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Desert Skies Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

130^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 148 Nevada Middle Schools

Better than 12% of Nevada middle schools

Summary

Desert Skies Middle School is a grades 6–8 school serving 875 students in Sun Valley, an unincorporated community in the Reno–Sparks metro area, and it is part of the Washoe County School District. Approximately 100% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school has ranked in the bottom tenth of Nevada middle schools in each of the last several years — between the 4th and 17th percentile statewide, earning 0 or 1 star out of 5.

Achievement is the core challenge. In 2025-26, 14.0% of students met math standards and 21.0% met reading standards — roughly half the district and state rates of about 36–45%. Science came in at 20.2%. Reading is fairly steady across grades, but math falls sharply from 6th grade (17.5%) to 7th (11.9%) and stays there. This is not a story about resources: at $12,468 per student, Desert Skies spends more than its nearby peer average and more than nearby higher-performing schools, and its student–teacher ratio of 19.0 is better than the peer average of 21.4.

Two bright spots are worth watching. Chronic absenteeism dropped dramatically from 47.8% in 2022-23 to 24.8% in 2024-25 — better than both district and state — though it rebounded to 29.3% in 2025-26. Math proficiency has risen every year, from 7.7% to 14.0%. For comparison, Sky Ranch Middle School, about 2.4 miles away, posts 41.5% math and 57.1% reading with 22.6% low-income students, and Archie Clayton Pre-A.P. Academy, which also reports 100% free/reduced lunch, reaches 29.5% math and 43.9% reading. Meanwhile Sparks Middle School matches Desert Skies on math (14.0%) but ranks in the 7th percentile.

875

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,468

Per pupil spending ?

53.3%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)

7550 Donatello Dr
Sun Valley, NV 89433

(775) 674-4915

District: Washoe County

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

75.0%

White:

17.6%

Two or more races:

3.0%

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Compare Desert Skies Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 10th percentile in 2021 → 12th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Nevada average (18% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!Reading scores 24 pts below the Nevada average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school18%

District avg39%

Nevada avg39%

130^th of 148

Nevada public middle schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 2 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of Nevada Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 18Middle Schools in the Washoe County

4^th of 12Washoe County among Nevada 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2026	12.5	130 of 148	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.8	125 of 151	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	139 of 153	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	146 of 152	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.2	138 of 151	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.7	130 of 145	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Nevada (2025-2026) ?

Reading21%-24 vs state

Science20%-5 vs state

Mathematics14%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Skies Middle School

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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)				SBAC Mathematics (2026)				SBAC Reading (2026)				SBAC Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	Directly certified (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	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics All Grades	SBAC Reading 6th Grade	SBAC Reading 7th Grade	SBAC Reading 8th Grade	SBAC Reading All Grades	SBAC Science 8th Grade	SBAC Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Desert Skies Middle School	Public	6-8	7550 Donatello Dr	Sun Valley	89433	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 674-4915	875	46	19.0	53.3%	154 (17.6%)	13 (1.5%)	656 (75.0%)	4 (0.5%)	4 (0.5%)	18 (2.1%)	26 (3.0%)	12.5	130^th of 148 public middle schools	12.2%		14.8	125^th of 151 public middle schools	17.2%	5	17.5	11.9	12.0	14.0	22.6	20.0	20.1	21.0	20.2	20.2	$12,468	$1,410	$11,057
Sky Ranch Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	1200 Windmill Farms	Sparks	89436	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	Yes	No	No	(775) 626-0060	1,206	48	25.1	17.2%	608 (50.4%)	24 (2.0%)	388 (32.2%)	64 (5.3%)	8 (0.7%)	17 (1.4%)	96 (8.0%)	71.9	43^rd of 148 public middle schools	70.9%		71.5	44^th of 151 public middle schools	70.9%	1	44.3	44.0	36.2	41.5	53.4	60.0	58.2	57.1	45.5	45.5	$10,607	$803	$9,804
Yvonne Shaw Middle School	Public	6-8	600 Eagle Canyon Dr	Sparks	89441	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	No	(775) 425-7777	785	33	23.7	19.9%	461 (58.7%)	9 (1.1%)	201 (25.6%)	15 (1.9%)	47 (6.0%)	3 (0.4%)	49 (6.2%)	45.4	75^th of 148 public middle schools	49.3%		56.5	62^nd of 151 public middle schools	58.9%	13	33.1	33.7	28.8	31.8	41.0	44.1	40.4	41.8	34.4	34.4	$11,608	$1,011	$10,597
Sparks Middle School	Public	6-8	2275 18th Street	Sparks	89431	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 353-5770	622	32	19.4	51.6%	65 (10.5%)	14 (2.3%)	494 (79.4%)	14 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.4%)	19 (3.1%)	10.9	137^th of 148 public middle schools	7.4%		10	142^nd of 151 public middle schools	6.0%	5	14.2	14.4	13.6	14.0	16.3	26.2	18.8	20.4	11.1	11.1	$12,619	$1,655	$10,965
George L. Dilworth S.T.E.M Academy	Public	6-8	255 Prater Way	Sparks	89431	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 353-5740	613	35	17.5	52.7%	107 (17.5%)	31 (5.1%)	414 (67.5%)	8 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	16 (2.6%)	33 (5.4%)	14.6	122^nd of 148 public middle schools	17.6%		15.6	123^rd of 151 public middle schools	18.5%	1	15.9	13.3	13.9	14.4	22.7	30.0	22.9	25.2	20.2	20.2	$13,396	$1,856	$11,540
Fred W. Traner Middle School	Public	6-8	1700 Carville Drive	Reno	89512	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 333-5130	530	30	17.9	63.0%	62 (11.7%)	38 (7.2%)	359 (67.7%)	23 (4.3%)	5 (0.9%)	20 (3.8%)	23 (4.3%)	14	125^th of 148 public middle schools	15.5%		11	139^th of 151 public middle schools	7.9%	14	16.4	16.8	12.4	15.0	23.4	33.1	21.3	25.4	12.9	12.9	$13,452	$1,713	$11,739
Lou Mendive Middle School	Public	6-8	1900 Whitewood Drive	Sparks	89434	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	No	(775) 353-5990	964	46	20.9	34.4%	403 (41.8%)	29 (3.0%)	392 (40.7%)	28 (2.9%)	15 (1.6%)	24 (2.5%)	73 (7.6%)	46.4	73^rd of 148 public middle schools	50.7%		46.8	75^th of 151 public middle schools	50.3%	2	32.6	31.8	29.1	31.1	37.3	42.5	51.5	44.0	33.0	33.0	$10,880	$1,097	$9,783
Coral Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	1350 E. Ninth St	Reno	89512	Washoe County	Washoe County	Yes	No	No	No	(775) 323-2332	588	21	28.0	23.5%	224 (38.1%)	19 (3.2%)	211 (35.9%)	82 (13.9%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (1.0%)	43 (7.3%)	75.2	37^th of 148 public middle schools	75.0%		73.5	42^nd of 151 public middle schools	72.2%	5	45.6	38.6	33.9	39.3	56.7	64.2	63.6	61.6	55.7	55.7	$6,723	$75	$6,648
William Obrien Middle School	Public	6-8	5000 Silver Lake Rd	Reno	89506	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 677-5420	1,067	49	21.7	42.7%	274 (25.7%)	37 (3.5%)	591 (55.4%)	43 (4.0%)	5 (0.5%)	46 (4.3%)	71 (6.7%)	13.4	127^th of 148 public middle schools	14.2%		12	134^th of 151 public middle schools	11.3%	7	17.0	12.7	10.8	13.7	23.5	23.3	22.2	23.0	21.3	21.3	$11,719	$1,459	$10,260
Archie Clayton Pre-A.P. Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	1295 Wyoming Avenue	Reno	89503	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	Yes	No	No	(775) 746-5860	667	31	21.5	45.1%	260 (39.0%)	42 (6.3%)	272 (40.8%)	24 (3.6%)	10 (1.5%)	11 (1.6%)	48 (7.2%)	43.4	78^th of 148 public middle schools	47.3%		41.9	85^th of 151 public middle schools	43.7%	7	31.1	31.2	26.2	29.5	42.8	42.6	46.5	43.9	28.6	28.6	$13,226	$1,830	$11,396

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Skies Middle School

Is Desert Skies Middle School a good school?

Desert Skies Middle School ranks in the bottom 12.2% of Nevada middle schools.

How many students attend Desert Skies Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 875 students attended Desert Skies Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Skies Middle School?

Students at Desert Skies Middle School are 75% Hispanic, 18% White, 3% Two or more races, 2% Pacific Islander, 1% African American.

What district is Desert Skies Middle School in?

Washoe County

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Latest Nevada data All new data »

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataSep 14, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 14, 2026

2025–26 ACT, EOC Science Exam & SBAC scoresSep 14, 2026

2024–25 ACT, EOC Science Exam & SBAC scoresOct 1, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Nevada 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.