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Desert Junior-Senior High

Public Grades 7-12
1083rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 2,135 California High Schools
Better than 49% of California high schools
Summary

Desert Junior-Senior High in Edwards, California, serves grades 7–12 and enrolls 497 students in Muroc Joint Unified. Its 2025–26 test results put it among the stronger nearby schools, but below California in all three subjects: 43% of students were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA), 16% in math and 26% in science, compared with state rates of 49%, 38% and 36%. The most important takeaway is that strong local results have not closed the state gap, especially in math, where Desert was 22 percentage points behind.

Desert’s local standing is strongest in math, where it ranked second among eight nearby schools with reported results; it ranked third in ELA and science. Its scores were higher than nearby-school averages in all three subjects: 43% versus 27% in ELA, 16% versus 9% in math and 26% versus 13% in science. Compared with its district, Desert was 8 points higher in ELA and 2 points higher in science, but 5 points lower in math. Graduation is another strength: its 93% rate was above the district’s 90% and the state’s 88%, and second among nearby schools with reported rates, behind Rosamond High Early College Campus. Chronic absenteeism is a concern: 29% of Desert students were chronically absent, compared with 18% statewide.

Over time, ELA improved by 9 percentage points from 2022–23 to 2025–26, while math fell by 3 points and science by 1; in the latest year, ELA fell 2 points, while math and science rose by 1 and 3 points. SchoolDigger ranked Desert 1,083rd of 2,137 California schools, at the 49th percentile with two stars; its percentile was second among nearby schools with a ranking, just below Rosamond’s 54th. In 2024–25, the student-teacher ratio was 16.4, and 13% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings also show a notable gap for White Students: the school ranked at the 27th percentile for this group in 2025–26, compared with its overall 49th percentile. Hispanic Students’ ranking shifted from the 58th percentile in 2023–24 to 24th in 2024–25 and 36th in 2025–26.

497
Students ?
16.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$9,560
Per pupil spending ?
13.3%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 1575 Payne Ave.
       Edwards, CA  93523-1301

(760) 306-4964

District: Muroc Joint Unified


Feeder schools for Desert Junior-Senior High:

Elementary:    Irving L. Branch Elementary
    West Boron Elementary
Racial breakdown:

White:
36.2%
Hispanic:
36.0%
Two or more races:
16.5%
more
 See top rated California high schools

 Compare Desert Junior-Senior High to nearby high schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2016 → 49th in 2026
Strengths
✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the California average (29% vs 42% meeting standards)
!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 18% California)
!Ranking has slipped — down 24 percentile points since 2016
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school29%
District avg27%
California avg42%
Middle school
1,952nd of 2,740
California public middle schools ?
Bottom 29%▼ down 29 pts since 2016
From top 42% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
1,083rd of 2,135
California public high schools ?
Bottom 49%▼ down 24 pts since 2016
From top 27% (2016) to bottom 49% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 2High Schools in the Muroc Joint Unified
1226th of 1,530Muroc Joint 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)
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202626.91952 of 274028.8%★☆☆☆☆
202531.61776 of 276135.7%★★☆☆☆
202426.91955 of 278329.8%★☆☆☆☆
202326.91946 of 278130.0%★★☆☆☆
202250.51162 of 274057.6%★★★☆☆
202147.7419 of 89453.1%★★★☆☆
201962.4857 of 271568.4%★★★☆☆
201848.61123 of 248054.7%★★★☆☆
201746.31209 of 250851.8%★★★☆☆
201652.71052 of 249757.9%★★★☆☆
201561.6835 of 247766.3%★★★☆☆
201350.51135 of 237952.3%★★★☆☆
201250.71082 of 225952.1%★★★☆☆
201160.4813 of 223663.6%★★★☆☆
201058.4828 of 217962.0%★★★☆☆
200975.3389 of 206381.1%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202238.6801 of 153147.7%★★☆☆☆
201966.4317 of 149178.7%★★★★☆
201868.9259 of 136981.1%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202629.91701 of 251632.4%★★☆☆☆
202537.11463 of 253342.2%★★☆☆☆
202430.51657 of 255135.0%★★☆☆☆
202326.51800 of 253128.9%★☆☆☆☆
202249.61077 of 250957.1%★★★☆☆
202145.3364 of 73850.7%★★★☆☆
201963.5756 of 238068.2%★★★☆☆
201848.31055 of 226253.4%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202621.31929 of 235718.2%★☆☆☆☆
202534.91482 of 239538.1%★★☆☆☆
202431.61591 of 238833.4%★★☆☆☆
202330.11633 of 237431.2%★★☆☆☆
202239.01321 of 235944.0%★★☆☆☆
201973.6424 of 221380.8%★★★★☆
201869.0474 of 207277.1%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202612.12373 of 25296.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202533.41628 of 254236.0%★★☆☆☆
202420.02183 of 257915.4%★☆☆☆☆
202251.2976 of 245860.3%★★★☆☆
201953.9905 of 236961.8%★★★☆☆
201849.0996 of 223055.3%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202623.11934 of 251423.1%★☆☆☆☆
202525.61840 of 253427.4%★☆☆☆☆
202423.81926 of 255224.5%★☆☆☆☆
202327.71749 of 253831.1%★★☆☆☆
202250.51044 of 252758.7%★★★☆☆
202147.9352 of 76353.9%★★★☆☆
201958.9825 of 240765.7%★★★☆☆
201848.11050 of 227353.8%★★★☆☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202635.4121 of 18133.1%★★☆☆☆
202531.2129 of 19433.5%★★☆☆☆
202451.388 of 19254.2%★★★☆☆
202338.0117 of 19740.6%★★☆☆☆
202276.140 of 19379.3%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
20267.5681 of 7357.3%☆☆☆☆☆
202513.6632 of 72612.9%★☆☆☆☆
202415.9602 of 70114.1%★☆☆☆☆
202233.0456 of 66531.4%★★☆☆☆
201938.4368 of 55433.6%★★☆☆☆
201825.2374 of 46219.0%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202632.31061 of 160533.9%★★☆☆☆
202554.7478 of 156669.5%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202619.41225 of 149017.8%★☆☆☆☆
202515.31314 of 152013.6%★☆☆☆☆
20248.91431 of 15376.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202310.61421 of 15437.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202232.51054 of 155532.2%★★☆☆☆
201943.6891 of 160244.4%★★☆☆☆
201826.91130 of 149624.5%★☆☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202647.81083 of 213549.3%★★☆☆☆
202546.21111 of 216248.6%★★☆☆☆
202455.3871 of 215959.7%★★★☆☆
202359.7764 of 217064.8%★★★☆☆
202260.7705 of 212366.8%★★★☆☆
202168.4373 of 129071.1%★★★★☆
201982.5315 of 213385.2%★★★★☆
201863.8726 of 201764.0%★★★☆☆
201771.6565 of 202172.0%★★★★☆
201670.7547 of 203973.2%★★★★☆
201571.3523 of 199473.8%★★★★☆
201362.8463 of 242680.9%★★★★☆
201260.7525 of 235477.7%★★★★☆
201160.0517 of 236778.2%★★★★☆
201069.3308 of 228186.5%★★★★☆
200964.8341 of 223884.8%★★★★☆
200865.0373 of 211782.4%★★★★☆
200766.4327 of 206384.1%★★★★☆
200665.9355 of 196882.0%★★★★☆
200566.2312 of 190183.6%★★★★☆
200465.7254 of 165384.6%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202653.0852 of 186454.3%★★★☆☆
202536.21213 of 190636.4%★★☆☆☆
202465.3573 of 191570.1%★★★★☆
202365.1589 of 191569.2%★★★☆☆
202260.0618 of 185866.7%★★★☆☆
202175.8236 of 105477.6%★★★★☆
201984.1257 of 183386.0%★★★★☆
201850.5888 of 176049.5%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202637.91201 of 188036.1%★★☆☆☆
202524.21444 of 190024.0%★☆☆☆☆
202454.8793 of 190258.3%★★★☆☆
202372.4438 of 191777.2%★★★★☆
202271.7399 of 186178.6%★★★★☆
201986.0171 of 181490.6%★★★★★
201878.8336 of 174280.7%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
201870.0517 of 186272.2%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202641.21116 of 193042.2%★★☆☆☆
202552.1877 of 194254.8%★★★☆☆
202436.41185 of 194839.2%★★☆☆☆
202350.5853 of 196356.5%★★★☆☆
202258.3677 of 191664.7%★★★☆☆
202156.4441 of 112260.7%★★★☆☆
201973.5433 of 188077.0%★★★★☆
201869.7542 of 183470.4%★★★★☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202658.566 of 15657.7%★★★☆☆
202456.275 of 18359.0%★★★☆☆
202238.3103 of 16838.7%★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
201820.6299 of 36618.3%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202327.1915 of 119723.6%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202631.7822 of 113027.3%★☆☆☆☆
202530.4836 of 115527.6%★☆☆☆☆
202434.0811 of 117330.9%★★☆☆☆
202336.1777 of 119334.9%★★☆☆☆
202241.0702 of 120441.7%★★☆☆☆
201970.4332 of 122272.8%★★★★☆
201830.3860 of 117326.7%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Middle school
Disabled (2022)48th percentile-10 vs school
Special Education (2026)34th percentile+5 vs school
Military Connected (2026)33rd percentile+4 vs school
Female (2026)32nd percentile+4 vs school
Male (2026)23rd percentile-6 vs school
Hispanic (2026)18th percentile-11 vs school
White (2026)18th percentile-11 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)7th percentile-21 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile-23 vs school
High school
Low Socio Economic Status (2018)72nd percentile+8 vs school
Military Connected (2026)58th percentile+8 vs school
Female (2026)54th percentile+5 vs school
Male (2026)42nd percentile-7 vs school
Hispanic (2026)36th percentile-13 vs school
White (2026)27th percentile-22 vs school
Special Education (2023)24th percentile-41 vs school
Multi-racial (2018)18th percentile-46 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy43%-7 vs state
Science26%-10 vs state
Mathematics16%-22 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Junior-Senior High

In the 2024-25 school year, 497 students attended Desert Junior-Senior High.

Desert Junior-Senior High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Irving L. Branch Elementary
Elementary : West Boron Elementary

Students at Desert Junior-Senior High are 36% White, 36% Hispanic, 16% Two or more races, 5% African American, 5% Asian.

Desert Junior-Senior High ranks 1083rd of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Desert Junior-Senior High!



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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.

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