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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the California Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Desert Learning Academy

Q: Is Desert Learning Academy a good school?

Desert Learning Academy ranks 3948 th of 5857 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Alternative Grades K-12

3948^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Alternative Schools

Better than 33% of California alternative schools

Summary

Desert Learning Academy is a K-12 alternative public school in Palm Springs, CA, serving 317 students within the Palm Springs Unified school district, which faces broader academic challenges across the state.

The school serves a high-needs population and shows a mixed academic performance: it outperforms its district in English Language Arts but has a significant weakness in mathematics, where proficiency is well below average. Its 80.7% graduation rate, while improved from past years, remains lower than the district and state, and it has historically struggled with high dropout rates. Notably, the school has recently invested more resources per student and significantly improved its student-to-teacher ratio to 15.5, suggesting a capacity for more individualized support.

Compared to a similar alternative school, Horizon in the Desert Sands Unified district, Desert Learning Academy spends more per pupil and has a lower student-teacher ratio, yet Horizon shows stronger math results and a higher graduation rate. Key metrics like chronic absenteeism have shown extreme year-to-year swings at Desert Learning Academy, making trends difficult to interpret, but the most recent data shows very low absenteeism.

317

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,404

Per pupil spending ?

89.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

2248 East Ramon Rd.
Palm Springs, CA 92264-7917

(760) 778-0487

District: Palm Springs Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.2%

White:

15.5%

African American:

6.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Desert Learning Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 54th percentile in 2022 → 34th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (26% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the California average (81% vs 88%)

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2022

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg27%

California avg41%

Elementary school

3,948^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▼ down 1 pts since 2018

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,777^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 16 pts since 2018

From bottom 19% (2018) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

1,429^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 1 pts since 2018

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	3948 of 5857	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.9	4215 of 5869	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.9	3436 of 5859	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.5	3420 of 5883	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.4	3227 of 5789	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.1	3741 of 5662	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	17.2	4946 of 5612	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.3	3387 of 5609	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.3	3170 of 5635	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.1	2934 of 5107	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.0	2961 of 5107	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.1	2474 of 5087	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.9	2669 of 5084	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	47.4	2632 of 5460	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.2	3509 of 5517	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.9	2307 of 5363	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.5	2128 of 5264	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	34.5	3455 of 5643	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	3264 of 5638	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	3386 of 5663	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	31.6	1777 of 2761	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.7	1784 of 2783	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.0	1890 of 2781	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.9	2090 of 2740	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	1890 of 2715	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.0	2005 of 2480	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	40.9	728 of 1540	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.6	1359 of 2533	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.1	1802 of 2551	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	1806 of 2531	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.0	1932 of 2509	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.3	1675 of 2380	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	38.5	1379 of 2395	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.7	1317 of 2388	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.4	1779 of 2374	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.1	1781 of 2359	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	1736 of 2213	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.8	1307 of 2542	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.6	1390 of 2579	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.4	1438 of 2531	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.5	1677 of 2458	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.6	1746 of 2369	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	1844 of 2230	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	1797 of 2534	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.3	1461 of 2552	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.6	1630 of 2538	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.6	1862 of 2527	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	2247 of 2407	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.8	1429 of 2162	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.8	883 of 2159	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.2	956 of 2170	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.5	983 of 2123	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.8	841 of 1290	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.9	1211 of 2133	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.9	1312 of 2017	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	29.7	371 of 522	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	86.7	39 of 1044	96.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	1230 of 1906	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.5	879 of 1915	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.1	1101 of 1915	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.7	1060 of 1858	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.1	639 of 1054	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.9	1254 of 1833	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.7	1210 of 1760	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.7	1307 of 1900	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.8	544 of 1902	71.4%	★★★★☆
2023	56.5	758 of 1917	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.4	565 of 1861	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.8	908 of 1814	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	26.3	1253 of 1742	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	1278 of 2013	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.2	733 of 2026	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.4	716 of 2030	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.7	681 of 1943	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.2	617 of 1126	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.4	839 of 1937	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.1	1206 of 1862	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	27.4	1390 of 1942	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.1	801 of 1948	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.2	617 of 1963	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.0	806 of 1916	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	24.3	865 of 1122	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.7	802 of 1880	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.1	1229 of 1834	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	27.0	889 of 1173	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	885 of 1204	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.0	861 of 1222	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)52nd percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)43rd percentile+10 vs school

Male (2024)39th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2024)12th percentile-16 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2022)53rd percentile+29 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)46th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)29th percentile-7 vs school

High school

English Language Learner (2022)96th percentile+43 vs school

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

Female (2025)35th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)31st percentile-3 vs school

African American (2022)29th percentile-25 vs school

Male (2025)28th percentile-5 vs school

White (2024)24th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy42%-7 vs state

Science19%-14 vs state

Mathematics16%-21 vs state

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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 ()				Ranking ()				CAST Science (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)								% Completely Immunized (2022)	% DTP (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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th 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 11th 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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% DTP KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Desert Learning Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	2248 East Ramon Rd.	Palm Springs	92264	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 778-0487	317	20	15.5	89.6%	49 (15.5%)	22 (6.9%)	232 (73.2%)	6 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)								(n/a)	33.3	18.2	14.3		18.6	7.7	60.0	36.8	39.1	55.2	30.3	48.7	41.5	7.7	33.3	15.8	8.7	25.0	18.2	7.7	15.9			$26,404	$25,528	$876
Horizon	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	43-330 Palm Royale Dr.	La Quinta	92253	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(760) 238-9720	286	13	22.3	86.0%	43 (15.0%)	2 (0.7%)	217 (75.9%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.0%)								(n/a)		18.8		31.8	28.9	25.0			31.8	40.0	35.5	49.0	38.0	33.3			31.8	12.5	21.9	38.8	29.9	91.7	93.8	$27,677	$26,224	$1,453

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Learning Academy

How many students attend Desert Learning Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 317 students attended Desert Learning Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Learning Academy?

Students at Desert Learning Academy are 73% Hispanic, 15% White, 7% African American, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Desert Learning Academy in?

Palm Springs Unified

Is Desert Learning Academy a good school?

Desert Learning Academy ranks 3948^th of 5857 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.