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Palm Desert High

Q: Is Palm Desert High a good school?

Palm Desert High ranks 435 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

435^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 80% of California high schools

Summary

Palm Desert High is a large, comprehensive public high school serving approximately 2,100 students in grades 9-12 within the Desert Sands Unified School District, consistently ranking as one of the top-performing schools in its region.

The school stands out for its strong and consistent academic results, particularly in English Language Arts where student proficiency significantly outpaces both the district and state averages. It maintains exceptionally high graduation rates and very low dropout rates, outperforming all nearby comprehensive high schools like La Quinta High, Shadow Hills High, and Indio High. This success is achieved while serving a socioeconomically diverse student population and operating with a moderate per-student budget, indicating efficient use of resources.

While mathematics presents a relative area for growth compared to its own stellar English scores, Palm Desert High still leads its local peers in this subject. The school effectively supports students from various backgrounds, though support for English Language Learners shows some variability year-to-year. A notable point is that the school sustains its high graduation and proficiency rates despite facing a challenge with chronic student absenteeism, suggesting robust systems to help students stay on track.

2,079

Students ?

26.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,932

Per pupil spending ?

60.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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

(760) 862-4300

District: Desert Sands Unified

Feeder schools for Palm Desert High:

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

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.5%

White:

35.3%

Asian:

8.4%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Palm Desert High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 89th percentile in 2015 → 80th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of California high schools

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg33%

California avg41%

435^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 20%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 11% (2015) to top 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	78.7	435 of 2162	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	85.2	323 of 2159	85.0%	★★★★☆
2023	80.6	401 of 2170	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	81.0	352 of 2123	83.4%	★★★★☆
2021	76.2	285 of 1290	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	65.1	635 of 2133	70.2%	★★★★☆
2018	79.7	415 of 2017	79.4%	★★★★☆
2017	80.6	401 of 2021	80.2%	★★★★☆
2016	86.6	258 of 2039	87.3%	★★★★☆
2015	87.4	225 of 1994	88.7%	★★★★☆
2013	70.6	292 of 2426	88.0%	★★★★☆
2012	68.6	329 of 2354	86.0%	★★★★☆
2011	67.5	340 of 2367	85.6%	★★★★☆
2010	63.5	429 of 2281	81.2%	★★★★☆
2009	72.0	226 of 2238	89.9%	★★★★☆
2008	72.3	229 of 2117	89.2%	★★★★☆
2007	68.2	296 of 2063	85.7%	★★★★☆
2006	66.7	339 of 1968	82.8%	★★★★☆
2005	67.2	296 of 1901	84.4%	★★★★☆
2004	69.5	198 of 1653	88.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.0	102 of 523	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	34.4	315 of 517	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	82.9	74 of 592	87.5%	★★★★☆
2018	90.2	55 of 582	90.5%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	77.4	134 of 585	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	84.6	70 of 573	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	86.3	47 of 591	92.0%	★★★★★
2022	49.9	322 of 581	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.6	194 of 582	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.2	385 of 581	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	69.0	205 of 1161	82.3%	★★★★☆
2021	35.7	330 of 555	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.3	765 of 1117	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	473 of 1052	55.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	26.4	926 of 1085	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	55.9	260 of 1064	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	34.0	704 of 1044	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.0	298 of 467	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.2	214 of 941	77.3%	★★★★☆
2018	55.7	255 of 938	72.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.0	366 of 1906	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	82.1	325 of 1915	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	77.2	391 of 1915	79.6%	★★★★☆
2022	80.8	308 of 1858	83.4%	★★★★☆
2021	71.3	274 of 1054	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	66.2	533 of 1833	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	78.1	382 of 1760	78.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.7	438 of 1900	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	84.2	239 of 1902	87.4%	★★★★☆
2023	74.2	406 of 1917	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	78.2	293 of 1861	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	64.8	537 of 1814	70.4%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	440 of 1742	74.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	503 of 2013	75.0%	★★★★☆
2024	83.7	280 of 2026	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	80.3	324 of 2030	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	83.9	217 of 1943	88.8%	★★★★☆
2021	75.1	232 of 1126	79.4%	★★★★☆
2019	60.3	676 of 1937	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.2	477 of 1862	74.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.9	438 of 1942	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	84.7	286 of 1948	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	80.5	365 of 1963	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	368 of 1916	80.8%	★★★★☆
2021	75.4	258 of 1122	77.0%	★★★★☆
2019	73.4	439 of 1880	76.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.9	416 of 1834	77.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.1	245 of 577	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.3	159 of 574	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	97.4	3 of 541	99.4%	★★★★★
2022	36.6	342 of 515	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	48.3	508 of 1252	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.7	675 of 1216	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	763 of 1197	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.2	256 of 1155	77.8%	★★★★☆
2024	75.4	276 of 1173	76.5%	★★★★☆
2023	71.9	321 of 1193	73.1%	★★★★☆
2022	77.2	245 of 1204	79.7%	★★★★☆
2019	65.9	405 of 1222	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.6	314 of 1173	73.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Disabled (2022)82nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)81st percentile~ school

African American (2025)80th percentile~ school

White (2025)78th percentile~ school

Male (2025)77th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)77th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)77th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)75th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)59th percentile-20 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)58th percentile-22 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)15th percentile-70 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy69%+20 vs state

Science43%+10 vs state

Mathematics38%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Palm Desert High

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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 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 (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 10th Grade	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
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	$22,932	$21,184	$1,748
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	$40,934	$39,484	$1,450
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	$22,709	$21,036	$1,673
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	$25,778	$23,940	$1,838
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	$23,993	$22,014	$1,979
Cathedral City High	Public	9-12	69250 Dinah Shore Dr.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-0100	1,334	67	20.0	95.5%	55 (4.1%)	19 (1.4%)	1,205 (90.3%)	35 (2.6%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	12 (0.9%)	39.6	1271^st of 2162 public high schools	41.2%		59.1	795^th of 2159 public high schools	63.2%	476		21.9	0.0	21.1	48.8	48.8	13.6	13.6	$23,217	$22,364	$853
Rancho Mirage High	Public	9-12	31001 Rattler Rd.	Rancho Mirage	92270	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 202-6455	1,401	69	20.4	95.2%	106 (7.6%)	27 (1.9%)	1,155 (82.4%)	67 (4.8%)	8 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (2.5%)	44.1	1162^nd of 2162 public high schools	46.3%		50	999^th of 2159 public high schools	53.7%	163	4.5	19.4	17.1	16.9	54.6	54.6	21.1	21.1	$22,992	$22,124	$868
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)									$91,702	$87,354	$4,348
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	$56,883	$54,628	$2,255
Mt. San Jacinto High	Public	9-12	30800 Landau Blvd.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8563	325	25	12.8	95.7%	14 (4.3%)	13 (4.0%)	283 (87.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	7 (2.2%)	15.7	1782^nd of 2162 public high schools	17.6%		14.9	1822^nd of 2159 public high schools	15.6%	40		5.8	0.0	5.1	15.8	15.8	10.2	10.2	$37,079	$36,264	$815

Frequently Asked Questions about Palm Desert High

How many students attend Palm Desert High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,079 students attended Palm Desert High.

Is Palm Desert High a good school?

Palm Desert High ranks 435^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Palm Desert High?

Students at Palm Desert High are 48% Hispanic, 35% White, 8% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is Palm Desert High in?

Desert Sands Unified

What schools feed into Palm Desert High?

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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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.