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Desert Ridge Academy

Q: Is Desert Ridge Academy a good school?

Desert Ridge Academy ranks 1945 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1945^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 30% of California middle schools

Summary

Desert Ridge Academy is a large public middle school serving about 960 students in grades 6-8 within the Desert Sands Unified School District in Indio, California.

Academic performance at Desert Ridge has declined significantly over the past decade, and it now ranks well below state and district averages in all core subjects, with math proficiency being a particular challenge. The school's chronic absenteeism rate of 32% is notably higher than at top-performing schools in the same district, such as Palm Desert Charter Middle (19.5%) and John Glenn Middle School of International Studies (19.7%). Despite spending more per student than many district peers, Desert Ridge achieves middling results within the district, performing better than schools like Thomas Jefferson Middle but lagging far behind the highest performers.

When compared to nearby districts, Desert Ridge performs similarly to Nellie N. Coffman Middle in Palm Springs Unified. The analysis suggests key areas for improvement include reducing chronic absenteeism, strengthening math instruction, and reviewing how resources are used to support all student groups more effectively.

962

Students ?

23.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,883

Per pupil spending ?

81.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

79-767 Avenue 39
Indio, CA 92203-9647

(760) 393-5500

District: Desert Sands Unified

Students who attend Desert Ridge Academy usually attend:

High:

Shadow Hills High

Feeder schools for Desert Ridge Academy:

Elementary:	Andrew Jackson Elementary
	Richard R. Oliphant Elementary
	Ronald Reagan Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

84.7%

White:

8.4%

Two or more races:

3.3%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Desert Ridge Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 18th percentile in 2024 → 30th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 30th (2025) from a 18th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (25% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 20 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg33%

California avg41%

1,945^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 23 pts since 2015

From top 48% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^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	26.3	1945 of 2761	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	2278 of 2783	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	2112 of 2781	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	2211 of 2740	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.8	1723 of 2715	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.3	1600 of 2480	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.5	1295 of 2508	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.4	1124 of 2497	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	46.7	1179 of 2477	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.2	916 of 2379	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.6	658 of 2259	70.9%	★★★★☆
2011	51.5	1055 of 2236	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	34.9	1444 of 2179	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	23.2	1329 of 1531	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.1	968 of 1491	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.5	750 of 1369	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	29.0	1281 of 1478	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.2	805 of 1521	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	1133 of 1540	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.3	579 of 1442	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.5	604 of 1364	55.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.3	1829 of 2533	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	2183 of 2551	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	1958 of 2531	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	2063 of 2509	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	1625 of 2380	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.2	1531 of 2262	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	1578 of 2395	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.3	1885 of 2388	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	1706 of 2374	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	1936 of 2359	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.0	1312 of 2213	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	1232 of 2072	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.8	1775 of 2542	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.7	2114 of 2579	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.2	1992 of 2531	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.5	2046 of 2458	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.8	1608 of 2369	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.8	1630 of 2230	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.5	1851 of 2534	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	2034 of 2552	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	1921 of 2538	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	2012 of 2527	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.2	1543 of 2407	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.4	1455 of 2273	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.6	579 of 726	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	639 of 701	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	613 of 677	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.6	1258 of 1566	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	1424 of 1552	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	1411 of 1531	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.3	1190 of 1520	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	1264 of 1537	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	1100 of 1543	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.3	840 of 1555	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.2	837 of 1602	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.5	754 of 1496	49.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)34th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile~ school

Female (2025)28th percentile~ school

Male (2025)27th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)22nd percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)20th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)13th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2022)13th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy34%-14 vs state

Science21%-12 vs state

Mathematics17%-20 vs state

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Schools Near Desert Ridge Academy

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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 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
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	$24,883	$22,806	$2,077
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	$27,133	$24,602	$2,531
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	$23,402	$21,538	$1,864
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	$21,056	$18,964	$2,092
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	$21,697	$19,828	$1,869
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	$22,165	$20,254	$1,911
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	$29,144	$28,914	$230
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	$22,232	$16,936	$5,296
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	$20,795	$15,546	$5,249
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	$19,745	$18,724	$1,021

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Ridge Academy

What district is Desert Ridge Academy in?

Desert Sands Unified

Is Desert Ridge Academy a good school?

Desert Ridge Academy ranks 1945^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Desert Ridge Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 962 students attended Desert Ridge Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Ridge Academy?

Students at Desert Ridge Academy are 85% Hispanic, 8% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

What high school do graduates of Desert Ridge Academy attend?

Students who attend Desert Ridge Academy usually go on to attend Shadow Hills High

Rate Desert Ridge Academy!

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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.