Is Sunny Sands Elementary a good school?

Sunny Sands Elementary ranks 2351 st of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sunny Sands Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 684 students attended Sunny Sands Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sunny Sands Elementary?

Students at Sunny Sands Elementary are 85% Hispanic, 7% White, 5% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Sunny Sands Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunny Sands Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Rancho Mirage High

Sunny Sands Elementary

Summary:

Sunny Sands Elementary is a public elementary school located in Cathedral City, California, serving 721 students in grades K-5. It is part of the Palm Springs Unified School District, which is ranked 1055 out of 1568 districts in the state.

Sunny Sands Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state in academic achievement, with 46.86% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 34.96% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In Mathematics, 39.94% of Sunny Sands students were proficient or better, compared to 21.96% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school also performs well for Hispanic students and English Language Learners, ranking in the top 25-30% of California elementary schools for these subgroups. However, the school's performance for Special Education and Disabled students is relatively weaker, ranking in the bottom 40-50% of the state.

Despite its academic strengths, Sunny Sands Elementary faces significant challenges, including a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 5.1% in 2018-2019 to 28.0% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the state average of 14.3%. Additionally, the school serves a student population that is predominantly from low-socioeconomic status families, with 98.06% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to the state average of 55.9%. While Sunny Sands outperforms many nearby schools in the district, the Cielo Vista Charter school within the district has even stronger academic performance in many areas.

Detail:

Public K-5

69-310 McCallum Way
Cathedral City, CA 92234-2997

(760) 770-8635

District: Palm Springs Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2351^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,029

Students who attend Sunny Sands Elementary usually attend:

High:

Rancho Mirage High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.1

Number of students: 684

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

84.9%

White:

7.0%

Asian:

4.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 95%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Sunny Sands Elementary ranks better than 59.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 3^rd among 16 ranked elementary schools in the Palm Springs Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 53.78. (See more...)

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

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (84.9%), White (7%), Asian (4.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 95% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sunny Sands Elementary is 20.1, which is the 8^th best among 16 elementary schools in the Palm Springs Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Sunny Sands Elementary employs 33.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sunny Sands Elementary is $13,029, which is the 6^th highest among 16 elementary schools in the Palm Springs Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sunny Sands Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sunny Sands Elementary 2351^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Sunny Sands Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Palm Springs Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Palm Springs Unified 1055^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sunny Sands Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	36.86	2816^th	4809	41.4%
2005	36.47	2923^rd	4822	39.4%
2006	37.54	2855^th	4818	40.7%
2007	48.72	2400^th	5113	53.1%
2008	53.22	2214^th	5113	56.7%
2009	61.11	1865^th	5193	64.1%
2010	66.91	1634^th	5314	69.3%
2011	60.09	2023^rd	5377	62.4%
2012	64.35	1823^rd	5390	66.2%
2013	60.03	2111^th	5530	61.8%
2015	33.01	3468^th	5611	38.2%
2016	50.99	2443^rd	5614	56.5%
2017	61.99	1918^th	5692	66.3%
2018	50.67	2536^th	5662	55.2%
2019	47.59	2728^th	5789	52.9%
2022	52.18	2440^th	5883	58.5%
2023	56.19	2229^th	5874	62.1%
2024	53.78	2351^st	5862	59.9%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	45.81	1458^th	3246	55.1%
2019	49.19	1298^th	3275	60.4%
2022	77.54	334^th	3311	89.9%
2023	78.35	290^th	3250	91.1%
2024	62.36	635^th	3160	79.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	33.38	1640^th	2634	37.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	62.05	1626^th	5084	68.0%
2019	63.37	1546^th	5173	70.1%
2022	72.29	1059^th	5264	79.9%
2023	74.63	1004^th	5374	81.3%
2024	68.68	1322^nd	5511	76.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	85.85	29^th	336	91.4%
2024	87.13	26^th	364	92.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.71	2450^th	5413	54.7%
2019	47.95	2608^th	5492	52.5%
2022	53.78	2224^th	5635	60.5%
2023	51.83	2308^th	5617	58.9%
2024	53.34	2253^rd	5605	59.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	20.94	1923^rd	2128	9.6%
2022	40.08	1071^st	2227	51.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	50.22	2433^rd	5431	55.2%
2019	46.44	2649^th	5510	51.9%
2022	49.32	2483^rd	5663	56.2%
2023	58.34	2029^th	5650	64.1%
2024	52.64	2331^st	5636	58.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.03	1837^th	4830	62.0%
2019	53.91	2043^rd	4963	58.8%
2022	66.52	1316^th	5084	74.1%
2023	70.82	1144^th	5098	77.6%
2024	64.12	1469^th	5102	71.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Sunny Sands Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	62.98	1096^th	2834	61.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary 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.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sunny Sands Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1990	245	10	11	282	0	n/a	n/a	548
1991	344	32	18	319	2	n/a	n/a	715
1992	386	36	28	377	7	n/a	n/a	834
1993	390	46	33	436	4	n/a	n/a	909
1994	430	46	42	443	1	n/a	n/a	962
1995	368	33	51	565	6	n/a	n/a	1023
1996	368	33	51	565	6	n/a	n/a	1023
1997	370	38	51	613	10	n/a	n/a	1082
1998	330	49	53	693	6	n/a	n/a	1131
1999	346	49	61	743	4	n/a	n/a	1203
2000	307	30	87	653	3	n/a	n/a	1080
2001	318	26	62	633	7	n/a	n/a	1046
2002	293	30	75	651	8	n/a	n/a	1057
2003	293	30	75	651	8	n/a	n/a	1057
2004	270	27	77	722	6	n/a	n/a	1102
2005	189	6	56	710	4	n/a	n/a	965
2006	152	8	64	773	3	n/a	n/a	1000
2007	158	13	78	793	0	n/a	n/a	1042
2008	147	12	75	793	2	n/a	n/a	1029
2009	134	12	80	761	4	2	1	994
2010	121	14	87	755	5	2	5	989
2011	115	17	74	780	3	1	5	995
2012	108	10	72	754	7	1	8	960
2013	93	11	51	802	5	1	11	974
2014	83	8	59	781	5	0	16	952
2015	68	9	61	808	5	0	22	973
2016	54	13	52	717	3	0	27	866
2017	51	14	50	628	3	0	22	768
2018	43	11	48	628	5	0	27	762
2019	45	10	37	610	4	0	20	726
2020	41	6	36	605	4	0	26	718
2021	43	5	37	601	4	1	20	711
2022	48	4	30	557	4	0	15	658
2023	48	8	29	619	4	0	13	721
2024	48	7	32	581	2	0	14	684

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 Sunny Sands Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	548	20.0	27.4	n/a
1991	715	27.0	26.4	n/a
1992	834	27.4	30.4	38.2
1993	909	37.6	24.2	47.7
1994	962	37.8	25.4	48
1995	1023	37.0	27.6	54.7
1996	1023	37.0	27.6	54.7
1997	1082	42.0	25.8	56.2
1998	1131	49.0	23.1	67.4
1999	1203	58.0	20.7	67.4
2000	1080	53.0	20.4	50.9
2001	1046	56.0	18.7	61.1
2002	1057	53.2	19.9	53
2003	1057	53.2	19.9	53
2004	1102	53.0	20.8	47.2
2005	965	46.0	21.0	49.1
2006	1000	48.0	20.8	61.1
2007	1042	48.0	21.7	57.7
2008	1029	55.1	18.7	63.8
2009	994	48.0	19.9	69.5
2010	989	46.0	21.5	78.4
2011	995	n/a	n/a	79.6
2012	960	35.0	27.4	72.2
2013	974	33.0	29.5	72.4
2014	952	34.0	28.0	76.7
2015	973	37.0	26.2	85.9
2016	866	35.0	24.7	82.3
2017	768	31.0	24.7	78.5
2018	762	31.0	24.5	86.7
2019	726	31.0	23.4	89.5
2020	718	n/a	n/a	93.2
2021	711	30.0	23.7	98.3
2022	658	29.5	22.3	95.1
2023	721	31.9	22.5	98.1
2024	684	33.9	20.1	95

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 Sunny Sands Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	548	20.0	27.4	n/a
1991	715	27.0	26.4	n/a
1992	834	27.4	30.4	38.2
1993	909	37.6	24.2	47.7
1994	962	37.8	25.4	48
1995	1023	37.0	27.6	54.7
1996	1023	37.0	27.6	54.7
1997	1082	42.0	25.8	56.2
1998	1131	49.0	23.1	67.4
1999	1203	58.0	20.7	67.4
2000	1080	53.0	20.4	50.9
2001	1046	56.0	18.7	61.1
2002	1057	53.2	19.9	53
2003	1057	53.2	19.9	53
2004	1102	53.0	20.8	47.2
2005	965	46.0	21.0	49.1
2006	1000	48.0	20.8	61.1
2007	1042	48.0	21.7	57.7
2008	1029	55.1	18.7	63.8
2009	994	48.0	19.9	69.5
2010	989	46.0	21.5	78.4
2011	995	n/a	n/a	79.6
2012	960	35.0	27.4	72.2
2013	974	33.0	29.5	72.4
2014	952	34.0	28.0	76.7
2015	973	37.0	26.2	85.9
2016	866	35.0	24.7	82.3
2017	768	31.0	24.7	78.5
2018	762	31.0	24.5	86.7
2019	726	31.0	23.4	89.5
2020	718	n/a	n/a	93.2
2021	711	30.0	23.7	98.3
2022	658	29.5	22.3	95.1
2023	721	31.9	22.5	98.1
2024	684	33.9	20.1	95

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.

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