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Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 92240

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its California rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

1,471

Students

Top rankedPainted Hills Middle2449^th of 2,740 California middle schools

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Biggest riser

Desert Springs Middle up 57 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Zip code 92240 includes two grade 6–8 middle schools in Desert Hot Springs, both part of Palm Springs Unified: Desert Springs Middle and Painted Hills Middle. In 2025–2026, both schools were below state and district proficiency averages in ELA, math, and science. Their combined averages were 25% in ELA, 12% in math, and 15% in science, compared with state averages of 49%, 38%, and 36%; the largest shortfall was in math, at 27 percentage points below the state.

Neither school stands out as the overall leader: Painted Hills was ahead by 1 percentage point in all-grades ELA and math, while Desert Springs led science by 3 points. The grade-level picture also shifts: Painted Hills led grade 6 in ELA and math, while Desert Springs led grade 7 in ELA and grades 7 and 8 in math. SchoolDigger’s rankings put Painted Hills at the 11th percentile with one star and Desert Springs at the 10th percentile with zero stars. Both schools remain well below state results, despite these small differences.

Recent results show improvement in some subjects, but not a broad move toward the state. From 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, ELA rose by 5 points at Desert Springs and 1 point at Painted Hills; math was essentially flat at Desert Springs and fell by 1 point at Painted Hills, while science rose by 3 and 4 points, respectively. Chronic absenteeism was high at both schools: 44% at Desert Springs and 49% at Painted Hills, compared with 18% statewide. Context measures are similar: reported student–teacher ratios for 2024–2025 were 20.3 and 21.6, and both schools reported free/reduced lunch eligible for 2024–2025 at 97% when rounded. These figures distinguish the schools’ profiles but do not explain their test results.

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)				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	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%)	13.6	2476^th of 2740 public middle schools	9.6%		12.6	2533^rd of 2761 public middle schools	8.3%	57	15.9	15.9	17.5	26.4	30.1	24.7	9.2	9.8	14.1	10.9	$20,431	$19,336	$1,095
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%)	14.5	2449^th of 2740 public middle schools	10.6%		15.2	2433^rd of 2761 public middle schools	11.9%	16	13.3	13.3	28.4	19.2	29.8	26.0	15.5	9.2	11.5	12.2	$20,451	$19,582	$869

Cities Near Zip Code 92240

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Desert Hot Springs	0.78 mi	8	835^th
Morongo Valley	6.9 mi	1	181^st
Palm Springs	7.54 mi	9	564^th
Cathedral City	8.2 mi	9	654^th
Rancho Mirage	11.33 mi	2	575^th

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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.