Summary:
High Desert is a public middle school located in Acton, CA, serving grades 5-8 with a total enrollment of 306 students. Over the past several years, this school has seen a steady decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from a high of 793 out of 2,715 California middle schools in 2018-2019 to a ranking of 1,958 out of 2,777 in the most recent 2023-2024 school year. Its overall SchoolDigger star rating has also decreased from 4 stars to 1 star during this time period.
High Desert's performance is concerning across several key metrics. The school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 11.8% in 2017-2018 to 45.4% in the 2022-2023 school year, which is notably higher than the state average. Academically, High Desert's students consistently score below the state and district averages on Smarter Balanced Assessments and CAST Science tests, with only 29.47% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and just 13.68% proficient in Mathematics in 2023-2024. The school's performance on key subgroups, including Hispanic, White, English Language Learner, Special Education, and Low Socioeconomic Status students, is also in the bottom 20-25% of California middle schools.
When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Keppel Academy, High Desert generally performs worse across a range of metrics, including test scores, chronic absenteeism, and free/reduced lunch rates. The high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds and the increasing student-teacher ratio at High Desert may be contributing factors to the school's declining performance. However, the data suggests that there is room for improvement, and by implementing targeted interventions, addressing chronic absenteeism, and providing additional support for underperforming subgroups, the school may be able to reverse the negative trends and better serve its students.
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Detail:
Public 5-8
District:
Acton-Agua Dulce Unified
SchoolDigger Rank:
1958th of 2,777 California Middle Schools
Students who attend High Desert usually attend:
Feeder schools for High Desert:
Student/teacher ratio: 27.1
Number of students: 306
Racial breakdown:
Hispanic:
51.6%
White:
41.5%
Two or more races:
3.3%
more
African American:
2.6%
Asian:
1.0%
Free/discounted lunch recipients: 64.1%
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