La Quinta High

Summary:

La Quinta High is a public high school located in La Quinta, California, serving around 2,500 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Desert Sands Unified School District.

La Quinta High consistently outperforms the district and state averages on standardized tests, with 64.94% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 51.5% for the district and 55.73% for the state. In Mathematics, 23.7% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better, compared to 19.31% for the district and 27.9% for the state. The school also maintains a high 95.2% four-year graduation rate and a low 1.5% dropout rate, both significantly better than the district and state averages. While chronic absenteeism has increased to 32.5%, it is still lower than the district average of 40.6%.

When compared to nearby schools within the Desert Sands Unified School District, La Quinta High outperforms its peers on most academic metrics. However, the school and district should continue to focus on addressing the needs of specific student subgroups, such as English Language Learners and Special Education students, and work to address the rising chronic absenteeism rates to ensure all students have the opportunity to thrive.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 79-255 Blackhawk Way
       La Quinta, CA  92253-4244


(760) 772-4150

District: Desert Sands Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
663rd of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $7,872 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  25.5 Help
Number of students:  2,488

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
75.6%
White:
16.5%
Two or more races:
3.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  73.4% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details La Quinta High ranks better than 71.5% of high schools in California. It also ranks 2nd among 6 ranked high schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 58.94. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at La Quinta High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details La Quinta High has the largest high school student body size in the Desert Sands Unified School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (75.6%), White (16.5%), two or more races (3.1%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 73.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at La Quinta High is 25.5. 4 high schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare La Quinta High employs 97.4 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at La Quinta High is $7,872, which is the lowest among 6 high schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

La Quinta High:

SchoolDigger ranks La Quinta High 663rd of 2323 California public high schools. (See La Quinta High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Military Connected students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Desert Sands Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Sands Unified 1011th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for La Quinta High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 47.56 542nd 1653 67.2%
2005 50.58 579th 1901 69.5%
2006 48.10 669th 1968 66.0%
2007 57.38 509th 2063 75.3%
2008 64.15 387th 2117 81.7%
2009 66.90 307th 2238 86.3%
2010 72.38 245th 2281 89.3%
2011 75.96 191st 2367 91.9%
2012 75.69 207th 2354 91.2%
2013 80.41 132nd 2426 94.6%
2015 85.35 266th 1994 86.7%
2016 82.45 334th 2039 83.6%
2017 77.14 461st 2021 77.2%
2018 67.11 659th 2017 67.3%
2019 53.02 904th 2133 57.6%
2021 65.61 403rd 1290 68.8%
2022 50.44 922nd 2123 56.6%
2023 65.30 555th 2348 76.4%
2024 58.94 663rd 2323 71.5%
See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 41.37 314th 515 39.0%
2023 33.93 465th 786 40.8%
2024 54.90 298th 804 62.9%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 44.20 368th 938 60.8%
2019 72.92 100th 941 89.4%
2021 88.46 33rd 467 92.9%
2022 35.82 646th 1044 38.1%
2023 45.64 334th 1323 74.8%
2024 26.53 987th 1350 26.9%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 27.89 1071st 1547 30.8%
2024 39.00 733rd 1534 52.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 68.42 557th 1862 70.1%
2019 58.91 706th 1937 63.6%
2021 61.51 382nd 1126 66.1%
2022 54.92 745th 1943 61.7%
2023 71.44 404th 2247 82.0%
2024 61.01 582nd 2235 74.0%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 55.90 114th 290 60.7%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 63.98 650th 1760 63.1%
2019 60.08 638th 1833 65.2%
2021 59.45 401st 1054 62.0%
2022 50.35 811th 1858 56.4%
2023 60.03 611th 2118 71.2%
2024 55.85 685th 2098 67.3%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 29.98 704th 1052 33.1%
2019 33.37 678th 1117 39.3%
2021 38.08 311th 555 44.0%
2022 23.72 1016th 1161 12.5%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 68.00 60th 234 74.4%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 64.79 634th 1834 65.4%
2019 62.43 625th 1880 66.8%
2021 64.83 342nd 1122 69.5%
2022 45.40 925th 1916 51.7%
2023 67.54 496th 2207 77.5%
2024 59.07 613th 2172 71.8%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 57.87 291st 581 49.9%
2019 18.86 486th 582 16.5%
2022 75.79 150th 581 74.2%
2023 73.04 196th 731 73.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 73.68 139th 582 76.1%
2019 59.81 187th 592 68.4%
2024 81.19 92nd 721 87.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 69.33 509th 1742 70.8%
2019 68.48 465th 1814 74.4%
2022 53.65 757th 1861 59.3%
2023 69.53 431st 2142 79.9%
2024 64.79 498th 2125 76.6%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at La Quinta High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 60.93 523rd 1173 55.4%
2019 62.54 451st 1222 63.1%
2022 39.19 730th 1204 39.4%
2023 63.89 385th 1434 73.2%
2024 52.54 546th 1406 61.2%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

La Quinta High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Open Quote unsafe school, a lot of bully overcrowded compare to near by high schools Close Quote



Enrollment information for La Quinta High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1995 523 32 28 603 5 n/a n/a 0 1191
1996 523 32 28 603 5 n/a n/a 0 1191
1997 756 42 36 847 10 n/a n/a 0 1691
1998 809 38 38 906 7 n/a n/a 0 1798
1999 862 54 43 963 7 n/a n/a 0 1929
2000 935 56 38 1035 7 n/a n/a 0 2071
2001 912 68 42 1011 7 n/a n/a 0 2040
2002 1033 80 65 1149 11 n/a n/a 41 2379
2003 1033 80 65 1149 11 n/a n/a 41 2379
2004 1091 81 65 1182 12 n/a n/a 106 2537
2005 1178 60 66 1260 19 n/a n/a 109 2692
2006 1231 68 74 1301 16 n/a n/a 131 2821
2007 1179 60 81 1376 10 n/a n/a 127 2833
2008 1190 70 83 1526 9 n/a n/a 0 2878
2009 1199 81 99 1638 9 4 57 0 3087
2010 1094 81 104 1672 10 3 21 0 2985
2011 1061 85 101 1682 12 4 23 0 2968
2012 1015 74 112 1755 11 2 30 0 2999
2013 935 75 101 1771 11 2 27 0 2922
2014 870 77 102 1763 12 2 32 0 2858
2015 795 73 104 1793 12 2 35 0 2814
2016 707 76 109 1806 19 5 18 0 2740
2017 646 67 109 1792 16 5 31 0 2666
2018 625 58 105 1824 17 7 55 0 2691
2019 566 47 110 1830 14 6 62 0 2635
2020 502 39 99 1819 9 3 62 2 2535
2021 462 31 100 1847 7 2 62 0 2511
2022 423 42 84 1959 4 3 67 0 2582
2023 401 44 75 1894 5 2 77 2 2500
2024 411 35 73 1882 5 5 77 0 2488

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at La Quinta High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1995 1191 43.3 27.5 43.7
1996 1191 43.3 27.5 43.7
1997 1691 64.6 26.2 30.8
1998 1798 67.8 26.5 28.9
1999 1929 71.6 26.9 36.6
2000 2071 76.6 27.0 27.4
2001 2040 84.6 24.1 28
2002 2379 100.2 23.7 34.9
2003 2379 100.2 23.7 34.9
2004 2537 100.3 25.3 30.3
2005 2692 113.5 23.7 28
2006 2821 121.9 23.1 21.3
2007 2833 98.8 28.7 25.2
2008 2878 128.4 22.4 31.2
2009 3087 126.3 22.1 36.6
2010 2985 109.0 27.3 39.4
2011 2968 n/a n/a 42
2012 2999 102.5 29.2 n/a
2013 2922 101.2 28.8 49.1
2014 2858 104.2 27.4 49.5
2015 2814 90.0 31.2 52.8
2016 2740 101.0 27.1 49.7
2017 2666 98.9 26.9 51.2
2018 2691 99.7 26.9 54.1
2019 2635 99.6 26.4 52.7
2020 2535 n/a n/a 61
2021 2511 90.0 27.8 53.9
2022 2582 98.0 26.3 75.9
2023 2500 101.0 24.7 73.6
2024 2488 97.4 25.5 73.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio La Quinta High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1995 1191 43.3 27.5 43.7
1996 1191 43.3 27.5 43.7
1997 1691 64.6 26.2 30.8
1998 1798 67.8 26.5 28.9
1999 1929 71.6 26.9 36.6
2000 2071 76.6 27.0 27.4
2001 2040 84.6 24.1 28
2002 2379 100.2 23.7 34.9
2003 2379 100.2 23.7 34.9
2004 2537 100.3 25.3 30.3
2005 2692 113.5 23.7 28
2006 2821 121.9 23.1 21.3
2007 2833 98.8 28.7 25.2
2008 2878 128.4 22.4 31.2
2009 3087 126.3 22.1 36.6
2010 2985 109.0 27.3 39.4
2011 2968 n/a n/a 42
2012 2999 102.5 29.2 n/a
2013 2922 101.2 28.8 49.1
2014 2858 104.2 27.4 49.5
2015 2814 90.0 31.2 52.8
2016 2740 101.0 27.1 49.7
2017 2666 98.9 26.9 51.2
2018 2691 99.7 26.9 54.1
2019 2635 99.6 26.4 52.7
2020 2535 n/a n/a 61
2021 2511 90.0 27.8 53.9
2022 2582 98.0 26.3 75.9
2023 2500 101.0 24.7 73.6
2024 2488 97.4 25.5 73.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for La Quinta High

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $7,872

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on La Quinta High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 904th of 2133 High schoolsRanks 555th of 2348 High schools
 18.7%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (La Quinta High)57.565.1
 7.5%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Desert Sands Unified)52.350.6
 1.7%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)57.355.4
 1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (La Quinta High)30.724
 6.7%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Desert Sands Unified)21.818
 3.8%
   11th Grade Mathematics (California)32.227.4
 4.9%
11th Grade Science (La Quinta High)3036.1
 6.1%
   11th Grade Science (Desert Sands Unified)22.826.8
 4.1%
   11th Grade Science (California)30.431.7
 1.3%
12th Grade Science (La Quinta High)5.933.3
 27.5%
   12th Grade Science (Desert Sands Unified)9.210.6
 1.4%
   12th Grade Science (California)25.626.9
 1.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students26352500
 5.1%
African American4744
 6.4%
American Indian145
 64.3%
Asian11075
 31.8%
Hispanic18301894
 3.5%
Pacific Islander62
 66.7%
White566401
 29.2%
Two or More Races6277
 24.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients52.7%73.6%
 20.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about La Quinta High

In the 2023-24 school year, 2,488 students attended La Quinta High.

La Quinta High ranks 663rd of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at La Quinta High are 76% Hispanic, 17% White, 3% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.


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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.





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