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Katherine Finchy Elementary

Q: Is Katherine Finchy Elementary a good school?

Katherine Finchy Elementary ranks 3032 nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3032^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of California elementary schools

Summary

Katherine Finchy Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 464 students in the Palm Springs Unified school district, which serves a community with significant economic need, as nearly 88% of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

When compared to many nearby elementary schools like Bubbling Wells Elementary and Two Bunch Palms Elementary, Katherine Finchy performs stronger academically in math and English, and it shows particular effectiveness in supporting students from low-income families and those in special education. However, the school's overall state ranking has declined over the past decade, and it is outperformed by some neighbors with similar student populations, such as Sunny Sands Elementary.

Key areas for attention include a noticeable performance gap between female and male students, a significant drop in math scores between 4th and 5th grade, and a chronic absenteeism rate that, while better than the district average, is higher than the state's. The school spends more per student than most area schools, raising questions about how effectively those resources are translating into improved outcomes for all students.

464

Students ?

20.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,693

Per pupil spending ?

87.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

777 East Tachevah Dr.
Palm Springs, CA 92262-4903

(760) 416-8190

District: Palm Springs Unified

Students who attend Katherine Finchy Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Raymond Cree Middle
High:	Palm Springs High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.5%

White:

16.2%

African American:

9.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Katherine Finchy Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 78th percentile in 2013 → 48th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Palm Springs Unified

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2013

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg27%

California avg41%

3,032^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 16Elementary 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	42.6	3032 of 5857	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.7	2692 of 5869	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.7	2657 of 5859	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.9	2355 of 5883	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.9	1974 of 5789	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.8	2733 of 5662	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	58.4	2098 of 5692	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.7	2005 of 5614	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.7	1999 of 5611	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	77.3	1209 of 5530	78.1%	★★★★☆
2012	74.8	1281 of 5390	76.2%	★★★★☆
2011	80.9	948 of 5377	82.4%	★★★★☆
2010	65.7	1687 of 5314	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	55.3	2164 of 5193	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	51.3	2303 of 5113	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	39.1	2957 of 5113	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.4	2296 of 4818	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	55.9	1916 of 4822	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.8	2320 of 4809	51.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	25.3	557 of 700	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	27.3	1618 of 2227	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.7	904 of 2585	65.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	49.6	1201 of 3162	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.6	1911 of 3245	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.3	1400 of 3311	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.7	1111 of 3275	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.0	1931 of 3246	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.5	2721 of 5597	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.1	2313 of 5612	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.9	2354 of 5609	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.9	2219 of 5635	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.5	1948 of 5492	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.3	2478 of 5413	54.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.7	2744 of 5107	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	2944 of 5107	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.1	2477 of 5087	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.2	2062 of 5084	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.5	1269 of 4963	74.4%	★★★★☆
2018	47.2	2396 of 4830	50.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	58.7	1920 of 5460	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.6	1821 of 5517	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.0	1391 of 5363	74.1%	★★★★☆
2022	76.1	906 of 5264	82.8%	★★★★☆
2019	73.6	995 of 5173	80.8%	★★★★☆
2018	53.6	2129 of 5084	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	3146 of 5628	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.9	2892 of 5643	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.1	2795 of 5638	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.7	2303 of 5663	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.6	1887 of 5510	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.5	2820 of 5431	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.0	1006 of 2847	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.6	1525 of 2635	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.7	1560 of 2420	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	53.4	1311 of 2598	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.5	1047 of 2651	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.8	942 of 2661	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.7	1137 of 2726	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.8	874 of 2834	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.1	1522 of 2737	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)65th percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2025)65th percentile+16 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)62nd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)51st percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)50th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)46th percentile~ school

Male (2025)44th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)27th percentile-33 vs school

African American (2018)20th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy41%-8 vs state

Mathematics37%~ state avg

Science26%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Katherine Finchy Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations 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)							% 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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th 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	% 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
Katherine Finchy Elementary	Public	K-5	777 East Tachevah Dr.	Palm Springs	92262	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 416-8190	464	23	20.1	87.9%	75 (16.2%)	44 (9.5%)	304 (65.5%)	22 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.7%)	42.6	3032^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	48.2%		47.7	2692^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	54.1%	340																	25.6		25.6	44.8	39.5	39.7				41.2	38.8	46.3	26.9				37.4	92.7	95.6		95.6	95.6	95.6	$21,693	$1,933	$19,760
Vista del Monte Elementary	Public	K-5	2744 North Via Miraleste	Palm Springs	92262	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 416-8176	435	23	19.0	95.4%	23 (5.3%)	7 (1.6%)	390 (89.7%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.3%)	18.6	4953^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	15.4%		27.2	4188^th of 5869 public elementary schools	28.6%	765	2.9	18.5	9.7	9.7	22.9	14.8	29.0	22.6	2.9	25.9	6.5	10.8	2.9	14.8	6.5	7.5	23.5		23.5	8.1	12.8	37.7				20.6	14.5	20.9	20.0				18.9	87.5	95.3	96.9		90.6	92.2	$22,429	$2,077	$20,352
Cahuilla Elementary	Public	K-5	833 East Mesquite Ave.	Palm Springs	92264	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 416-8161	399	21	19.1	91.5%	45 (11.3%)	36 (9.0%)	284 (71.2%)	12 (3.0%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	20.1	4820^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.7%		32.2	3772^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	35.7%	1048																	9.4		9.4	28.8	31.8	25.4				28.7	27.6	32.3	7.8				22.3	95.5				97.0		$21,900	$1,774	$20,126
Cielo Vista Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	650 South Paseo Dorotea	Palm Springs	92264	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 416-8250	824	41	20.1	92.7%	68 (8.3%)	14 (1.7%)	674 (81.8%)	42 (5.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (2.7%)	65.4	1822^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	68.9%		64.1	1872^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	68.1%	50																	22.4	26.9	24.9	68.8	54.0	48.2	56.1	69.4	63.0	60.1	66.3	63.2	36.9	39.5	42.6	28.7	44.9							$28,634	$2,796	$25,838
Agua Caliente Elementary	Public	K-5	30-800 San Luis Rey Plaza	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 416-8235	645	32	20.2	93.3%	14 (2.2%)	10 (1.6%)	605 (93.8%)	7 (1.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.1%)	20.9	4750^th of 5857 public elementary schools	18.9%		22.3	4645^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.9%	105																	17.1		17.1	24.8	15.3	44.8				28.1	30.4	11.5	18.9				19.9	95.7				96.8		$20,819	$1,923	$18,896
Rio Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	67-700 Verona Rd.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 416-0032	637	31	20.7	91.2%	64 (10.0%)	12 (1.9%)	503 (79.0%)	24 (3.8%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.8%)	27 (4.2%)	36.7	3431^st of 5857 public elementary schools	41.4%		36.4	3408^th of 5869 public elementary schools	41.9%	23																	20.2		20.2	35.4	47.7	37.2				40.2	38.4	39.5	20.4				32.4							$20,435	$1,707	$18,728
Landau Elementary	Public	K-5	30310 Landau Blvd.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8600	579	29	19.7	94.1%	40 (6.9%)	10 (1.7%)	474 (81.9%)	42 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	10 (1.7%)	36	3497^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.3%		35.9	3442^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	41.4%	55																	20.5		20.5	46.4	36.5	38.9				40.5	53.0	21.2	18.4				30.2	97.5	97.5			97.5	97.5	$21,743	$1,965	$19,778
Sunny Sands Elementary	Public	K-5	69-310 McCallum Way	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8635	692	33	20.9	93.4%	51 (7.4%)	6 (0.9%)	583 (84.2%)	34 (4.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.3%)	55.5	2278^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.1%		53.8	2355^th of 5869 public elementary schools	59.9%	77																	36.0		36.0	52.3	39.1	52.7				48.0	50.0	37.3	41.8				43.0							$22,063	$1,868	$20,195
Cathedral City Elementary	Public	K-5	69300 Converse Rd.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8583	606	33	18.6	96.5%	16 (2.6%)	9 (1.5%)	564 (93.1%)	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.7%)	23.2	4566^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.0%		20.8	4784^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.5%	218																	16.7		16.7	29.9	31.7	31.7				31.2	25.3	26.0	20.6				23.9	94.9	97.4			94.9		$20,947	$1,699	$19,248
Bubbling Wells Elementary	Public	K-5	67501 Camino Campanero	Desert Hot Springs	92240	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 251-7230	581	32	18.2	93.3%	23 (4.0%)	12 (2.1%)	529 (91.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.6%)	17.4	5061^st of 5857 public elementary schools	13.6%		16.9	5132^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	12.6%	71																	23.2		23.2	26.8	22.7	27.4				25.6	20.0	12.8	16.1				16.4	94.4	98.1			96.3	97.2	$20,513	$1,660	$18,853

Frequently Asked Questions about Katherine Finchy Elementary

Is Katherine Finchy Elementary a good school?

Katherine Finchy Elementary ranks 3032^nd of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Katherine Finchy Elementary attend?

Students who attend Katherine Finchy Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Raymond Cree Middle
High : Palm Springs High

What district is Katherine Finchy Elementary in?

Palm Springs Unified

How many students attend Katherine Finchy Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 464 students attended Katherine Finchy Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Katherine Finchy Elementary?

Students at Katherine Finchy Elementary are 66% Hispanic, 16% White, 9% African American, 5% Asian, 4% Two or more races.

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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.