Is Desert Knolls Elementary a good school?

Desert Knolls Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.3% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Desert Knolls Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 610 students attended Desert Knolls Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Knolls Elementary?

Students at Desert Knolls Elementary are 61% Hispanic, 25% White, 9% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Desert Knolls Elementary attend?

Students who attend Desert Knolls Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Granite Hills High

Desert Knolls Elementary

Summary:

Desert Knolls Elementary is a public elementary school in Apple Valley, California, serving 610 students in grades K-6. The school faces significant challenges, with high chronic absenteeism, low test scores, and a high concentration of students from low-income backgrounds.

Desert Knolls Elementary consistently performs below the Apple Valley Unified district and California state averages on Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics. In 2023-2024, only 11.78% of Desert Knolls students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 27.01% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In Mathematics, only 13.13% of Desert Knolls students were proficient or better, compared to 16.12% for the district and 35.54% for the state. The school's chronic absenteeism rate has also risen significantly, from 12.7% in 2018-2019 to 56.4% in 2021-2022, much higher than the state and district averages.

Nearby schools, such as Phoenix Academy, Sitting Bull Academy, and Rio Vista School of Applied Learning, generally perform better than Desert Knolls Elementary on key metrics like test scores and chronic absenteeism rates. Additionally, Desert Knolls struggles to support its subgroups, with low rankings for African American, Hispanic, White, English Language Learner, Special Education, and Low Socioeconomic Status students. The school's statewide ranking has also steadily declined over the past several years, from 2 stars in 2014-2015 to 1 star in 2022-2023, indicating that its performance is not keeping pace with other schools in the state.

Detail:

Public K-6

18213 Symeron Dr.
Apple Valley, CA 92307-4537

(760) 242-3441

District: Apple Valley Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5667^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $5,827

Students who attend Desert Knolls Elementary usually attend:

High:

Granite Hills High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.4

Number of students: 610

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

60.7%

White:

24.9%

African American:

8.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 73.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Desert Knolls Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Desert Knolls Elementary ranks worse than 96.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 8^th among 10 ranked elementary schools in the Apple Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.28. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 Desert Knolls Elementary has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Apple Valley Unified School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (60.7%), White (24.9%), African American (8.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 73.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Desert Knolls Elementary is 23.4, which is the 4^th best among 10 elementary schools in the Apple Valley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Desert Knolls Elementary employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Desert Knolls Elementary is $5,827, which is the 3^rd highest among 10 elementary schools in the Apple Valley Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Desert Knolls Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Knolls Elementary 5667^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Desert Knolls Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Apple Valley Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Apple Valley Unified 1343^rd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Desert Knolls Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	69.45	1322^nd	4809	72.5%
2005	72.41	1231^st	4822	74.5%
2006	69.31	1368^th	4818	71.6%
2007	56.31	2005^th	5113	60.8%
2008	59.12	1888^th	5113	63.1%
2009	47.07	2657^th	5193	48.8%
2010	50.32	2554^th	5314	51.9%
2011	45.42	2867^th	5377	46.7%
2012	41.87	3144^th	5390	41.7%
2013	44.99	3008^th	5530	45.6%
2015	38.14	3126^th	5611	44.3%
2016	26.94	4016^th	5614	28.5%
2017	25.19	4241^st	5692	25.5%
2018	30.94	3756^th	5662	33.7%
2019	30.39	3899^th	5789	32.6%
2022	17.73	5083^rd	5883	13.6%
2023	18.25	5018^th	5874	14.6%
2024	10.28	5667^th	5862	3.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	18.79	3240^th	3311	2.1%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	21.50	2125^th	2420	12.2%
2024	16.64	2587^th	2634	1.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.06	3397^th	5084	33.2%
2019	37.87	3285^th	5173	36.5%
2022	19.40	4689^th	5264	10.9%
2023	18.96	4788^th	5374	10.9%
2024	10.48	5366^th	5511	2.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	27.18	3983^rd	5413	26.4%
2019	23.89	4313^th	5492	21.5%
2022	17.80	4909^th	5635	12.9%
2023	16.80	4981^st	5617	11.3%
2024	10.61	5440^th	5605	2.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	55.73	666^th	2128	68.7%
2022	22.22	1909^th	2227	14.3%

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

Rank History for Male students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	35.57	3308^th	5431	39.1%
2019	37.95	3194^th	5510	42.0%
2022	18.92	4809^th	5663	15.1%
2023	20.87	4637^th	5650	17.9%
2024	11.29	5412^th	5636	4.0%

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

Rank History for African American students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	25.21	559^th	700	20.1%
2022	26.54	515^th	663	22.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	38.50	2963^rd	4830	38.7%
2019	36.24	3229^th	4963	34.9%
2022	21.20	4424^th	5084	13.0%
2023	20.07	4494^th	5098	11.8%
2024	12.56	4897^th	5102	4.0%

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

Rank History for White students at Desert Knolls Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.13	2199^th	2737	19.7%
2019	22.24	2338^th	2834	17.5%
2022	7.61	2583^rd	2726	5.2%
2023	14.70	2355^th	2662	11.5%
2024	5.94	2554^th	2647	3.5%

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 Desert Knolls Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	324	17	14	34	0	n/a	n/a	0	389
1989	360	21	14	31	0	n/a	n/a	0	426
1990	530	22	12	44	3	n/a	n/a	0	611
1991	636	28	15	86	1	n/a	n/a	0	766
1992	676	38	30	95	1	n/a	n/a	0	840
1993	573	36	27	67	4	n/a	n/a	0	707
1994	566	39	24	82	1	n/a	n/a	0	712
1995	530	68	16	106	3	n/a	n/a	0	723
1996	530	68	16	106	3	n/a	n/a	0	723
1997	523	72	14	110	7	n/a	n/a	0	726
1998	492	64	14	125	5	n/a	n/a	0	700
1999	437	67	15	133	7	n/a	n/a	0	659
2000	433	54	10	117	7	n/a	n/a	0	621
2001	432	56	21	139	1	n/a	n/a	0	649
2002	421	62	28	139	0	n/a	n/a	0	650
2003	421	62	28	139	0	n/a	n/a	0	650
2004	439	67	25	141	0	n/a	n/a	2	674
2005	444	66	27	152	1	n/a	n/a	23	713
2006	418	66	30	139	0	n/a	n/a	46	699
2007	302	50	32	155	2	n/a	n/a	45	586
2008	284	43	24	149	1	n/a	n/a	0	501
2009	264	49	15	139	1	4	29	0	501
2010	226	39	18	181	1	3	1	0	469
2011	269	55	18	217	2	5	1	0	567
2012	248	71	16	226	1	5	3	0	570
2013	224	65	16	220	7	5	5	0	542
2014	220	71	16	257	5	5	2	0	576
2015	236	79	19	257	0	6	8	0	605
2016	237	78	18	244	0	4	15	0	596
2017	219	76	14	279	0	6	9	0	603
2018	0	72	13	266	1	2	238	0	592
2019	213	49	16	286	1	7	15	0	587
2020	202	58	13	311	1	6	21	0	612
2021	171	45	12	295	2	3	15	0	543
2022	176	92	16	457	3	6	28	0	778
2023	152	54	6	370	1	3	24	0	610

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 Desert Knolls Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	389	17.0	22.8	n/a
1989	426	17.0	25.0	n/a
1990	611	25.0	24.4	n/a
1991	766	27.0	28.3	n/a
1992	840	27.4	30.6	23.6
1993	707	24.0	29.5	26.7
1994	712	27.5	25.9	29.4
1995	723	26.0	27.8	38.6
1996	723	26.0	27.8	38.6
1997	726	28.0	25.9	39.8
1998	700	32.0	21.9	38
1999	659	33.0	20.0	39.5
2000	621	33.0	18.8	36.1
2001	649	32.0	20.3	31.9
2002	650	32.0	20.3	43.5
2003	650	32.0	20.3	43.5
2004	674	29.5	22.8	43.8
2005	713	34.0	21.0	48
2006	699	34.0	20.6	57.6
2007	586	29.0	20.2	51.2
2008	501	28.0	17.9	49.3
2009	501	24.0	20.0	53.3
2010	469	21.0	22.3	61.8
2011	567	n/a	n/a	64
2012	570	23.0	24.7	63.9
2013	542	22.0	24.6	70.1
2014	576	24.0	24.0	67.4
2015	605	25.0	24.2	65.6
2016	596	25.0	23.8	75
2017	603	25.0	24.1	71.6
2018	592	24.5	24.1	72.3
2019	587	28.0	20.9	76.1
2020	612	n/a	n/a	72.5
2021	543	27.0	20.1	79.7
2022	778	30.0	25.9	74.8
2023	610	26.0	23.4	73.6

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 Desert Knolls Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	389	17.0	22.8	n/a
1989	426	17.0	25.0	n/a
1990	611	25.0	24.4	n/a
1991	766	27.0	28.3	n/a
1992	840	27.4	30.6	23.6
1993	707	24.0	29.5	26.7
1994	712	27.5	25.9	29.4
1995	723	26.0	27.8	38.6
1996	723	26.0	27.8	38.6
1997	726	28.0	25.9	39.8
1998	700	32.0	21.9	38
1999	659	33.0	20.0	39.5
2000	621	33.0	18.8	36.1
2001	649	32.0	20.3	31.9
2002	650	32.0	20.3	43.5
2003	650	32.0	20.3	43.5
2004	674	29.5	22.8	43.8
2005	713	34.0	21.0	48
2006	699	34.0	20.6	57.6
2007	586	29.0	20.2	51.2
2008	501	28.0	17.9	49.3
2009	501	24.0	20.0	53.3
2010	469	21.0	22.3	61.8
2011	567	n/a	n/a	64
2012	570	23.0	24.7	63.9
2013	542	22.0	24.6	70.1
2014	576	24.0	24.0	67.4
2015	605	25.0	24.2	65.6
2016	596	25.0	23.8	75
2017	603	25.0	24.1	71.6
2018	592	24.5	24.1	72.3
2019	587	28.0	20.9	76.1
2020	612	n/a	n/a	72.5
2021	543	27.0	20.1	79.7
2022	778	30.0	25.9	74.8
2023	610	26.0	23.4	73.6

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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