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Sunny Sands Elementary

Q: Is Sunny Sands Elementary a good school?

Sunny Sands Elementary ranks 2811 th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

2811^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 52% of California elementary schools

Summary

Sunny Sands Elementary is a K–5 school in Cathedral City, California, serving 692 students in Palm Springs Unified. Its clearest concern is fifth-grade science: 22% of students were proficient in 2025–2026, compared with 36% statewide, even though the result was 3 points above the district’s 19%. Science proficiency fell 14 points from the previous year, making it the school’s most important recent academic weakness.

Sunny Sands is strongest in ELA and math compared with nearby K–5 schools. Its 48% ELA proficiency was the highest among nine nearby K–5 schools, whose average was 34%; its 38% in math ranked second, well above their 27% average. But results were close to, or slightly below, state levels: ELA was 1 point below California, and math was less than 1 point below. Fourth grade stood out, with the highest nearby results in both ELA and math; fifth-grade math was a weaker spot, 11 points below the state. Chronic absenteeism was 17%, below the district’s 31% and the state’s 18%.

Recent results are mixed: math proficiency dropped 5 points and science dropped 14 points in the latest year, while ELA rose 2 points over four years. SchoolDigger places Sunny Sands at the 52nd percentile with 3 stars in 2025–2026; its student–teacher ratio was 20.9 in 2024–2025, the highest among nearby schools. The school reported that 93% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025. SchoolDigger’s student-group rankings show a notable relative strength for homeless students: the school ranked at the 84th percentile for this group in 2025–2026, versus the 52nd percentile overall. For Low Socio Economic Status Students, its ranking fell from the 81st percentile in 2024–2025 to the 59th in 2025–2026.

692

Students ?

20.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,959

Per pupil spending ?

93.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

69-310 McCallum Way
Cathedral City, CA 92234-2997

(760) 770-8635

District: Palm Springs Unified

Students who attend Sunny Sands Elementary usually attend:

High:

Rancho Mirage High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

84.2%

White:

7.4%

Asian:

4.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Sunny Sands Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 66th percentile in 2017 → 52nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Palm Springs Unified

✓Above the California median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 66th-percentile peak (2017) to 52nd (2026)

!Science scores 14 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg27%

California avg42%

2,811^th of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 44% (2016) to top 48% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 16Elementary Schools in the Palm Springs Unified

739^th of 968Palm 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
2026	46.5	2811 of 5804	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.5	2278 of 5857	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.8	2355 of 5869	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.2	2226 of 5859	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.2	2440 of 5883	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.6	2728 of 5789	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	2536 of 5662	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.0	1918 of 5692	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	51.0	2443 of 5614	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	33.0	3468 of 5611	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	60.0	2111 of 5530	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.3	1823 of 5390	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.1	2023 of 5377	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.9	1634 of 5314	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.1	1865 of 5193	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	53.2	2214 of 5113	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	48.7	2400 of 5113	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	37.5	2855 of 4818	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	36.5	2923 of 4822	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	36.9	2816 of 4809	41.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	40.1	1071 of 2227	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	20.9	1923 of 2128	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	62.4	635 of 3162	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	78.4	290 of 3245	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	77.5	334 of 3311	89.9%	★★★★☆
2019	49.2	1298 of 3275	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.8	1458 of 3246	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	47.1	2683 of 5569	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.1	2234 of 5597	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.3	2257 of 5612	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.8	2307 of 5609	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.8	2224 of 5635	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.9	2608 of 5492	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	2450 of 5413	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	2021 of 5085	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.1	1494 of 5107	70.7%	★★★★☆
2024	64.1	1471 of 5107	71.2%	★★★★☆
2023	70.8	1143 of 5087	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	66.5	1316 of 5084	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	53.9	2043 of 4963	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.0	1837 of 4830	62.0%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	75.0	57 of 366	84.4%	★★★★☆
2025	91.0	13 of 429	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	87.1	26 of 364	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	85.9	29 of 335	91.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	54.2	2215 of 5412	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.3	1032 of 5460	81.1%	★★★★☆
2024	68.7	1324 of 5517	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	74.6	1003 of 5363	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	72.3	1059 of 5264	79.9%	★★★★☆
2019	63.4	1546 of 5173	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	62.1	1626 of 5084	68.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	45.4	2769 of 5590	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.4	2221 of 5628	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.6	2335 of 5643	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.3	2027 of 5638	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.3	2483 of 5663	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.4	2649 of 5510	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	2433 of 5431	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.9	1371 of 2847	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.4	1641 of 2635	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	63.0	1096 of 2834	61.3%	★★★☆☆

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 (2026)84th percentile+33 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)80th percentile+20 vs school

White (2019)61st percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2022)52nd percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)52nd percentile-9 vs school

Female (2026)52nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)50th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy48%~ state avg

Mathematics38%~ state avg

Science22%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sunny Sands Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)				CSA Spanish Listening (2026)				CSA Spanish Writing (2026)				CSA Spanish Reading (2026)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
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%)	46.5	2811^th of 5804 public elementary schools	51.6%		55.5	2278^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.1%	533																	22.3		22.3	45.9	45.9	52.3				47.9	41.4	45.0	26.1				37.7							$21,959	$21,056	$903
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%)	41.2	3152^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	45.7%		36	3497^th of 5857 public elementary schools	40.3%	345																	25.7		25.7	50.6	33.7	37.6				39.9	68.0	30.6	23.8				38.6	97.5	97.5			97.5	97.5	$22,244	$21,374	$870
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%)	15.8	5138^th of 5804 public elementary schools	11.5%		20.9	4750^th of 5857 public elementary schools	18.9%	388																	14.2		14.2	21.1	25.8	27.7				25.3	23.7	19.4	16.1				19.2	95.7				96.8		$19,891	$19,026	$865
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%)	21.3	4686^th of 5804 public elementary schools	19.3%		23.2	4566^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.0%	120																	18.8		18.8	26.0	23.9	37.6				29.5	31.3	17.1	19.8				22.8	94.9	97.4			94.9		$21,498	$20,470	$1,028
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%)	50.5	2578^th of 5804 public elementary schools	55.6%		36.7	3431^st of 5857 public elementary schools	41.4%	853																	38.7		38.7	46.8	42.7	52.8				47.5	43.1	34.0	34.9				37.4							$20,718	$19,850	$868
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%)	62.3	1968^th of 5804 public elementary schools	66.1%		65.4	1822^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	68.9%	146																	38.5	22.3	30.2	51.1	54.2	57.3	49.6	67.8	58.3	56.4	55.3	53.1	46.9	30.7	49.6	34.0	44.2							$39,713	$38,000	$1,713
Della S. Lindley Elementary	Public	K-5	31-495 Robert Rd.	Thousand Palms	92276	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 343-7570	552	29	19.3	92.6%	35 (6.3%)	8 (1.4%)	493 (89.3%)	8 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.1%)	25	4382^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	24.5%		23.6	4536^th of 5857 public elementary schools	22.6%	154																	21.7		21.7	26.1	37.9	36.1				33.2	20.7	29.6	20.5				23.6	95.7	98.3	98.3	98.3	96.5		$24,393	$23,510	$883
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%)	47	2777^th of 5804 public elementary schools	52.2%		42.6	3032^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	48.2%	255																	36.6		36.6	49.3	25.8	52.4				43.4	45.1	28.8	36.6				37.0	92.7	95.6		95.6	95.6	95.6	$20,816	$20,012	$804
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%)	23.4	4519^th of 5804 public elementary schools	22.1%		20.1	4820^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.7%	301																	18.2		18.2	26.9	39.1	25.0				30.8	26.4	26.2	21.4				24.7	95.5				97.0		$22,731	$21,918	$813
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%)	12.5	5425^th of 5804 public elementary schools	6.5%		18.6	4953^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	15.4%	472	5.1	6.7	3.9	5.3	28.2	13.3	34.6	25.3	12.8	23.3	11.5	15.8	5.1	6.7	0.0	4.2	22.2		22.2	15.4	20.0	22.2				19.4	13.9	18.2	6.2				11.9	87.5	95.3	96.9		90.6	92.2	$23,283	$22,420	$863

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunny Sands Elementary

What schools do graduates of Sunny Sands Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunny Sands Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Rancho Mirage High

What is the racial makeup of Sunny Sands Elementary?

Students at Sunny Sands Elementary are 84% Hispanic, 7% White, 5% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Sunny Sands Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 692 students attended Sunny Sands Elementary.

What district is Sunny Sands Elementary in?

Palm Springs Unified

Is Sunny Sands Elementary a good school?

Sunny Sands Elementary ranks 2811^th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Sunny Sands Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

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

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 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.