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Desert Garden Elementary

Q: Is Desert Garden Elementary a good school?

Desert Garden Elementary ranks 2921 st of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

2921^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 50% of California elementary schools

Summary

Desert Garden Elementary in El Centro, California, serves 358 students in kindergarten through grade six. Its clearest academic strength is science, but the most important concern is sixth grade: proficiency there was just 29% in English language arts (ELA) and 18% in math, the lowest results among nearby K–6 schools with reported sixth-grade scores.

Science is where Desert Garden stands out: 43% of students met the standard, compared with 36% statewide and 26% in El Centro Elementary, and it had the highest result among nearby K–6 schools with results. ELA proficiency was 43%, about 6 points below the state and roughly level with the district; math was 32%, 6 points below the state and 1 point above the district. Sixth-grade results were especially low compared with both the state and district, while fifth grade was stronger: ELA reached 55%, above the state’s 49%.

Results have risen since 2022–2023, though most of the standout change is in science: it climbed from 19% to 43%, while ELA rose 3 points and math 4 points. Chronic absenteeism also dropped substantially, from 47% in 2021–2022 to 16% in 2025–2026, below the state’s 18% and just above the district’s 16%. SchoolDigger places the school at the 50th statewide percentile with 2 stars, up 6 percentile points from the prior year; its 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 22.3, and 82% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s English Language Learner subgroup ranking was notably high at the 88th percentile in 2023–2024, compared with the school’s overall 50th percentile that year. Its Special Education subgroup ranking rose sharply from the 7th percentile in 2024–2025 to the 67th in 2025–2026, a notable change rather than an established trend.

358

Students ?

22.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$38,733

Per pupil spending ?

81.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

≥ 98%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

1900 South Sixth St.
El Centro, CA 92243-4463

(760) 352-2051

District: El Centro Elementary

Students who attend Desert Garden Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wilson Junior High
High:	Central Union High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.5%

African American:

1.1%

Two or more races:

0.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Desert Garden Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 37th percentile in 2015 → 50th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg35%

California avg42%

2,921^st of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 50%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to top 50% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 10Elementary Schools in the El Centro Elementary

792^nd of 1,530El Centro Elementary 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	44.9	2921 of 5817	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.2	3278 of 5857	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.7	2941 of 5869	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.7	3153 of 5859	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.3	3434 of 5883	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.8	3259 of 5789	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.4	3514 of 5662	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.7	2998 of 5692	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.3	3308 of 5614	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.2	3530 of 5611	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	30.7	3993 of 5530	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.7	4195 of 5390	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.4	3954 of 5377	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.5	3963 of 5314	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	39.7	3066 of 5193	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.0	2783 of 5113	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	27.2	3764 of 5113	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.2	4057 of 4818	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	29.4	3323 of 4822	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	20.3	3911 of 4809	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	24.7	1752 of 2227	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	71.3	387 of 3162	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	81.8	244 of 3245	92.5%	★★★★★
2022	54.3	991 of 3311	70.1%	★★★★☆
2019	70.2	527 of 3275	83.9%	★★★★☆
2018	65.9	666 of 3246	79.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	37.7	3276 of 5581	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.3	2933 of 5597	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.7	2431 of 5612	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	2865 of 5609	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.9	3420 of 5635	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.8	3424 of 5492	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.7	3860 of 5413	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	60.0	1731 of 5094	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.6	2059 of 5107	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.7	1907 of 5107	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	2118 of 5087	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.2	2576 of 5084	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.8	2227 of 4963	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.2	2662 of 4830	44.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	52.3	2344 of 5423	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.7	2533 of 5460	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.9	2333 of 5517	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.7	2391 of 5363	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.1	2589 of 5264	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.2	2259 of 5173	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.2	2535 of 5084	50.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	50.7	2453 of 5603	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.0	3472 of 5628	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.3	3194 of 5643	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	3220 of 5638	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.2	3192 of 5663	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.7	2792 of 5510	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.6	2941 of 5431	45.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	958 of 2927	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	18.8	2652 of 2847	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	45.3	1119 of 2635	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	27.0	1798 of 2420	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)88th percentile+38 vs school

Special Education (2026)67th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)66th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)57th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)56th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)41st percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2022)21st percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Science43%+7 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy43%-6 vs state

Mathematics32%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Garden Elementary

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)					CSA Spanish Listening (2026)					CSA Spanish Writing (2026)					CSA Spanish Reading (2026)					CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th 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 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Desert Garden Elementary	Public	K-6	1900 South Sixth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-2051	358	16	22.3	81.8%	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	349 (97.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	44.9	2921^st of 5817 public elementary schools	49.8%		39.2	3278^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.0%	357																					42.9		42.9	37.0	45.8	54.8	28.9			42.8	41.3	35.4	33.3	17.8			32.2	≥ 98%		$38,733	$36,796	$1,937
Harding Elementary	Public	K-6	950 South Seventh St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-4791	601	25	24.0	70.5%	23 (3.8%)	5 (0.8%)	560 (93.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	35.9	3516^th of 5817 public elementary schools	39.6%		29.8	3978^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.1%	462	12.5	17.4	0.0	4.8	9.1	58.3	30.4	30.0	4.8	31.8	16.7	26.1	5.0	9.5	14.8	8.3	17.4	5.0	0.0	8.0	35.9		35.9	30.5	32.5	50.0	43.8			39.1	38.6	27.5	20.5	23.8			27.7	96%	0%	$23,626	$21,918	$1,708
De Anza Magnet	Public	K-8	1530 South Waterman Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-9811	504	21	23.9	68.7%	19 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	479 (95.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	44.7	2937^th of 5817 public elementary schools	49.5%		42.9	3013^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.6%	76																					30.4	25.0	27.4	43.4	22.5	51.8	52.6	64.2	73.5	53.1	41.5	24.5	33.9	38.6	58.2	55.9	43.4	96%	0%	$27,871	$26,138	$1,733
Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences	Public, Charter	K-6	1525 West Main St.	El Centro	92108	San Diego County	Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 353-0140	230	12	19.1	76.5%	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	223 (97.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	49.6	2636^th of 5817 public elementary schools	54.7%		46	2830^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.7%	194																					16.1		16.1	50.0	40.9	50.0	53.9			49.6	52.4	22.7	19.4	45.0			37.8	≥ 95%
Margaret Hedrick Elementary	Public	K-6	550 South Waterman Ave.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-4750	446	20	22.3	78.5%	5 (1.1%)	3 (0.7%)	429 (96.2%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	21.8	4658^th of 5817 public elementary schools	19.9%		23.2	4574^th of 5857 public elementary schools	21.9%	84																					11.3		11.3	30.6	17.7	28.6	42.6			29.8	32.7	19.4	15.9	24.6			22.6	97%	0%	$31,318	$29,536	$1,782
Booker T. Washington Elementary	Public	K-6	223 South First St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-6611	351	19	18.4	94.6%	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	346 (98.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	24	4458^th of 5817 public elementary schools	23.4%		28.3	4109^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.8%	349																					9.1		9.1	20.4	38.3	22.7	40.0			30.3	22.2	28.3	22.7	30.0			25.8	≥ 98%		$39,485	$37,530	$1,955
Lincoln Elementary	Public	K-6	200 North Twelfth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-3060	399	19	21.0	89.0%	5 (1.3%)	3 (0.8%)	380 (95.2%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.5%)	56.1	2260^th of 5817 public elementary schools	61.1%		46.1	2829^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.7%	569	43.8	31.8	28.6	40.0	35.4	68.8	50.0	76.2	50.0	60.8	50.0	45.5	23.8	40.0	39.2	25.0	31.8	19.1	20.0	24.1	30.4		30.4	40.4	50.9	55.4	51.2			49.8	46.8	56.1	25.0	48.8			43.8	97%	0%	$34,864	$33,016	$1,848
McKinley Elementary	Public	K-6	1177 North Eighth St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 352-3225	456	18	25.3	87.1%	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.7%)	438 (96.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	37.6	3399^th of 5817 public elementary schools	41.6%		46.7	2786^th of 5857 public elementary schools	52.4%	613																					20.9		20.9	22.0	35.7	50.8	43.3			38.3	39.0	30.0	34.3	35.0			34.4	≥ 98%		$30,658	$28,888	$1,770
Imperial Valley Home School Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2370 Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 335-5100	131	5	26.2	58.0%	15 (11.5%)	2 (1.5%)	107 (81.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.3%)	54.8	2335^th of 5817 public elementary schools	59.9%		39.5	3255^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.4%	920																					33.3	44.4	40.0		50.0	41.7	81.3		61.1	54.0		50.0	16.7	31.3		33.3	32.9	≥ 95%
Sunflower Elementary	Public	K-6	2450 Main St.	El Centro	92243	Imperial County	El Centro Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 337-4890	427	20	21.3	79.2%	10 (2.3%)	3 (0.7%)	405 (94.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	50.6	2576^th of 5817 public elementary schools	55.7%		42.9	3014^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.5%	438																					16.7		16.7	59.2	54.6	57.4	51.7			55.6	55.1	25.0	25.9	29.3			33.7	≥ 98%		$32,654	$30,850	$1,804

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Garden Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Desert Garden Elementary?

Students at Desert Garden Elementary are 97% Hispanic, 1% African American.

How many students attend Desert Garden Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 358 students attended Desert Garden Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Desert Garden Elementary attend?

Students who attend Desert Garden Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wilson Junior High
High : Central Union High

What district is Desert Garden Elementary in?

El Centro Elementary

Is Desert Garden Elementary a good school?

Desert Garden Elementary ranks 2921^st of 5817 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Desert Garden Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

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

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

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

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 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.