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Desert Springs Middle

Public Grades 6-8

2533^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,761 California Middle Schools

Better than 8% of California middle schools

Summary

Desert Springs Middle is a public middle school serving 749 students in grades 6-8 within the Palm Springs Unified district in Desert Hot Springs, an area where the school faces significant academic challenges and a very high rate of student poverty.

The school's academic performance is well below state averages, with fewer than 20% of students proficient in English and only about 11% proficient in math. A major concern is chronic absenteeism, with over 40% of students missing significant school time, which is more than double the state average. While the school spends over $21,000 per student, these resources have not yet translated into stronger academic results compared to other schools in the region.

When compared to nearby schools with similar high-poverty student populations, such as James Workman Middle and Raymond Cree Middle, Desert Springs Middle has notably lower test scores and higher absenteeism. Both middle schools in Desert Hot Springs, including nearby Painted Hills Middle, share these struggles, suggesting broader community factors. However, the better performance at other high-poverty schools in the same district indicates that improvement is possible with effective strategies, particularly in improving student attendance.

749

Students ?

20.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,348

Per pupil spending ?

96.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

66-755 Two Bunch Palms Trail
Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240-5775

(760) 251-7200

District: Palm Springs Unified

Students who attend Desert Springs Middle usually attend:

High:

Desert Hot Springs High

Feeder schools for Desert Springs Middle:

Elementary:	Bubbling Wells Elementary
	Cabot Yerxa Elementary
	Della S. Lindley Elementary
	Julius Corsini Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

84.9%

White:

6.3%

African American:

5.1%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 27th percentile in 2013 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (15% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg27%

California avg41%

2,533^rd of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th 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	12.6	2533 of 2761	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.6	2415 of 2783	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	2481 of 2781	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.5	2197 of 2740	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.2	2131 of 2715	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.3	2069 of 2480	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.0	2108 of 2508	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.1	2102 of 2497	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.0	2186 of 2477	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.2	1736 of 2379	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.0	1767 of 2259	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	25.8	1755 of 2236	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	29.7	1586 of 2179	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.7	1609 of 2063	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	26.2	1530 of 2005	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	14.4	1793 of 1999	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.0	1511 of 1804	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	11.9	1638 of 1777	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	17.0	1522 of 1769	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	454 of 609	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	469 of 627	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.2	397 of 613	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.7	353 of 637	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.1	482 of 643	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.7	505 of 600	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	35.1	893 of 1531	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.1	1203 of 1491	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.6	966 of 1369	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.3	1208 of 1478	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.2	963 of 1521	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	898 of 1540	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.3	1104 of 1442	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	1048 of 1364	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.0	2332 of 2533	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	2180 of 2551	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	2250 of 2531	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	1976 of 2509	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.5	1840 of 2380	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	1907 of 2262	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.0	2146 of 2395	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	2005 of 2388	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	2080 of 2374	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	1833 of 2359	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.3	1562 of 2213	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	1678 of 2072	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	451 of 477	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	44.6	184 of 394	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	24.7	266 of 320	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.4	2268 of 2542	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	2129 of 2579	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.7	2168 of 2531	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.0	1734 of 2458	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.3	1713 of 2369	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	1734 of 2230	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	2364 of 2534	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	2287 of 2552	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	2290 of 2538	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	2060 of 2527	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.5	2041 of 2407	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	1910 of 2273	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	1330 of 1566	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	1466 of 1552	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.1	1215 of 1531	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	4.5	1484 of 1520	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	1205 of 1537	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	1276 of 1543	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.4	1023 of 1555	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.6	1411 of 1602	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.6	1166 of 1496	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)42nd percentile+22 vs school

African American (2025)25th percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)18th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2025)15th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)10th percentile~ school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

Male (2025)7th percentile~ school

Homeless (2025)5th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)2nd percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy20%-29 vs state

Science13%-20 vs state

Mathematics11%-26 vs state

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Schools Near Desert Springs 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
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
Painted Hills Middle	Public	6-8	9250 Sonora Dr.	Desert Hot Springs	92240	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 251-1551	722	33	21.6	97.2%	64 (8.9%)	35 (4.8%)	578 (80.1%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	38 (5.3%)	15.2	2433^rd of 2761 public middle schools	11.9%		16.5	2418^th of 2783 public middle schools	13.1%	15													9.2	9.2	22.2	29.3	23.0	24.9	10.0	17.3	11.8	13.1	$21,314	$1,882	$19,432
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
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
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
La Contenta Middle	Public	7-8	7050 La Contenta Rd.	Yucca Valley	92284	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 228-1802	647	33	19.5	70.2%	349 (53.9%)	30 (4.6%)	232 (35.9%)	8 (1.2%)	8 (1.2%)	6 (0.9%)	13 (2.0%)	29.4	1847^th of 2761 public middle schools	33.1%		28.6	1875^th of 2783 public middle schools	32.6%	28													26.8	26.8		36.9	34.9	35.9		21.3	12.3	16.8	$18,506	$2,380	$16,126
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Springs Middle

How many students attend Desert Springs Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 749 students attended Desert Springs Middle.

What high school do graduates of Desert Springs Middle attend?

Students who attend Desert Springs Middle usually go on to attend Desert Hot Springs High

What district is Desert Springs Middle in?

Palm Springs Unified

Is Desert Springs Middle a good school?

Desert Springs Middle ranks in the bottom 8.3% of California middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Springs Middle?

Students at Desert Springs Middle are 85% Hispanic, 6% White, 5% African American, 2% 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.