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Nellie N. Coffman Middle

Q: Is Nellie N. Coffman Middle a good school?

Nellie N. Coffman Middle ranks 2010 th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

2010^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 27% of California middle schools

Summary

Nellie N. Coffman Middle is a public school serving about 900 students in grades 6-8 in Cathedral City, part of the Palm Springs Unified school district, which faces significant academic challenges across its campuses.

Academically, the school performs below state averages, with math being a particular area of concern where only about 16% of students are proficient. Chronic absenteeism, where students miss a lot of school, is also high at 31%. Within its own district, Coffman is a middle performer; it ranks below higher-achieving schools like James Workman Middle and Raymond Cree Middle, but above Painted Hills Middle and Desert Springs Middle. The school shows some relative strengths in supporting homeless students and students from low-income families.

A notable finding is the performance gap between districts. Schools in the neighboring Desert Sands Unified district, such as Palm Desert Charter Middle and John Glenn Middle School of International Studies, often perform better despite serving similar student populations, suggesting district-level policies may influence outcomes. At Coffman, spending per student has increased in recent years without a corresponding rise in its state ranking, highlighting that how resources are used can be as important as the amount.

914

Students ?

19.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,491

Per pupil spending ?

97.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

34-603 Plumley Rd.
Cathedral City, CA 92234-6326

(760) 770-8617

District: Palm Springs Unified

Students who attend Nellie N. Coffman Middle usually attend:

High:

Cathedral City High

Feeder schools for Nellie N. Coffman Middle:

Elementary:	Cathedral City Elementary
	Rancho Mirage Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

91.7%

White:

4.6%

African American:

1.5%

See top rated California middle schools

Compare Nellie N. Coffman Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 31st percentile in 2013 → 27th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 19% California)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg27%

California avg41%

2,010^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 27%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Middle Schools in the Palm Springs Unified

1147^th of 1,543Palm Springs 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	24.9	2010 of 2761	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.7	2187 of 2783	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	2023 of 2781	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	2041 of 2740	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.9	2025 of 2715	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.3	1955 of 2480	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.0	1763 of 2508	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.3	1857 of 2497	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.7	1912 of 2477	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.9	1644 of 2379	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	27.6	1719 of 2259	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.4	1631 of 2236	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.3	1382 of 2179	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	41.2	1178 of 2063	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	33.0	1346 of 2005	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	28.0	1448 of 1999	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	25.3	1361 of 1804	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	16.5	1539 of 1777	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	15.6	1555 of 1769	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	32.5	971 of 1531	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.9	1303 of 1491	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	1193 of 1369	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.5	1202 of 1478	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.9	1032 of 1521	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.3	617 of 1540	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.1	959 of 1442	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.1	1040 of 1364	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.7	1854 of 2533	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	2058 of 2551	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	1969 of 2531	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.7	1896 of 2509	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.2	1814 of 2380	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	1780 of 2262	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.0	1648 of 2395	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.5	1740 of 2388	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	1582 of 2374	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.9	1592 of 2359	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.7	1522 of 2213	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.8	1565 of 2072	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.5	237 of 477	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.1	146 of 336	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.6	1659 of 2542	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.5	1845 of 2579	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.0	1592 of 2531	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.9	1543 of 2458	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.7	1505 of 2369	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.3	1612 of 2230	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	24.2	1906 of 2534	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	1982 of 2552	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.8	1739 of 2538	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.4	1873 of 2527	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	1873 of 2407	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	1859 of 2273	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	1464 of 1566	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	1291 of 1552	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	1353 of 1531	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.7	814 of 1520	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.0	779 of 1543	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	1174 of 1555	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.5	1298 of 1602	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.1	1209 of 1496	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)50th percentile+23 vs school

White (2025)46th percentile+19 vs school

Disabled (2022)37th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)31st percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)27th percentile~ school

Male (2025)25th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)19th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)7th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy34%-15 vs state

Science20%-13 vs state

Mathematics16%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Nellie N. Coffman Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)			CSA Spanish Listening (2025)			CSA Spanish Writing (2025)			CSA Spanish Reading (2025)			CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				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	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
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	$20,491	$1,704	$18,787
James Workman Middle	Public	6-8	69-300 30th Ave.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8540	1,020	47	21.8	97.8%	72 (7.1%)	16 (1.6%)	849 (83.2%)	45 (4.4%)	8 (0.8%)	2 (0.2%)	28 (2.7%)	42	1430^th of 2761 public middle schools	48.2%		38.8	1514^th of 2783 public middle schools	45.6%	84													23.6	23.6	39.4	48.4	42.0	43.1	27.9	32.5	26.9	29.0	$21,270	$1,735	$19,535
Raymond Cree Middle	Public	6-8	1011 Vista Chino	Palm Springs	92262	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 416-8283	721	37	19.6	97.1%	78 (10.8%)	48 (6.7%)	533 (73.9%)	23 (3.2%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	33 (4.6%)	35.8	1624^th of 2761 public middle schools	41.2%		37.8	1535^th of 2783 public middle schools	44.8%	89	6.8	0.0	4.2	15.9	28.6	20.8	6.8	7.1	6.9	6.8	0.0	4.2	23.1	23.1	36.9	37.1	40.0	38.0	31.3	25.3	23.6	26.8	$21,848	$1,755	$20,093
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	$13,492	$411	$13,081
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	$22,908	$3,615	$19,293
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	$19,602	$3,156	$16,446
Desert Springs Middle	Public	6-8	66-755 Two Bunch Palms Trail	Desert Hot Springs	92240	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 251-7200	749	37	20.3	96.7%	47 (6.3%)	38 (5.1%)	636 (84.9%)	6 (0.8%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	16 (2.1%)	12.6	2533^rd of 2761 public middle schools	8.3%		16.6	2415^th of 2783 public middle schools	13.2%	118													12.7	12.7	16.7	23.9	18.6	19.6	13.1	15.1	4.9	11.0	$21,348	$1,963	$19,385
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	$19,909	$3,029	$16,880
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	$19,441	$2,974	$16,467
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	$18,518	$3,214	$15,304

Frequently Asked Questions about Nellie N. Coffman Middle

What high school do graduates of Nellie N. Coffman Middle attend?

Students who attend Nellie N. Coffman Middle usually go on to attend Cathedral City High

Is Nellie N. Coffman Middle a good school?

Nellie N. Coffman Middle ranks 2010^th of 2761 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Nellie N. Coffman Middle in?

Palm Springs Unified

How many students attend Nellie N. Coffman Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 914 students attended Nellie N. Coffman Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Nellie N. Coffman Middle?

Students at Nellie N. Coffman Middle are 92% Hispanic, 5% White, 2% African American.

Rate Nellie N. Coffman Middle!

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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.