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Desert Hot Springs High

Q: Is Desert Hot Springs High a good school?

Desert Hot Springs High ranks 1444 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

1444^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 33% of California high schools

Summary

Desert Hot Springs High is a large public high school serving about 1,700 students in grades 9-12 within the Palm Springs Unified School District, serving a community with significant economic need where nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school faces considerable challenges, particularly with very low proficiency in mathematics (12%) and science (12%), and a severe chronic absenteeism rate of 43%, which is more than double the state average. While its English Language Arts performance is closer to the state average, the school's overall state ranking has been volatile and recently declined. It's important to note that Desert Hot Springs High spends more per student than some higher-performing nearby schools, indicating a focus on how resources are used is as critical as the amount available.

Compared to other local high schools like Cathedral City High and Rancho Mirage High, Desert Hot Springs has lower academic scores and significantly higher absenteeism, despite serving a similarly high-need population. However, the school shows relative strengths in supporting English Language Learners and students experiencing homelessness. The extreme gap between its ELA and math scores, along with the attendance crisis, points to specific areas where targeted interventions could make a substantial difference for student outcomes.

1,687

Students ?

20.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,098

Per pupil spending ?

96.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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...
	Two Bunch Palms Elementary
Middle:	Desert Springs Middle
	Painted Hills Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.5%

White:

8.7%

African American:

6.3%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 39th percentile in 2015 → 33rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (43% vs 19% California)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg27%

California avg41%

1,444^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5High 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	32.2	1444 of 2162	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.4	1045 of 2159	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.1	1427 of 2170	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.0	1513 of 2123	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.1	733 of 1290	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.7	1365 of 2133	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.6	1167 of 2017	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.3	1097 of 2021	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.1	1124 of 2039	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	37.5	1219 of 1994	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.6	965 of 2426	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	39.9	1057 of 2354	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	40.6	1041 of 2367	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	30.4	1265 of 2281	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	28.5	1461 of 2238	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	24.2	1346 of 2117	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	22.8	1379 of 2063	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	26.2	1211 of 1968	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	25.2	1200 of 1901	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	29.0	958 of 1653	42.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.4	306 of 523	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.0	378 of 517	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.1	406 of 521	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.5	325 of 522	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.8	188 of 592	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.5	338 of 582	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	25.0	980 of 1161	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	478 of 555	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	836 of 1117	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.8	660 of 1052	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	47.1	407 of 1085	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.0	403 of 1064	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.7	717 of 1044	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.0	248 of 467	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.4	552 of 941	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.2	408 of 938	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	1298 of 1906	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.2	929 of 1915	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	27.5	1373 of 1915	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.7	1282 of 1858	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.3	681 of 1054	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.9	1255 of 1833	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.0	1052 of 1760	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.1	1266 of 1900	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.5	694 of 1902	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.5	1185 of 1917	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.7	1272 of 1861	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	1108 of 1814	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.9	939 of 1742	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	52.8	170 of 410	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	77.2	51 of 328	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	40.0	166 of 299	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.5	263 of 290	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	1276 of 2013	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.0	793 of 2026	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.8	1206 of 2030	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.1	1308 of 1943	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.7	541 of 1126	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.4	1117 of 1937	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.5	1000 of 1862	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	29.0	1357 of 1942	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.4	1004 of 1948	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.4	1254 of 1963	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.4	1493 of 1916	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.2	654 of 1122	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.3	1257 of 1880	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	1132 of 1834	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.5	489 of 577	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.0	1006 of 1252	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	1173 of 1216	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.6	906 of 1197	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	33.5	800 of 1155	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.6	866 of 1173	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	957 of 1193	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	1062 of 1204	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.4	1023 of 1222	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	868 of 1173	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Homeless (2025)59th percentile+25 vs school

African American (2025)41st percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)37th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)33rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)32nd percentile~ school

White (2025)31st percentile~ school

Male (2025)30th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2025)20th percentile-14 vs school

Disabled (2022)16th percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)15th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy47%~ state avg

Mathematics12%-25 vs state

Science12%-21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Hot Springs High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)		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 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Desert Hot Springs High	Public	9-12	65850 Pierson Blvd.	Desert Hot Springs	92240	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 288-7000	1,687	82	20.5	96.1%	147 (8.7%)	107 (6.3%)	1,358 (80.5%)	17 (1.0%)	6 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (2.9%)	32.2	1444^th of 2162 public high schools	33.2%		48.4	1045^th of 2159 public high schools	51.6%	399		12.2		11.8	46.6	46.6	12.2	12.2	$22,098	$2,184	$19,914
Mt. San Jacinto High	Public	9-12	30800 Landau Blvd.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8563	325	25	12.8	95.7%	14 (4.3%)	13 (4.0%)	283 (87.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	7 (2.2%)	15.7	1782^nd of 2162 public high schools	17.6%		14.9	1822^nd of 2159 public high schools	15.6%	40		5.8	0.0	5.1	15.8	15.8	10.2	10.2	$27,474	$2,657	$24,817
Palm Springs High	Public	9-12	2401 East Baristo Rd.	Palm Springs	92262	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 778-0400	1,497	71	20.9	95.7%	180 (12.0%)	98 (6.5%)	1,087 (72.6%)	67 (4.5%)	10 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	51 (3.4%)	42.3	1205^th of 2162 public high schools	44.3%		52.3	942^nd of 2159 public high schools	56.4%	263	16.0	23.6	7.1	19.6	53.1	53.1	18.6	18.6	$22,354	$2,060	$20,294
Rancho Mirage High	Public	9-12	31001 Rattler Rd.	Rancho Mirage	92270	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 202-6455	1,401	69	20.4	95.2%	106 (7.6%)	27 (1.9%)	1,155 (82.4%)	67 (4.8%)	8 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (2.5%)	44.1	1162^nd of 2162 public high schools	46.3%		50	999^th of 2159 public high schools	53.7%	163	4.5	19.4	17.1	16.9	54.6	54.6	21.1	21.1	$22,366	$1,856	$20,510
Yucca Valley High	Public	9-12	7600 Sage Ave.	Yucca Valley	92284	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 365-3391	1,168	57	20.5	61.6%	584 (50.0%)	64 (5.5%)	461 (39.5%)	31 (2.7%)	9 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	14 (1.2%)	35.1	1377^th of 2162 public high schools	36.3%		44.5	1138^th of 2159 public high schools	47.3%	239	12.4	22.1	16.7	16.7	44.0	44.0	17.3	17.3	$17,555	$2,348	$15,207
Cathedral City High	Public	9-12	69250 Dinah Shore Dr.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-0100	1,334	67	20.0	95.5%	55 (4.1%)	19 (1.4%)	1,205 (90.3%)	35 (2.6%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	12 (0.9%)	39.6	1271^st of 2162 public high schools	41.2%		59.1	795^th of 2159 public high schools	63.2%	476		21.9	0.0	21.1	48.8	48.8	13.6	13.6	$23,060	$1,921	$21,139
Black Rock Alternative/Continuation	Public	9-12	59273 Sunnyslope	Yucca Valley	92284	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 369-6310	122	11	10.7	82.0%	56 (45.9%)	14 (11.5%)	50 (41.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	8.1	2115^th of 2162 public high schools	2.2%		12.2	1932^nd of 2159 public high schools	10.5%	183		1.9		1.4	5.5	5.5	0.0	0.0	$24,097	$2,459	$21,638
Palm Desert High	Public	9-12	74-910 Aztec Rd.	Palm Desert	92260	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 862-4300	2,079	80	26.0	60.2%	734 (35.3%)	40 (1.9%)	1,008 (48.5%)	174 (8.4%)	11 (0.5%)	3 (0.1%)	109 (5.2%)	78.7	435^th of 2162 public high schools	79.9%		85.2	323^rd of 2159 public high schools	85.0%	112		43.7	18.2	43.1	69.3	69.3	37.5	37.5	$19,647	$3,223	$16,424
Shadow Hills High	Public	9-12	39-225 Jefferson St.	Indio	92203	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 393-5400	1,650	71	23.4	80.1%	130 (7.9%)	23 (1.4%)	1,424 (86.3%)	19 (1.2%)	8 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (2.8%)	44	1169^th of 2162 public high schools	45.9%		43.6	1156^th of 2159 public high schools	46.5%	13		30.9		30.9	48.7	48.7	9.9	9.9	$20,963	$3,067	$17,896

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Hot Springs High

How many students attend Desert Hot Springs High?

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

What district is Desert Hot Springs High in?

Palm Springs Unified

What schools feed into Desert Hot Springs High?

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

What is the racial makeup of 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.

Is Desert Hot Springs High a good school?

Desert Hot Springs High ranks 1444^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Desert Hot Springs High!

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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.