1760 78.3%
2019 66.19 533rd 1833 70.9%
2021 71.30 274th 1054 74.0%
2022 80.83 308th 1858 83.4%

Rank History for Disabled students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 43.61 473rd 1052 55.0%
2019 30.32 765th 1117 31.5%
2021 35.67 330th 555 40.5%
2022 69.03 205th 1161 82.3%

Rank History for Male students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 76.95 416th 1834 77.3%
2019 73.38 439th 1880 76.6%
2021 75.38 258th 1122 77.0%
2022 77.89 368th 1916 80.8%

Rank History for Asian students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 39.24 385th 581 33.7%
2019 69.56 194th 582 66.7%
2022 49.86 322nd 581 44.6%

Rank History for African American students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 90.16 55th 582 90.5%
2019 82.90 74th 592 87.5%

Rank History for Hispanic students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 72.82 440th 1742 74.7%
2019 64.78 537th 1814 70.4%
2022 78.18 293rd 1861 84.3%

Rank History for White students at Palm Desert High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 74.63 314th 1173 73.2%
2019 65.92 405th 1222 66.9%
2022 77.16 245th 1204 79.7%

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Palm Desert High Test Scores
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Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Palm Desert High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 766 22 28 176 7 n/a n/a 0 999
1989 1082 33 40 255 9 n/a n/a 0 1419
1990 1190 28 46 301 9 n/a n/a 0 1574
1991 1271 26 52 343 8 n/a n/a 0 1700
1992 1359 28 58 405 20 n/a n/a 0 1870
1993 1361 28 53 446 35 n/a n/a 0 1923
1994 1471 34 52 520 14 n/a n/a 0 2091
1995 1476 32 63 377 14 n/a n/a 0 1962
1996 1476 32 63 377 14 n/a n/a 0 1962
1997 1323 23 52 357 13 n/a n/a 0 1768
1998 1306 27 55 387 10 n/a n/a 0 1785
1999 1281 22 58 372 14 n/a n/a 0 1747
2000 1286 22 73 377 15 n/a n/a 0 1773
2001 1259 20 82 383 11 n/a n/a 0 1755
2002 1295 25 79 418 14 n/a n/a 3 1834
2003 1295 25 79 418 14 n/a n/a 3 1834
2004 1334 24 70 438 20 n/a n/a 16 1902
2005 1325 36 73 484 22 n/a n/a 56 1996
2006 1328 40 70 537 18 n/a n/a 102 2095
2007 1364 39 61 593 18 n/a n/a 87 2162
2008 1345 55 80 613 10 n/a n/a 0 2103
2009 1225 57 110 666 7 3 91 0 2159
2010 1132 65 121 726 21 5 33 0 2103
2011 1039 64 126 759 17 6 31 0 2042
2012 994 59 112 779 17 5 37 0 2003
2013 974 55 105 777 21 4 43 0 1979
2014 968 44 106 825 13 2 45 0 2003
2015 941 31 129 851 12 1 51 0 2016
2016 886 42 134 849 16 2 19 0 1948
2017 865 52 143 878 19 4 25 0 1986
2018 826 47 141 889 14 5 50 0 1972
2019 815 49 126 931 9 7 66 0 2003
2020 839 44 135 972 8 4 88 0 2090
2021 828 35 140 1022 1 5 98 0 2129
2022 805 39 162 1024 0 2 90 0 2122

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity
For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Palm Desert High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 999 41.8 23.8 n/a
1989 1419 50.6 28.0 n/a
1990 1574 59.7 26.3 n/a
1991 1700 68.7 24.7 n/a
1992 1870 69.8 26.7 9.9
1993 1923 72.9 26.4 12.7
1994 2091 75.1 27.8 14.5
1995 1962 74.1 26.5 15.9
1996 1962 74.1 26.5 15.9
1997 1768 73.5 24.1 17.6
1998 1785 70.2 25.4 17.5
1999 1747 66.0 26.5 19.6
2000 1773 67.0 26.5 16.4
2001 1755 74.6 23.5 22.2
2002 1834 77.9 23.5 21.4
2003 1834 77.9 23.5 21.4
2004 1902 72.5 26.2 18.9
2005 1996 80.0 25.0 20.5
2006 2095 88.1 23.8 17.3
2007 2162 80.1 27.0 17.7
2008 2103 88.7 23.7 22.1
2009 2159 89.0 21.6 24
2010 2103 82.5 25.4 30.1
2011 2042 n/a n/a 35
2012 2003 73.5 27.2 0.1
2013 1979 73.7 26.8 45.4
2014 2003 75.7 26.4 41.5
2015 2016 69.0 29.2 43.1
2016 1948 76.0 25.6 40.2
2017 1986 76.1 26.0 44.9
2018 1972 76.0 25.9 47
2019 2003 73.8 27.1 45.5
2020 2090 n/a n/a 47.1
2021 2129 75.3 28.2 42.9
2022 2122 79.1 26.8 58.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch
For information about the National School Lunch Program, see the USDA Website

Student/Teacher Ratio Palm Desert High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 999 41.8 23.8 n/a
1989 1419 50.6 28.0 n/a
1990 1574 59.7 26.3 n/a
1991 1700 68.7 24.7 n/a
1992 1870 69.8 26.7 9.9
1993 1923 72.9 26.4 12.7
1994 2091 75.1 27.8 14.5
1995 1962 74.1 26.5 15.9
1996 1962 74.1 26.5 15.9
1997 1768 73.5 24.1 17.6
1998 1785 70.2 25.4 17.5
1999 1747 66.0 26.5 19.6
2000 1773 67.0 26.5 16.4
2001 1755 74.6 23.5 22.2
2002 1834 77.9 23.5 21.4
2003 1834 77.9 23.5 21.4
2004 1902 72.5 26.2 18.9
2005 1996 80.0 25.0 20.5
2006 2095 88.1 23.8 17.3
2007 2162 80.1 27.0 17.7
2008 2103 88.7 23.7 22.1
2009 2159 89.0 21.6 24
2010 2103 82.5 25.4 30.1
2011 2042 n/a n/a 35
2012 2003 73.5 27.2 0.1
2013 1979 73.7 26.8 45.4
2014 2003 75.7 26.4 41.5
2015 2016 69.0 29.2 43.1
2016 1948 76.0 25.6 40.2
2017 1986 76.1 26.0 44.9
2018 1972 76.0 25.9 47
2019 2003 73.8 27.1 45.5
2020 2090 n/a n/a 47.1
2021 2129 75.3 28.2 42.9
2022 2122 79.1 26.8 58.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio
Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Palm Desert High

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $8,348

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Palm Desert High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Rank
Pandemic (2021-2022)		 Change (%)
Ranks 635th of 2133 High schoolsRanks 352nd of 2123 High schools
 13.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 % proficient
Pandemic (2021-2022)		 Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Palm Desert High)66.772.9
 6.2%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Desert Sands Unified)52.344.6
 7.7%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)57.354.8
 2.5%
11th Grade Mathematics (Palm Desert High)34.537
 2.5%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Desert Sands Unified)21.817.2
 4.5%
   11th Grade Mathematics (California)32.227
 5.3%
11th Grade Science (Palm Desert High)33.341.8
 8.5%
   11th Grade Science (Desert Sands Unified)22.822.2
 0.6%
   11th Grade Science (California)30.430.8
 0.4%
12th Grade Science (Palm Desert High)16.715.3
 1.4%
   12th Grade Science (Desert Sands Unified)9.210.7
 1.5%
   12th Grade Science (California)25.626.8
 1.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Pandemic (2020-2021)		 Change (%)
Total Students20032129
 6.3%
African American4935
 28.6%
American Indian91
 88.9%
Asian126140
 11.1%
Hispanic9311022
 9.8%
Pacific Islander75
 28.6%
White815828
 1.6%
Two or More Races6698
 48.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients45.5%42.9%
 2.6%



Frequently Asked Questions about Palm Desert High

In the 2021-22 school year, 2,122 students attended Palm Desert High.

Palm Desert High ranks 352nd of 2123 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Palm Desert High are 48% Hispanic, 38% White, 8% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Palm Desert High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Abraham Lincoln Elementary
Elementary : George Washington Charter
Elementary : Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Elementary : James Earl Carter Elementary
Elementary : James Monroe Elementary
Middle : Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle
Middle : La Quinta Middle
Middle : Palm Desert Charter Middle


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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. School Attendance Areas provided by ATTOM.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that school and district boundary data 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.




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