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Desert Skies Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

125^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 151 Nevada Middle Schools

Better than 17% of Nevada middle schools

Summary

Desert Skies Middle School is a public middle school located in Sun Valley, Nevada, serving 918 students in grades 6-8. It is part of the Washoe County School District, which is ranked 4 out of 12 in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending, ranging from $8,523 to $10,331 over the past few years, Desert Skies Middle School consistently underperforms compared to the Washoe County and Nevada state averages in standardized test scores for Mathematics, Reading, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 9.8% of students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 36.4% in Washoe County and 35.4% statewide. Additionally, the school has a very high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 24.8% to 28.1% over the past few years, significantly higher than the district and state averages.

When comparing Desert Skies Middle School to other nearby middle schools in the Washoe County district, such as Archie Clayton Pre-A.P. Academy, Lou Mendive Middle School, and Sky Ranch Middle School, it consistently performs worse academically. Addressing the root causes of the school's underperformance, such as chronic absenteeism and resource allocation, will be crucial in improving student outcomes and closing the achievement gap.

875

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,331

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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: Improving — 10th percentile in 2021 → 17th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2021

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Nevada average (19% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 26 pts below the Nevada average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg39%

Nevada avg39%

125^th of 151

Nevada public middle schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 7 pts since 2021

From bottom 10% (2021) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nevada Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^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
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 (2024-2025) ?

Science29%~ state avg

Reading25%-20 vs state

Mathematics10%-26 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SBAC Mathematics (2025)					SBAC Reading (2025)					SBAC Science (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 7th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 8th Grade	SBAC Mathematics All Grades	SBAC Reading 5th Grade	SBAC Reading 6th Grade	SBAC Reading 7th Grade	SBAC Reading 8th Grade	SBAC Reading All Grades	SBAC Science 5th Grade	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	100.0%	154 (17.6%)	13 (1.5%)	656 (75.0%)	4 (0.5%)	4 (0.5%)	18 (2.1%)	26 (3.0%)	14.8	125^th of 151 public middle schools	17.2%		11.2	139^th of 153 public middle schools	9.2%	14		9.3	8.3	11.6	9.8		14.9	32.0	29.7	25.4		28.8	28.8	$10,331	$1,320	$9,011
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	22.6%	608 (50.4%)	24 (2.0%)	388 (32.2%)	64 (5.3%)	8 (0.7%)	17 (1.4%)	96 (8.0%)	71.5	44^th of 151 public middle schools	70.9%		76.8	38^th of 153 public middle schools	75.2%	6		42.4	44.9	41.5	42.9		50.5	66.2	54.2	57.0		46.0	46.0	$8,727	$534	$8,192
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	26.2%	461 (58.7%)	9 (1.1%)	201 (25.6%)	15 (1.9%)	47 (6.0%)	3 (0.4%)	49 (6.2%)	56.5	62^nd of 151 public middle schools	58.9%		68.3	51^st of 153 public middle schools	66.7%	11		44.0	33.8	41.6	39.6		47.2	52.3	41.1	47.2		34.8	34.8	$9,533	$893	$8,640
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	100.0%	65 (10.5%)	14 (2.3%)	494 (79.4%)	14 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.4%)	19 (3.1%)	10	142^nd of 151 public middle schools	6.0%		11.9	134^th of 153 public middle schools	12.4%	8		13.5	13.3	6.8	11.3		17.5	23.6	19.4	20.3		16.7	16.7	$10,374	$1,504	$8,870
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	100.0%	107 (17.5%)	31 (5.1%)	414 (67.5%)	8 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	16 (2.6%)	33 (5.4%)	15.6	123^rd of 151 public middle schools	18.5%		13.6	129^th of 153 public middle schools	15.7%	6		14.8	13.2	16.0	14.6		24.8	25.9	26.2	25.6		23.2	23.2	$10,545	$1,415	$9,131
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	100.0%	62 (11.7%)	38 (7.2%)	359 (67.7%)	23 (4.3%)	5 (0.9%)	20 (3.8%)	23 (4.3%)	11	139^th of 151 public middle schools	7.9%		5.9	153^rd of 153 public middle schools	0.0%	14		12.6	7.8	8.9	9.7		24.0	28.4	21.0	24.7		16.5	16.5	$10,783	$1,522	$9,261
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		403 (41.8%)	29 (3.0%)	392 (40.7%)	28 (2.9%)	15 (1.6%)	24 (2.5%)	73 (7.6%)	46.8	75^th of 151 public middle schools	50.3%		36.5	86^th of 153 public middle schools	43.8%	11		32.7	28.7	23.7	28.5		41.4	54.3	39.7	45.5		43.2	43.2	$8,827	$532	$8,295
Coral Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	5-8	1350 E. Ninth St	Reno	89512	Washoe County	Washoe County	Yes	No	No	No	(775) 323-2332	588	21	28.0	23.6%	224 (38.1%)	19 (3.2%)	211 (35.9%)	82 (13.9%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (1.0%)	43 (7.3%)	73.5	42^nd of 151 public middle schools	72.2%		71.4	46^th of 153 public middle schools	69.9%	4	43.6	44.3	41.2	26.9	39.0	56.3	56.2	72.0	60.2	61.9	31.3	55.6	46.4	$4,587	$194	$4,393
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	100.0%	274 (25.7%)	37 (3.5%)	591 (55.4%)	43 (4.0%)	5 (0.5%)	46 (4.3%)	71 (6.7%)	12	134^th of 151 public middle schools	11.3%		11.6	136^th of 153 public middle schools	11.1%	2		10.3	9.7	8.4	9.5		21.7	24.9	25.4	23.9		22.9	22.9	$8,735	$920	$7,815
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	100.0%	260 (39.0%)	42 (6.3%)	272 (40.8%)	24 (3.6%)	10 (1.5%)	11 (1.6%)	48 (7.2%)	41.9	85^th of 151 public middle schools	43.7%		46.4	74^th of 153 public middle schools	51.6%	11		26.1	29.2	25.8	27.1		41.2	43.4	42.0	42.2		40.4	40.4	$10,115	$652	$9,463

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Skies Middle School

Is Desert Skies Middle School a good school?

Desert Skies Middle School ranks in the bottom 17.2% 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 »

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

2024–25 attendance dataSep 29, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesMay 8, 2025

2021–22 school spending dataNov 18, 2024

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.