Summary:
ZIP code 92260 has one middle school, Palm Desert Charter Middle, serving grades 6–8 and enrolling 1,298 students. Its 2025–2026 results are above California’s in English language arts (ELA), math, and science, and ELA is its clearest strength: 64% of students were proficient, compared with 49% statewide, a 15-point advantage.
Because this is the only school in the list, there is no local school-to-school comparison or local top and bottom. Compared with the state, Palm Desert Charter Middle leads in all three subjects: ELA by 15 points (64% versus 49%), math by 4 points (43% versus 38%), and science by 5 points (41% versus 36%). It also exceeds Desert Sands Unified by 22 points in ELA, 15 in math, and 11 in science. Grade 7 is a high point, with 67% proficient in ELA and 47% in math; grade 8 math is comparatively weaker, at 39%, just 3 points above the state’s 36%.
Results improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 in all three subjects, and the school gained ground on California each time. ELA rose 6 points, compared with a state increase of less than 1 point; math rose 4 points versus 1 statewide; and science rose 9 points versus 3 statewide. SchoolDigger gives the school four stars; its reported rank improved from 802 in 2024–2025 to 633 in 2025–2026, while its percentile rose from 71 to 77. Context figures include a 27.6 student–teacher ratio in 2024–2025 and 61% free/reduced lunch eligible that year. Chronic absenteeism was 16% in 2025–2026, 3 points below California and 13 below the district.
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