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Joshua Tree Elementary

Public Grades K-6

4516^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of California elementary schools

Summary

Joshua Tree Elementary is a public K-6 school serving about 250 students in the high-desert community of Joshua Tree, California, as part of the Morongo Unified School District, where a high percentage of families face economic challenges.

Academically, the school faces significant hurdles, ranking in the bottom quarter of California elementary schools with proficiency rates in English and especially math that are well below state averages; notably, math scores drop sharply as students move to higher grades. A major concern is chronic absenteeism, with nearly 39% of students missing too much school, a rate that is double the state average and among the highest in the district, which strongly correlates with lower academic performance. Interestingly, the school shows a relative strength in science, where its scores are closer to and sometimes exceed those of higher-performing nearby schools.

Comparisons with other schools in the Morongo Unified district reveal stark differences in outcomes despite similar resources. For instance, Friendly Hills Elementary, located just over three miles away and with comparable per-student funding and student-teacher ratios, achieves dramatically higher test scores and has a much lower absenteeism rate. This contrast, also seen when comparing to schools like Condor Elementary and Yucca Mesa Elementary, suggests that factors within a school's control, such as culture and instructional strategies, can significantly impact student success.

250

Students ?

22.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,227

Per pupil spending ?

85.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4950 Sunburst Ave
Joshua Tree, CA 92252-2053

(760) 366-8459

District: Morongo Unified

Students who attend Joshua Tree Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	La Contenta Middle
High:	Yucca Valley High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.4%

White:

38.0%

Two or more races:

6.8%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 26th percentile in 2015 → 23rd in 2025

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg28%

California avg41%

4,516^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Morongo Unified

1077^th of 1,543Morongo 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	23.8	4516 of 5857	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	4300 of 5869	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	4460 of 5859	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	4894 of 5883	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.1	1267 of 1417	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	4955 of 5789	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.5	4725 of 5662	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.1	4683 of 5692	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.4	3979 of 5614	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.7	4158 of 5611	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.0	4132 of 5530	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.0	3955 of 5390	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	36.4	3507 of 5377	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	36.0	3428 of 5314	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	33.7	3457 of 5193	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	18.3	4450 of 5113	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	19.4	4338 of 5113	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.0	3729 of 4818	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	19.9	3971 of 4822	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	23.0	3703 of 4809	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2021	20.4	270 of 293	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.7	2194 of 2585	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.4	1993 of 2128	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.8	4271 of 5597	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.9	4259 of 5612	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	4480 of 5609	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.7	3959 of 5635	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	1155 of 1267	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	4969 of 5492	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.2	4071 of 5413	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.8	3470 of 5107	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.9	3958 of 5107	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.9	3390 of 5087	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.2	3427 of 5084	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	6.9	4925 of 4963	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.3	4159 of 4830	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	3816 of 5460	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	3560 of 5517	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	3915 of 5363	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.1	4164 of 5264	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.2	928 of 1110	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.7	4182 of 5173	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	4228 of 5084	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.9	4292 of 5628	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	3589 of 5643	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.1	3765 of 5638	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.8	4946 of 5663	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	1079 of 1272	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.4	4442 of 5510	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.6	4703 of 5431	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.9	2403 of 2598	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	2318 of 2651	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	2576 of 2661	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.5	2688 of 2726	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	2706 of 2834	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.9	2623 of 2737	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)32nd percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)24th percentile~ school

Female (2025)24th percentile~ school

Disabled (2021)8th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)8th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy34%-14 vs state

Science28%-5 vs state

Mathematics16%-21 vs state

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Schools Near Joshua Tree Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)					% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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 5th 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 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 All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Joshua Tree Elementary	Public	K-6	4950 Sunburst Ave	Joshua Tree	92252	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 366-8459	250	11	22.9	85.2%	95 (38.0%)	13 (5.2%)	121 (48.4%)	2 (0.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.8%)	23.8	4516^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.9%		25.7	4300^th of 5869 public elementary schools	26.7%	216	27.6	27.6	29.4	29.7	43.3	36.1	34.3	23.5	21.6	10.0	8.3	16.1							$18,227	$2,712	$15,515
Friendly Hills Elementary	Public	K-6	7252 Sunny Vista Rd.	Joshua Tree	92252	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 366-3812	266	12	22.6	62.4%	138 (51.9%)	5 (1.9%)	108 (40.6%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	10 (3.8%)	71.5	1533^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	73.8%		65.7	1785^th of 5869 public elementary schools	69.6%	252	28.6	28.6	62.2	68.3	46.4	67.5	62.3	56.8	56.1	28.6	57.5	51.4	92.5	92.5			92.5		$19,143	$2,678	$16,465
Yucca Mesa Elementary	Public	K-6	3380 Avalon Ave.	Yucca Valley	92284	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 228-1777	401	18	22.6	64.6%	229 (57.1%)	15 (3.7%)	130 (32.4%)	6 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	19 (4.7%)	38.1	3338^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.0%		36.1	3432^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	41.5%	94	28.8	28.8	30.4	39.2	28.8	40.0	34.2	46.4	41.2	27.3	30.9	36.0	89.9	95.7	95.7		94.2		$20,265	$2,640	$17,625
Onaga Elementary	Public	K-6	58001 Onaga	Yucca Valley	92284	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 369-6333	586	26	22.6	61.8%	257 (43.9%)	16 (2.7%)	266 (45.4%)	15 (2.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.1%)	22.5	4628^th of 5857 public elementary schools	21.0%		22.8	4600^th of 5869 public elementary schools	21.6%	28	14.1	14.1	20.0	31.5	24.4	47.1	31.0	28.8	22.2	10.3	20.2	20.5							$17,550	$2,311	$15,239
Yucca Valley Elementary	Public	K-6	7601 Hopi Trail	Yucca Valley	92284	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 365-3381	545	23	23.9	76.9%	205 (37.6%)	25 (4.6%)	279 (51.2%)	7 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (4.6%)	27.3	4188^th of 5857 public elementary schools	28.5%		22.4	4640^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.9%	452	27.4	27.4	33.8	27.9	42.7	29.1	33.5	30.0	17.9	17.6	24.4	22.5	89.7	94.9	95.9	95.9		96.9	$17,928	$2,384	$15,544
Landers Elementary	Public	K-6	56450 Reche Rd.	Landers	92285	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 364-2382	139	7	20.2	87.1%	63 (45.3%)	1 (0.7%)	69 (49.6%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	37.4	3389^th of 5857 public elementary schools	42.1%		38.7	3253^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	44.6%	136	33.3	33.3	46.7	22.2	38.5	42.9	37.5	60.0	21.1	23.1	20.0	28.8							$23,547	$4,078	$19,469
Oasis Elementary	Public	K-6	73175 El Paseo	Twentynine Palms	92277	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 367-3595	461	21	21.6	74.8%	149 (32.3%)	66 (14.3%)	184 (39.9%)	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (0.9%)	47 (10.2%)	14.1	5338^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.9%		18.4	4990^th of 5869 public elementary schools	15.0%	348	12.1	12.1	18.3	28.1	24.6	21.1	23.1	16.4	15.6	18.3	11.1	15.2	90.6	93.8		95.3	92.2	95.3	$18,534	$2,976	$15,558
Twentynine Palms Elementary	Public	K-6	74350 Playa Vista	Twentynine Palms	92277	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 367-3545	579	27	21.6	53.9%	247 (42.7%)	61 (10.5%)	208 (35.9%)	6 (1.0%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (1.0%)	48 (8.3%)	41.5	3114^th of 5857 public elementary schools	46.8%		36.6	3394^th of 5869 public elementary schools	42.2%	280	39.1	39.1	33.0	48.8	46.4	35.0	40.4	28.9	51.2	22.4	23.8	32.0	98.2	98.2			98.2		$18,289	$3,270	$15,019
Condor Elementary	Public	K-6	2551 Condor Rd.	Twentynine Palms	92277	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 367-0750	397	17	24.0	45.6%	165 (41.6%)	31 (7.8%)	143 (36.0%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	47 (11.8%)	48.5	2675^th of 5857 public elementary schools	54.3%		40.9	3130^th of 5869 public elementary schools	46.7%	455	33.3	33.3	41.9	49.0	57.1	53.9	50.0	37.2	26.5	26.2	42.3	31.9	96.2	96.2			96.2		$17,774	$2,750	$15,024
Palm Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	74350 Baseline	Twentynine Palms	92277	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 367-7538	362	16	22.7	76.2%	133 (36.7%)	38 (10.5%)	136 (37.6%)	6 (1.7%)	2 (0.6%)	10 (2.8%)	36 (9.9%)	11.4	5542^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	5.4%		17.1	5112^th of 5869 public elementary schools	12.9%	430	4.4	4.4	21.1	20.9	15.6	24.0	20.5	22.8	11.6	6.7	12.0	13.9							$17,185	$2,854	$14,331

Frequently Asked Questions about Joshua Tree Elementary

What schools do graduates of Joshua Tree Elementary attend?

Students who attend Joshua Tree Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : La Contenta Middle
High : Yucca Valley High

What is the racial makeup of Joshua Tree Elementary?

Students at Joshua Tree Elementary are 48% Hispanic, 38% White, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American.

What district is Joshua Tree Elementary in?

Morongo Unified

Is Joshua Tree Elementary a good school?

Joshua Tree Elementary ranks in the bottom 22.9% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Joshua Tree Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 250 students attended Joshua Tree Elementary.

Rate Joshua Tree Elementary!

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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.