Summary:
There is one middle school, Desert Ridge Academy, serving grades 6-8 in the 92203 zip code of Indio, a community within the Desert Sands Unified School District.
Desert Ridge Academy is a large school with nearly 1,000 students, where a high percentage of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The school faces significant academic challenges, with student proficiency in English, math, and science consistently below both the district and state averages. Performance is particularly low in mathematics, where less than 18% of students are proficient, and this proficiency declines sharply as students move from 6th to 8th grade.
A major concern is the chronic absenteeism rate of 32%, which is much higher than average and likely impacts learning. Despite these challenges, the school's statewide ranking showed recent improvement. The district and school are investing considerable resources, spending over $19,600 per student, which suggests efforts are being made to address these complex issues and support student success.
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