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Desert Ridge Academy

Q: Is Desert Ridge Academy a good school?

Desert Ridge Academy ranks 1894 th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1894^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,740 California Middle Schools

Better than 31% of California middle schools

Summary

Desert Ridge Academy is a middle school serving grades 6–8 in Indio, in the Desert Sands Unified area, with 962 students. In 2025–26, 36% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA), 21% in math, and 26% in science. The most important finding is that proficiency was below both district and state rates in all three subjects, with math furthest behind the state by 18 percentage points.

Science is the school’s strongest result compared with nearby schools: its 26% proficiency rate was about 5 points above the nearby average, ranking third among 11 schools. ELA and math were each slightly below their nearby averages. Against district and state results, science was the closest: it trailed by 3 points in the district and 10 statewide. ELA was 7 points below the district and 14 below the state; math was 7 below the district and 18 below the state. So science stands out locally, while math is the clearest area of concern against state results.

Results have improved since 2022–23, rising about 7 percentage points in each subject, though all three dipped in 2023–24 before recovering. The state gaps have narrowed, but remain substantial. SchoolDigger places the school in the 31st percentile with 2 stars for 2025–26—middle of the nearby group, with five schools ranked higher and five lower. In 2024–25, its student-teacher ratio was 23.6, above the nearby average of 22.8; 82% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, compared with a nearby average of 86%. Chronic absenteeism rose from 28% in 2023–24 to 35% in 2025–26, above district and state rates. One notable subgroup change in SchoolDigger’s statewide measure of how well the school serves English Language Learner students: the group’s percentile fell from 47 in 2022–23 to 13 in 2023–24, while the school’s overall percentile moved from 24 to 18.

962

Students ?

23.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,902

Per pupil spending ?

81.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

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 → 31st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 31st (2026) from a 18th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (28% vs 42% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 18% California)

!Mathematics scores 18 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school28%

District avg34%

California avg42%

1,894^th of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From top 45% (2016) to bottom 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 7Middle Schools in the Desert Sands Unified

976^th of 1,530Desert 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
2026	28.3	1894 of 2740	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	28.5	1754 of 2516	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	34.5	1499 of 2357	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	31.5	1711 of 2529	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	27.7	1761 of 2514	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	18.9	598 of 735	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	24.9	1333 of 1605	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	28.6	1092 of 1490	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
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 (2026)36th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)32nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)30th percentile~ school

Male (2026)30th percentile~ school

White (2026)27th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)19th percentile-12 vs school

Special Education (2026)17th percentile-14 vs school

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

Disabled (2022)13th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy36%-14 vs state

Science26%-10 vs state

Mathematics21%-18 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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%)	28.3	1894^th of 2740 public middle schools	30.9%		26.3	1945^th of 2761 public middle schools	29.6%	51	26.0	26.0	28.3	43.8	35.6	35.7	21.6	25.6	15.5	20.7	$21,902	$2,077	$19,825
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%)	17.1	2347^th of 2740 public middle schools	14.3%		20.5	2200^th of 2761 public middle schools	20.3%	147	22.7	22.7	23.9	32.4	30.5	29.0	10.1	12.8	9.4	10.8	$23,254	$2,531	$20,723
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%)	51.6	1142^nd of 2740 public middle schools	58.3%		52	1133^rd of 2761 public middle schools	59.0%	9	32.0	32.0	44.7	44.1	48.8	45.9	34.0	36.7	43.9	38.1	$21,055	$1,864	$19,191
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%)	11.8	2542^nd of 2740 public middle schools	7.2%		9.7	2625^th of 2761 public middle schools	4.9%	83	14.6	14.6	16.2	27.8	27.2	24.0	6.1	10.5	5.9	7.5	$19,996	$2,092	$17,904
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%)	8.8	2631^st of 2740 public middle schools	4.0%		7.7	2689^th of 2761 public middle schools	2.6%	58	9.4	9.4	22.5	14.9	22.4	20.0	7.8	6.3	4.2	6.0	$20,205	$1,869	$18,336
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%)	31.4	1780^th of 2740 public middle schools	35.0%		30.2	1824^th of 2761 public middle schools	33.9%	44	18.8	18.8	34.5	41.4	35.0	36.9	29.6	28.9	21.3	26.7	$20,460	$1,911	$18,549
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%)	72.1	642^nd of 2740 public middle schools	76.6%		64.2	802^nd of 2761 public middle schools	71.0%	160	40.6	40.6	61.6	67.3	63.5	64.1	43.9	46.7	38.8	42.8	$14,687	$230	$14,457
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%)	30.9	1795^th of 2740 public middle schools	34.5%		28.2	1889^th of 2761 public middle schools	31.6%	94	17.8	17.8		43.1	39.9	41.6		22.0	23.8	22.9	$24,981	$5,296	$19,685
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%)	19.6	2234^th of 2740 public middle schools	18.5%		16.7	2368^th of 2761 public middle schools	14.2%	134	15.6	15.6		35.7	27.2	31.8		19.8	11.6	16.0	$24,146	$5,249	$18,897
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%)	20.8	2182^nd of 2740 public middle schools	20.4%		24.9	2010^th of 2761 public middle schools	27.2%	172	18.5	18.5	29.0	30.3	37.9	32.3	13.3	18.6	15.5	15.8	$20,993	$1,021	$19,972

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 1894^th of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars 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 data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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.