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Desert Hot Springs High

Public Grades 9-12
1570th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 2,135 California High Schools
Better than 26% of California high schools
Summary

Desert Hot Springs High is a public high school serving grades 9–12 in Desert Hot Springs, California, with 1,687 students, in the Palm Springs Unified area. The central concern is that achievement is low across subjects and chronic absenteeism is high: in 2025–2026, proficiency was 39% in English language arts (ELA), 12% in math, and 15% in science, while 54% of students were chronically absent.

ELA is the school’s strongest subject relative to its district and the state, but it remains below the state and nearby-school average. Its ELA proficiency was 2 percentage points above the district and 11 below the state; compared with nearby schools, it was 7 points below their average. Math and science are bigger concerns: results were 10 and 5 points below the district, respectively, and 26 and 21 points below the state. They were also 5 points below the nearby average in math and 6 below in science. Graduation offers a brighter picture: the rate reached 91% in 2025–2026, above the state’s 88%, though below the district’s 93%.

Results have moved unevenly. From 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, ELA fell from 41% to 39%, math stayed at 12%, and science rose from 11% to 15%; meanwhile, SchoolDigger’s statewide rank dropped from the 52nd to the 26th percentile, with a 1-star rating in 2025–2026. The 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 20.5, close to the nearby-school average of 19.3. In that same school year, 96% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the highest reported share among nearby schools. SchoolDigger’s effectiveness ranking for African American students was at the 45th percentile in 2025–2026, above the school’s overall 26th percentile; its ranking for homeless students fell from the 84th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 24th in 2025–2026.

1,687
Students ?
20.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$21,731
Per pupil spending ?
96.1%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 65850 Pierson Blvd.
       Desert Hot Springs, CA  92240-3000

(760) 288-7000

District: Palm Springs Unified


Feeder schools for Desert Hot Springs High:

Elementary:    Bella Vista Elementary
    Bubbling Wells Elementary
    Cabot Yerxa Elementary
    Julius Corsini Elementary
    More...
Middle:    Desert Springs Middle
    Painted Hills Middle
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
80.5%
White:
8.7%
African American:
6.3%
more
 See top rated California high schools

 Compare Desert Hot Springs High to nearby high schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2016 → 26th in 2026
Strengths
✓91% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the California average (20% vs 42% meeting standards)
!High chronic absenteeism (54% vs 18% California)
!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school20%
District avg27%
California avg42%
1,570th of 2,135
California public high schools ?
Bottom 26%▼ down 18 pts since 2016
From bottom 45% (2016) to bottom 26% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 5High Schools in the Palm Springs Unified
1141st of 1,530Palm 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202625.61570 of 213526.5%★☆☆☆☆
202532.21444 of 216233.2%★★☆☆☆
202448.41045 of 215951.6%★★★☆☆
202332.11427 of 217034.2%★★☆☆☆
202226.01513 of 212328.7%★☆☆☆☆
202142.1733 of 129043.2%★★☆☆☆
201933.71365 of 213336.0%★★☆☆☆
201842.61167 of 201742.1%★★☆☆☆
201746.31097 of 202145.7%★★☆☆☆
201644.11124 of 203944.9%★★☆☆☆
201537.51219 of 199438.9%★★☆☆☆
201343.6965 of 242660.2%★★★☆☆
201239.91057 of 235455.1%★★★☆☆
201140.61041 of 236756.0%★★★☆☆
201030.41265 of 228144.5%★★☆☆☆
200928.51461 of 223834.7%★★☆☆☆
200824.21346 of 211736.4%★★☆☆☆
200722.81379 of 206333.2%★★☆☆☆
200626.21211 of 196838.5%★★☆☆☆
200525.21200 of 190136.9%★★☆☆☆
200429.0958 of 165342.0%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202642.3270 of 49245.1%★★☆☆☆
202538.4306 of 52341.5%★★☆☆☆
202427.0378 of 51726.9%★☆☆☆☆
202322.1406 of 52122.1%★☆☆☆☆
202234.5325 of 52237.7%★★☆☆☆
201959.8188 of 59268.2%★★★☆☆
201839.5338 of 58241.9%★★☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202225.0980 of 116115.6%★☆☆☆☆
202122.8478 of 55513.9%★☆☆☆☆
201926.9836 of 111725.2%★☆☆☆☆
201831.8660 of 105237.3%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202447.1407 of 108562.5%★★★☆☆
202347.0403 of 106462.1%★★★☆☆
202233.7717 of 104431.3%★★☆☆☆
202141.0248 of 46746.9%★★☆☆☆
201936.4552 of 94141.3%★★☆☆☆
201842.2408 of 93856.5%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202621.01486 of 186420.3%★☆☆☆☆
202532.11298 of 190631.9%★★☆☆☆
202448.2929 of 191551.5%★★★☆☆
202327.51373 of 191528.3%★☆☆☆☆
202229.71282 of 185831.0%★★☆☆☆
202136.3681 of 105435.4%★★☆☆☆
201930.91255 of 183331.5%★★☆☆☆
201843.01052 of 176040.2%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202625.01421 of 188024.4%★☆☆☆☆
202535.11266 of 190033.4%★★☆☆☆
202459.5694 of 190263.5%★★★☆☆
202337.51185 of 191738.2%★★☆☆☆
202231.71272 of 186131.6%★★☆☆☆
201939.11108 of 181438.9%★★☆☆☆
201848.9939 of 174246.1%★★☆☆☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202627.2272 of 35824.0%★☆☆☆☆
202552.8170 of 41058.5%★★★☆☆
202477.251 of 32884.5%★★★★☆
202340.0166 of 29944.5%★★☆☆☆
202215.5263 of 2909.3%☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202626.91477 of 199726.0%★☆☆☆☆
202537.61276 of 201336.6%★★☆☆☆
202457.0793 of 202660.9%★★★☆☆
202338.81206 of 203040.6%★★☆☆☆
202232.11308 of 194332.7%★★☆☆☆
202150.7541 of 112652.0%★★★☆☆
201942.41117 of 193742.3%★★☆☆☆
201848.51000 of 186246.3%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202626.11426 of 193026.1%★☆☆☆☆
202529.01357 of 194230.1%★★☆☆☆
202444.41004 of 194848.5%★★☆☆☆
202333.41254 of 196336.1%★★☆☆☆
202220.41493 of 191622.1%★☆☆☆☆
202140.2654 of 112241.7%★★☆☆☆
201931.31257 of 188033.1%★★☆☆☆
201837.71132 of 183438.3%★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
20263.8569 of 5883.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202517.5489 of 57715.3%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202618.21130 of 12358.5%☆☆☆☆☆
202525.01006 of 125219.6%★☆☆☆☆
202416.31173 of 12163.5%☆☆☆☆☆
202327.6906 of 119724.3%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202624.3897 of 113020.6%★☆☆☆☆
202533.5800 of 115530.7%★★☆☆☆
202429.6866 of 117326.2%★☆☆☆☆
202321.5957 of 119319.8%★☆☆☆☆
202212.91062 of 120411.8%★☆☆☆☆
201917.41023 of 122216.3%★☆☆☆☆
201829.6868 of 117326.0%★☆☆☆☆
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)62nd percentile+11 vs school
African American (2026)45th percentile+19 vs school
Male (2026)26th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)26th percentile~ school
Hispanic (2026)24th percentile~ school
Homeless (2026)24th percentile~ school
White (2026)21st percentile-6 vs school
Female (2026)20th percentile-6 vs school
Disabled (2022)16th percentile-13 vs school
Special Education (2026)9th percentile-18 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)3rd percentile-23 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy39%-11 vs state
Science15%-21 vs state
Mathematics12%-26 vs state

★
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Schools Near Desert Hot Springs High

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Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Hot Springs High

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,687 students attended Desert Hot Springs High.

Students at Desert Hot Springs High are 80% Hispanic, 9% White, 6% African American, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Desert Hot Springs High ranks 1570th of 2135 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Desert Hot Springs High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bella Vista Elementary
Elementary : Bubbling Wells Elementary
Elementary : Cabot Yerxa Elementary
Elementary : Julius Corsini Elementary
Elementary : Two Bunch Palms Elementary
Middle : Desert Springs Middle
Middle : Painted Hills Middle

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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.

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