Summary:
Desert Ridge Academy is a public middle school located in Indio, California, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,030 students. The school is part of the Desert Sands Unified School District, which is ranked 1011 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Desert Ridge Academy faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, low academic performance, and struggles in supporting the needs of various student subgroups. The school's chronic absenteeism rate has risen significantly, from 9.2% in 2017-2018 to 31.8% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the state average of 12.1%. Academically, Desert Ridge Academy consistently underperforms compared to the Desert Sands Unified School District and the state of California in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. For example, in 2023-2024, only 24.9% of Desert Ridge Academy students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 39.07% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school also struggles to support the academic achievement of Hispanic, English Language Learner, Special Education, and Low Socioeconomic Status students, ranking in the bottom 25% of California middle schools for these subgroups.
When comparing Desert Ridge Academy to other middle schools in the area, it becomes clear that the school is underperforming. For instance, Palm Desert Charter Middle, which is also in the Desert Sands Unified School District, outperforms Desert Ridge Academy by a significant margin in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates. The high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at Desert Ridge Academy, reaching 80.97% in 2022-2023, suggests that the school serves a community with significant socioeconomic challenges, which may contribute to the academic struggles observed. Despite these challenges, the data indicates that there is room for improvement, and with the right strategies and resources, Desert Ridge Academy could potentially enhance student outcomes.
Thank you for your feedback!
Detail:
Public 6-8
District:
Desert Sands Unified
SchoolDigger Rank:
2273rd of 2,777 California Middle Schools
Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,283
Students who attend Desert Ridge Academy usually attend:
Feeder schools for Desert Ridge Academy:
Student/teacher ratio: 22.8
Number of students: 1,018
Racial breakdown:
Hispanic:
84.6%
White:
7.9%
Two or more races:
4.2%
more
African American:
1.7%
Asian:
1.1%
American Indian:
0.3%
Pacific Islander:
0.2%
Not Specified:
0.1%
Free/discounted lunch recipients: 81.4%
See top rated California middle schools
Compare Desert Ridge Academy to nearby middle schools!