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Rio Vista Elementary

Public Grades K-5
3431st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,857 California Elementary Schools
Better than 41% of California elementary schools
Summary

Rio Vista Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 637 students in Cathedral City, part of the Palm Springs Unified School District, where it consistently performs above the district average in English, math, and science despite a statewide ranking that has declined over the past decade.

The school shows particular strengths in supporting vulnerable student groups and has achieved a remarkable turnaround in student attendance, with its chronic absenteeism rate now significantly better than both the district and state averages. While operating efficiently with a higher student-teacher ratio and lower per-student spending than many neighbors, its academic results are respectable within the context of the district, though it lags behind nearby higher-performing schools like Sunny Sands Elementary and Cielo Vista Charter.

Performance varies by grade level, with strong 4th-grade English scores but weaker 5th-grade math results, suggesting some instructional inconsistencies. Compared to other local schools such as Bubbling Wells Elementary and Cahuilla Elementary, Rio Vista differentiates itself with better attendance and more effective support for its high-needs population, indicating a stabilizing environment after years of decline.

637
Students ?
20.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$20,435
Per pupil spending ?
91.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 67-700 Verona Rd.
       Cathedral City, CA  92234-5508

(760) 416-0032

District: Palm Springs Unified


Students who attend Rio Vista Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    James Workman Middle
High:    Cathedral City High
Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
79.0%
White:
10.0%
Two or more races:
4.2%
more
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 Compare Rio Vista Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 77th percentile in 2013 → 41st in 2025
Worth a look
!Test scores below the California average (34% vs 41% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped — down 36 percentile points since 2013
!Science scores 12 pts below the California average
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school34%
District avg27%
California avg41%
3,431st of 5,857
California public elementary schools ?
Bottom 41%▼ down 21 pts since 2015
From top 37% (2015) to bottom 41% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 16Elementary Schools in the Palm Springs Unified
1147th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202536.73431 of 585741.4%★★☆☆☆
202436.43408 of 586941.9%★★☆☆☆
202337.43314 of 585943.4%★★☆☆☆
202236.93315 of 588343.7%★★☆☆☆
201955.72269 of 578960.8%★★★☆☆
201853.32369 of 566258.2%★★★☆☆
201757.82132 of 569262.5%★★★☆☆
201656.82140 of 561461.9%★★★☆☆
201556.82087 of 561162.8%★★★☆☆
201376.11257 of 553077.3%★★★★☆
201264.51817 of 539066.3%★★★☆☆
201161.71923 of 537764.2%★★★☆☆
201063.71801 of 531466.1%★★★☆☆
200964.91690 of 519367.5%★★★☆☆
200860.61822 of 511364.4%★★★☆☆
200767.21504 of 511370.6%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202237.21191 of 222746.5%★★☆☆☆
201951.5936 of 258563.8%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202462.7626 of 316280.2%★★★★☆
202339.71842 of 324543.2%★★☆☆☆
202239.41852 of 331144.1%★★☆☆☆
201954.31034 of 327568.4%★★★☆☆
201852.81131 of 324665.2%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202532.03697 of 559733.9%★★☆☆☆
202433.93499 of 561237.7%★★☆☆☆
202337.53176 of 560943.4%★★☆☆☆
202237.23185 of 563543.5%★★☆☆☆
201954.52247 of 549259.1%★★★☆☆
201854.72248 of 541358.5%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202540.32992 of 510741.4%★★☆☆☆
202446.22530 of 510750.5%★★★☆☆
202344.72572 of 508749.4%★★☆☆☆
202243.22649 of 508447.9%★★☆☆☆
201964.01465 of 496370.5%★★★★☆
201858.21720 of 483064.4%★★★☆☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202564.5103 of 42976.0%★★★★☆
202462.993 of 36474.5%★★★★☆
202381.733 of 33590.1%★★★★★
202260.996 of 35673.0%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202547.92587 of 546052.6%★★★☆☆
202448.82471 of 551755.2%★★★☆☆
202353.62127 of 536360.3%★★★☆☆
202254.32020 of 526461.6%★★★☆☆
201971.51109 of 517378.6%★★★★☆
201860.71709 of 508466.4%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202541.43023 of 562846.3%★★☆☆☆
202439.03143 of 564344.3%★★☆☆☆
202337.93203 of 563843.2%★★☆☆☆
202237.23193 of 566343.6%★★☆☆☆
201955.42178 of 551060.5%★★★☆☆
201850.62411 of 543155.6%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202545.51227 of 284756.9%★★★☆☆
202437.31458 of 263544.7%★★☆☆☆
202335.11426 of 242041.1%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202531.81896 of 259827.0%★☆☆☆☆
202420.72200 of 265117.0%★☆☆☆☆
202326.42065 of 266122.4%★☆☆☆☆
202240.61721 of 272636.9%★★☆☆☆
201961.21163 of 283459.0%★★★☆☆
201858.41246 of 273754.5%★★★☆☆
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)80th percentile+38 vs school
Homeless (2025)76th percentile+35 vs school
Special Education (2025)57th percentile+15 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)53rd percentile+11 vs school
Disabled (2022)47th percentile+3 vs school
Male (2025)46th percentile+5 vs school
Hispanic (2025)41st percentile~ school
Female (2025)34th percentile-7 vs school
White (2025)27th percentile-14 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy40%-9 vs state
Mathematics32%-5 vs state
Science20%-12 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Rio Vista Elementary

Students who attend Rio Vista Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : James Workman Middle
High : Cathedral City High

Rio Vista Elementary ranks 3431st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 637 students attended Rio Vista Elementary.

Students at Rio Vista Elementary are 79% Hispanic, 10% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 2% African American.


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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.





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