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Harry S. Truman Elementary

Q: Is Harry S. Truman Elementary a good school?

Harry S. Truman Elementary ranks 2759 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2759^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 53% of California elementary schools

Summary

Harry S. Truman Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 635 students in La Quinta, California, as part of the Desert Sands Unified school district, and it stands out for achieving solid academic results while serving a community with significant economic need.

Academically, the school is on an upward trend, recently improving its statewide ranking, and its math scores are a particular strength, nearly matching the state average and outperforming the district. This is notable when compared to other local schools with similar challenges, such as John F. Kennedy Elementary, James Madison Elementary, and Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary, where Truman's proficiency rates are significantly higher. However, performance varies by grade, with 4th grade excelling while 5th grade faces challenges, especially in science.

The school does contend with a high rate of chronic student absences, which is an area needing attention as improved attendance could further boost achievement. Compared to higher-performing schools in the district like Gerald R. Ford Elementary and James Monroe Elementary, Truman operates with fewer resources per student and a larger average class size, yet it delivers competitive outcomes, suggesting efficient use of its resources.

635

Students ?

25.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,659

Per pupil spending ?

80.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

78-870 Avenue 50
La Quinta, CA 92253-2400

(760) 777-4230

District: Desert Sands Unified

Students who attend Harry S. Truman Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	La Quinta Middle
High:	La Quinta High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

76.9%

White:

11.2%

Two or more races:

8.0%

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Compare Harry S. Truman Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 44th percentile in 2023 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 53rd (2025) from a 44th-percentile low (2023)

✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (30% 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 school40%

District avg33%

California avg41%

2,759^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From top 33% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th 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	47.0	2759 of 5857	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.0	3071 of 5869	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.0	3274 of 5859	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.2	3280 of 5883	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.1	1965 of 5789	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.2	1752 of 5662	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.1	1836 of 5692	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	73.5	1371 of 5614	75.6%	★★★★☆
2015	62.1	1847 of 5611	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	77.8	1172 of 5530	78.8%	★★★★☆
2012	82.7	870 of 5390	83.9%	★★★★☆
2011	80.0	999 of 5377	81.4%	★★★★☆
2010	64.2	1775 of 5314	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.9	1592 of 5193	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	61.4	1792 of 5113	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.4	2238 of 5113	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	53.3	2033 of 4818	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	50.5	2175 of 4822	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	49.5	2179 of 4809	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	36.8	1206 of 2227	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.0	1260 of 2585	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	22.5	1844 of 2128	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	46.4	1390 of 3162	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.6	1309 of 3245	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.4	1118 of 3311	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.3	526 of 3275	83.9%	★★★★☆
2018	82.4	301 of 3246	90.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.8	2643 of 5597	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.8	3002 of 5612	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.8	2900 of 5609	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.8	2821 of 5635	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.9	1801 of 5492	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.2	1873 of 5413	65.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	54.0	2032 of 5107	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.3	2106 of 5107	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.9	2365 of 5087	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.4	2424 of 5084	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.7	1142 of 4963	77.0%	★★★★☆
2018	78.3	762 of 4830	84.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.2	2356 of 5460	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.0	2604 of 5517	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.1	3216 of 5363	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.8	2847 of 5264	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.8	1721 of 5173	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.8	828 of 5084	83.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	46.4	2710 of 5628	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.8	2895 of 5643	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.8	3423 of 5638	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	3531 of 5663	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.1	1996 of 5510	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.9	1569 of 5431	71.1%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	7.9	631 of 670	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.5	653 of 669	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.6	578 of 610	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	1877 of 2847	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.8	1100 of 2635	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.1	1078 of 2420	55.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.7	1054 of 2598	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.8	1553 of 2651	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.1	1692 of 2661	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.5	1967 of 2726	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	74.5	654 of 2834	76.9%	★★★★☆
2018	64.3	1033 of 2737	62.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)60th percentile+7 vs school

White (2025)59th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)57th percentile+4 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)56th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)53rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)52nd percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)46th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)34th percentile-19 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)6th percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy45%-4 vs state

Mathematics38%~ state avg

Science29%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Harry S. Truman Elementary

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 6th 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 6th 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
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
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
Mountain Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	49-750 Hjorth St.	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 775-6888	599	28	21.3	76.8%	13 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	575 (96.0%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	28	4134^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.4%		29.2	3996^th of 5869 public elementary schools	31.9%	138	17.2	17.2	42.3	31.1	24.7	33.3	32.5	40.9	31.9	14.9	22.5	27.1	95.4				95.4		$31,003	$1,220	$29,783
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
James Madison Elementary	Public	K-5	80-845 Avenue 46	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 775-3850	403	17	23.7	93.5%	8 (2.0%)	2 (0.5%)	359 (89.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.2%)	10.5	5603^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	4.3%		15.5	5261^st of 5869 public elementary schools	10.4%	342	7.6	7.6	14.6	28.6	14.0		20.0	6.3	15.7	7.6		10.3							$22,309	$3,505	$18,804
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
Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Junior Academy	Public	K-5	47-368 Monroe St.	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 863-1544	592	26	22.7	81.1%	13 (2.2%)	3 (0.5%)	546 (92.2%)	17 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	8 (1.4%)	30.5	3918^th of 5857 public elementary schools	33.1%		30.2	3907^th of 5869 public elementary schools	33.4%	11	25.8	25.8	32.0	39.5	33.3		34.7	27.8	32.5	23.7		27.8	97.5	98.4		98.4	97.5	98.4	$21,901	$3,323	$18,578
John F. Kennedy Elementary	Public	K-5	45-100 Clinton St.	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 775-3840	390	18	21.5	91.3%	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	376 (96.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	8	5739^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.0%		10	5686^th of 5869 public elementary schools	3.1%	53	6.7	6.7	12.8	16.7	8.3		12.7	20.9	10.6	1.7		12.3	95.5				95.5		$23,280	$3,427	$19,853
Carrillo Ranch Elementary	Public	K-5	43-775 Madison St.	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 238-9700	459	21	22.3	89.1%	15 (3.3%)	6 (1.3%)	419 (91.3%)	11 (2.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	36.1	3474^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.7%		29.9	3932^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	33.0%	458	28.2	28.2	37.5	43.0	42.2		40.9	23.2	33.3	26.5		27.6							$21,142	$3,517	$17,625
Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary	Public	K-5	44-640 Clinton St.	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 863-3680	560	27	21.1	89.5%	13 (2.3%)	7 (1.3%)	513 (91.6%)	7 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.4%)	13.9	5352^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	8.6%		12.5	5521^st of 5869 public elementary schools	5.9%	169	12.6	12.6	33.3	16.9	20.7		23.5	19.1	12.4	10.3		13.9	96.6						$21,865	$3,328	$18,537

Frequently Asked Questions about Harry S. Truman Elementary

What district is Harry S. Truman Elementary in?

Desert Sands Unified

What schools do graduates of Harry S. Truman Elementary attend?

Students who attend Harry S. Truman Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : La Quinta Middle
High : La Quinta High

Is Harry S. Truman Elementary a good school?

Harry S. Truman Elementary ranks 2759^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Harry S. Truman Elementary?

Students at Harry S. Truman Elementary are 77% Hispanic, 11% White, 8% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Harry S. Truman Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 635 students attended Harry S. Truman Elementary.

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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.