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La Quinta Middle

Q: Is La Quinta Middle a good school?

La Quinta Middle ranks 1824 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1824^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 34% of California middle schools

Summary

La Quinta Middle is a public school serving about 709 students in grades 6-8 in Desert Sands Unified School District, performing below state averages in core subjects with a significant challenge with chronic student absenteeism.

Academically, the school's proficiency rates in English, Math, and Science are below both district and state averages, with math performance showing a particular drop-off in 7th and 8th grades. While the school serves a high-need population, it occupies a middle position within its own district, performing significantly better than the lowest-rated schools like Thomas Jefferson Middle and Indio Middle, but lagging behind higher performers like Palm Desert Charter Middle and John Glenn Middle School of International Studies. A concerning trend is a steady decline in its statewide ranking over the past decade, even as per-student spending has increased.

When looking at the broader region, La Quinta Middle's performance is similar to schools in neighboring districts like Nellie N. Coffman Middle in Palm Springs Unified, suggesting shared regional challenges. A notable bright spot is recent, significant improvement in outcomes for Special Education students. The school's story is one of navigating common difficulties, with room for growth evidenced by the better results seen at some district peers with similar resources.

709

Students ?

23.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,441

Per pupil spending ?

85.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

78-900 Avenue 50
La Quinta, CA 92253-2400

(760) 777-4220

District: Desert Sands Unified

Students who attend La Quinta Middle usually attend:

High:

Palm Desert High

Feeder schools for La Quinta Middle:

Elementary:	Abraham Lincoln Elementary
	Benjamin Franklin Elementary
	George Washington Charter
	Gerald R. Ford Elementary
	More...
	Harry S. Truman Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.1%

White:

11.1%

Two or more races:

6.9%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare La Quinta Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2013 → 34th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (28% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg33%

California avg41%

1,824^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 40% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 7Middle 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	30.2	1824 of 2761	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.7	1783 of 2783	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	1700 of 2781	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.7	1537 of 2740	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.0	1578 of 2715	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.2	1747 of 2480	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.4	1715 of 2508	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.9	1493 of 2497	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.4	1491 of 2477	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	64.4	767 of 2379	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	40.0	1359 of 2259	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	26.8	1730 of 2236	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.3	1491 of 2179	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	33.7	1371 of 2063	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	36.8	1253 of 2005	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	30.4	1379 of 1999	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	29.6	1255 of 1804	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	32.7	1158 of 1777	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	34.9	1083 of 1769	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	22.9	1344 of 1531	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.3	1156 of 1491	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.7	1060 of 1369	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	27.5	1357 of 1478	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	1163 of 1521	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.6	637 of 1540	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.0	652 of 1442	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.6	969 of 1364	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.2	1650 of 2533	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.4	1696 of 2551	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.6	1454 of 2531	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.6	1445 of 2509	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.2	1335 of 2380	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	1571 of 2262	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.5	1457 of 2395	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.7	1508 of 2388	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	1393 of 2374	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.9	1230 of 2359	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.8	1102 of 2213	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.5	1540 of 2072	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.1	1606 of 2542	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.0	1696 of 2579	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.5	1434 of 2531	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.2	1470 of 2458	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.0	1271 of 2369	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.7	1665 of 2230	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.1	1713 of 2534	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.5	1633 of 2552	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.8	1622 of 2538	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	1381 of 2527	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.9	1551 of 2407	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.0	1652 of 2273	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.2	568 of 726	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	516 of 701	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	737 of 1566	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	25.3	1263 of 1552	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	1199 of 1531	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.2	1153 of 1520	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.5	932 of 1537	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	974 of 1543	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.5	706 of 1555	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.5	1157 of 1602	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.8	764 of 1496	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)53rd percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)39th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)37th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)35th percentile~ school

Male (2025)32nd percentile~ school

White (2025)24th percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)22nd percentile-12 vs school

Disabled (2022)12th percentile-32 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)8th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy36%-13 vs state

Mathematics23%-14 vs state

Science18%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near La Quinta Middle

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 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
La Quinta Middle	Public	6-8	78-900 Avenue 50	La Quinta	92253	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 777-4220	709	30	23.4	85.3%	79 (11.1%)	12 (1.7%)	554 (78.1%)	13 (1.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (6.9%)	30.2	1824^th of 2761 public middle schools	33.9%		30.7	1783^rd of 2783 public middle schools	35.9%	41	18.5	18.5	38.1	34.9	35.3	36.1	30.7	19.7	19.0	22.8	$19,441	$2,974	$16,467
John Glenn Middle School of International Studies	Public	6-8	79-655 Miles Ave.	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 200-3700	1,099	45	24.4	67.1%	175 (15.9%)	18 (1.6%)	829 (75.4%)	29 (2.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (4.3%)	52	1133^rd of 2761 public middle schools	59.0%		50.8	1147^th of 2783 public middle schools	58.8%	14	23.4	23.4	44.4	42.3	45.7	44.1	35.8	42.2	43.2	40.2	$19,909	$3,029	$16,880
Indio Middle	Public	6-8	81-195 Miles Ave.	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 775-3800	768	34	22.3	92.7%	30 (3.9%)	14 (1.8%)	697 (90.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.0%)	9.7	2625^th of 2761 public middle schools	4.9%		12.3	2570^th of 2783 public middle schools	7.7%	55	11.6	11.6	14.1	21.9	16.7	17.6	6.2	6.4	6.2	6.3	$18,518	$3,214	$15,304
Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle	Public	6-8	43-495 Palm Royale Dr.	La Quinta	92253	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 238-9710	439	21	20.7	84.1%	80 (18.2%)	13 (3.0%)	305 (69.5%)	18 (4.1%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.3%)	20.5	2200^th of 2761 public middle schools	20.3%		20.6	2236^th of 2783 public middle schools	19.7%	36	21.2	21.2	31.7	23.4	32.5	29.9	9.0	13.9	12.8	11.8	$22,908	$3,615	$19,293
Cahuilla Desert Academy Junior High	Public	7-8	82-489 Avenue 52	Coachella	92236	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 398-0097	668	33	20.1	83.8%	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	658 (98.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	28.2	1889^th of 2761 public middle schools	31.6%		25.1	2031^st of 2783 public middle schools	27.0%	142	17.9	17.9		37.9	29.8	33.5		22.6	23.0	22.8	$29,527	$1,299	$28,228
Thomas Jefferson Middle	Public	6-8	83-089 Highway 111	Indio	92201	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 863-3660	591	22	26.9	92.0%	13 (2.2%)	4 (0.7%)	538 (91.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.1%)	7.7	2689^th of 2761 public middle schools	2.6%		12	2590^th of 2783 public middle schools	6.9%	99	7.8	7.8	9.8	18.1	17.4	15.2	6.1	4.0	1.4	3.6	$19,887	$3,181	$16,706
Desert Ridge Academy	Public	6-8	79-767 Avenue 39	Indio	92203	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 393-5500	962	41	23.6	81.5%	81 (8.4%)	13 (1.4%)	815 (84.7%)	16 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	32 (3.3%)	26.3	1945^th of 2761 public middle schools	29.6%		19.6	2278^th of 2783 public middle schools	18.1%	333	21.1	21.1	37.1	36.5	30.5	34.5	24.5	18.5	10.5	17.4	$19,602	$3,156	$16,446
Palm Desert Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	74-200 Rutledge Way	Palm Desert	92260	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 862-4320	1,298	47	27.6	61.4%	444 (34.2%)	20 (1.5%)	669 (51.5%)	78 (6.0%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	82 (6.3%)	64.2	802^nd of 2761 public middle schools	71.0%		68.2	719^th of 2783 public middle schools	74.2%	83	32.1	32.1	61.5	64.5	48.3	57.9	43.2	41.7	32.1	38.8	$13,492	$411	$13,081
Bobby Duke Middle	Public	7-8	85-358 Bagdad Ave.	Coachella	92236	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 398-0139	648	31	20.9	96.0%	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.5%)	636 (98.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	16.7	2368^th of 2761 public middle schools	14.2%		20.5	2241^st of 2783 public middle schools	19.5%	127	10.9	10.9		30.8	29.6	30.2		11.6	8.7	10.1	$28,850	$1,276	$27,574
Toro Canyon Middle	Public	7-8	86150 Avenue 66	Thermal	92274	Riverside County	Coachella Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 397-2244	989	46	21.5	97.1%	7 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	961 (97.2%)	2 (0.2%)	10 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (0.8%)	11.6	2562^nd of 2761 public middle schools	7.2%		13	2550^th of 2783 public middle schools	8.4%	12	10.4	10.4		21.6	18.1	19.9		8.8	10.2	9.5	$29,501	$1,275	$28,226

Frequently Asked Questions about La Quinta Middle

What high school do graduates of La Quinta Middle attend?

Students who attend La Quinta Middle usually go on to attend Palm Desert High

What is the racial makeup of La Quinta Middle?

Students at La Quinta Middle are 78% Hispanic, 11% White, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American.

How many students attend La Quinta Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 709 students attended La Quinta Middle.

Is La Quinta Middle a good school?

La Quinta Middle ranks 1824^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is La Quinta Middle in?

Desert Sands Unified

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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.