Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle

Public Grades 6-8

2200^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 20% of California middle schools

Summary

Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle is a public middle school located in La Quinta, CA, serving grades 6-8 with a student population of 397. It is part of the Desert Sands Unified School District, which is ranked 991 out of 1565 school districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite higher spending per student, Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle consistently underperforms compared to the district and state in academic assessments. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 29.88% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 41.07% for the district and 48.81% for the state. In Mathematics, only 11.78% of students were proficient or better, compared to 27.34% for the district and 37.3% for the state. The school also faces high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 20.4% to 39.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

When compared to other nearby schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District, such as Palm Desert Charter Middle and John Glenn Middle School of International Studies, Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle generally performs worse academically. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as English Language Learners, Special Education students, and Low Socioeconomic Status students, who consistently rank in the bottom 25% of California middle schools in these categories.

439

Students ?

20.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,908

Per pupil spending ?

84.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

43-495 Palm Royale Dr.
La Quinta, CA 92253-8178

(760) 238-9710

District: Desert Sands Unified

Students who attend Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle usually attend:

High:

Palm Desert High

Feeder schools for Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle:

Elementary:	James Earl Carter Elementary
	James Monroe Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

69.5%

White:

18.2%

Two or more races:

4.3%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2013 → 20th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (21% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg33%

California avg41%

2,200^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 34 pts since 2015

From top 45% (2015) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th 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	20.5	2200 of 2761	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	2236 of 2783	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	1934 of 2781	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.1	1704 of 2740	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.0	1381 of 2715	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.7	1232 of 2480	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.6	1173 of 2508	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.3	1128 of 2497	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.2	1121 of 2477	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	57.8	943 of 2379	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.3	587 of 2259	74.0%	★★★★☆
2011	62.9	737 of 2236	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.2	732 of 2179	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	59.1	770 of 2063	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	53.6	846 of 2005	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	46.4	972 of 1999	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	36.0	876 of 1531	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	785 of 1491	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.9	678 of 1369	50.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	25.1	1425 of 1478	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	1278 of 1521	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.4	614 of 1540	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.9	345 of 1442	76.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.9	1953 of 2533	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	2069 of 2551	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	1891 of 2531	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.3	1625 of 2509	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.9	1162 of 2380	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.8	1155 of 2262	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.7	1924 of 2395	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.8	1949 of 2388	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	1497 of 2374	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	1418 of 2359	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.2	1052 of 2213	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.0	994 of 2072	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.0	2028 of 2542	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	1957 of 2579	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.7	1603 of 2531	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.6	1417 of 2458	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.1	1011 of 2369	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.7	1072 of 2230	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	2135 of 2534	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	2050 of 2552	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	1668 of 2538	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.1	1544 of 2527	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.2	1401 of 2407	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	1146 of 2273	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.3	1389 of 1566	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.2	886 of 1552	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.6	1091 of 1531	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.7	1343 of 1520	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	1301 of 1537	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.1	1147 of 1543	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.4	948 of 1555	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.9	994 of 1602	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	837 of 1496	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)43rd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)23rd percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)20th percentile~ school

Male (2025)16th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)12th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)11th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)4th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy30%-19 vs state

Science21%-11 vs state

Mathematics12%-26 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, March 13, 2020

From the administrators, the office, teachers (a few exceptions) & security, the overall attitude toward students is poor. It’s no wonder they are ranking so low. What a mistake it was to enroll my child in this school! Close Quote

Schools Near Colonel Mitchell Paige 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Nellie N. Coffman Middle	Public	6-8	34-603 Plumley Rd.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8617	914	46	19.9	97.2%	42 (4.6%)	14 (1.5%)	838 (91.7%)	9 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.0%)	24.9	2010^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.2%		21.7	2187^th of 2783 public middle schools	21.4%	177	19.7	19.7	32.3	28.8	41.0	34.1	17.5	10.4	19.3	15.8	$20,491	$1,704	$18,787

Frequently Asked Questions about Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle

What district is Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle in?

Desert Sands Unified

How many students attend Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle.

Is Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle a good school?

Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle ranks in the bottom 20.3% of California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle?

Students at Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle are 69% Hispanic, 18% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 3% African American.

What high school do graduates of Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle attend?

Students who attend Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle usually go on to attend Palm Desert High

Rate Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Middle School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in La Quinta, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle!

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.