Is Painted Hills Middle a good school?

Painted Hills Middle ranks in the bottom 13.1% of California middle schools.

How many students attend Painted Hills Middle?

In the 2023-24 school year, 744 students attended Painted Hills Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Painted Hills Middle?

Students at Painted Hills Middle are 79% Hispanic, 11% White, 5% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Painted Hills Middle attend?

Students who attend Painted Hills Middle usually go on to attend Desert Hot Springs High

Painted Hills Middle

Summary:

Painted Hills Middle is a public middle school located in Desert Hot Springs, California, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 741 students. The school is part of the Palm Springs Unified School District, which is ranked 1055 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Painted Hills Middle faces significant challenges, including a high chronic absenteeism rate of 51.1%, which is notably higher than nearby schools like Nellie N. Coffman Middle (35.8%) and James Workman Middle (29.0%). Academically, the school consistently performs below the district and state averages in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics, with only 24.51% of students proficient or better in ELA and just 10.35% in Mathematics. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Hispanic and Multi-racial students struggling the most.

Painted Hills Middle's high rate of free and reduced lunch recipients, ranging from 98.01% to 99.61%, indicates significant socioeconomic challenges faced by the school's student population. These factors likely contribute to the school's declining academic performance, with its statewide ranking dropping from 2020 in 2012-2013 to 2412 in 2023-2024. To improve student outcomes, the school and the Palm Springs Unified School District may need to implement comprehensive strategies that address the root causes of these issues, such as targeted interventions, family engagement initiatives, and resource allocation to support the unique needs of the school's diverse student population.

Detail:

Public 6-8

9250 Sonora Dr.
Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240-1585

(760) 251-1551

District: Palm Springs Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2412^th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,527

Students who attend Painted Hills Middle usually attend:

High:

Desert Hot Springs High

Feeder schools for Painted Hills Middle:

Elementary:	Bella Vista Elementary
	Two Bunch Palms Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 21.1

Number of students: 744

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

79.3%

White:

10.6%

African American:

5.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 96.5%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Painted Hills Middle ranks worse than 86.9% of middle schools in California. It also ranks last among 5 ranked middle schools in the Palm Springs Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 16.52. (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 (79.3%), White (10.6%), African American (5.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 96.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Palm Springs Unified School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Painted Hills Middle is 21.1. 2 middle schools in the Palm Springs Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Painted Hills Middle employs 35.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Painted Hills Middle is $13,527, which is the 2^nd highest among 5 middle schools in the Palm Springs Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Painted Hills Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Painted Hills Middle 2412^th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Painted Hills Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White 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 Painted Hills Middle

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Rank History for all students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2013	19.76	2020^th	2379	15.1%
2015	18.81	2055^th	2477	17.0%
2016	9.96	2340^th	2497	6.3%
2017	16.38	2168^th	2508	13.6%
2018	17.06	2109^th	2480	15.0%
2019	14.22	2413^th	2715	11.1%
2022	16.30	2386^th	2740	12.9%
2023	17.79	2388^th	2802	14.8%
2024	16.52	2412^th	2777	13.1%

See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	4.26	682^nd	699	2.4%

See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.22	1091^st	1364	20.0%
2019	29.79	1130^th	1442	21.6%
2022	36.06	929^th	1540	39.7%
2023	31.55	1148^th	1529	24.9%
2024	32.98	1071^st	1477	27.5%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.15	1346^th	1538	12.5%
2024	24.51	1295^th	1550	16.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	21.67	1849^th	2230	17.1%
2019	18.28	2079^th	2369	12.2%
2022	22.26	2020^th	2458	17.8%
2023	24.02	2014^th	2549	21.0%
2024	21.09	2135^th	2575	17.1%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	23.15	288^th	336	14.3%
2023	30.78	234^th	321	27.1%
2024	48.98	165^th	394	58.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	19.12	1873^rd	2262	17.2%
2019	15.42	2097^th	2380	11.9%
2022	15.08	2261^st	2509	9.9%
2023	18.09	2173^rd	2547	14.7%
2024	18.43	2159^th	2546	15.2%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.94	1283^rd	1369	6.3%
2019	20.13	1395^th	1491	6.4%
2022	30.60	1040^th	1531	32.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.57	2064^th	2273	9.2%
2019	12.49	2232^nd	2407	7.3%
2022	18.22	2145^th	2527	15.1%
2023	18.24	2184^th	2558	14.6%
2024	15.33	2272^nd	2547	10.8%

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

Rank History for African American students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.77	552^nd	600	8.0%
2019	21.40	543^rd	643	15.6%
2022	24.96	501^st	637	21.4%
2023	40.35	339^th	614	44.8%
2024	41.53	323^rd	626	48.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.17	1675^th	2072	19.2%
2019	18.76	1923^rd	2213	13.1%
2022	19.42	2029^th	2359	14.0%
2023	20.41	2017^th	2391	15.6%
2024	18.72	2058^th	2383	13.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Painted Hills Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.23	1355^th	1496	9.4%
2019	6.01	1547^th	1602	3.4%
2022	13.89	1379^th	1555	11.3%
2023	15.51	1329^th	1552	14.4%
2024	15.91	1317^th	1535	14.2%

See the entire list of Best California Middle 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 Painted Hills Middle

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2012	133	71	14	555	3	4	7	787
2013	127	86	15	534	3	4	8	777
2014	127	92	11	567	6	4	11	818
2015	127	102	11	591	3	2	9	845
2016	133	84	14	581	5	2	12	831
2017	115	79	15	579	4	2	9	803
2018	102	63	15	596	6	1	18	801
2019	99	72	10	612	5	1	20	819
2020	92	64	9	630	3	1	24	823
2021	100	57	7	583	1	1	27	776
2022	86	46	8	590	0	0	24	754
2023	85	43	8	573	1	0	31	741
2024	79	39	3	590	2	0	31	744

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 Painted Hills Middle

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	787	28.4	27.6	87.5
2013	777	30.0	25.9	82.9
2014	818	29.0	28.2	86.2
2015	845	32.0	26.4	93.8
2016	831	33.0	25.1	92.9
2017	803	30.1	26.6	91.9
2018	801	31.6	25.2	94.6
2019	819	33.6	24.3	96.5
2020	823	n/a	n/a	95.6
2021	776	34.0	22.8	99.6
2022	754	34.9	21.5	98
2023	741	33.9	21.8	98.2
2024	744	35.1	21.1	96.5

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 Painted Hills Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2012	787	28.4	27.6	87.5
2013	777	30.0	25.9	82.9
2014	818	29.0	28.2	86.2
2015	845	32.0	26.4	93.8
2016	831	33.0	25.1	92.9
2017	803	30.1	26.6	91.9
2018	801	31.6	25.2	94.6
2019	819	33.6	24.3	96.5
2020	823	n/a	n/a	95.6
2021	776	34.0	22.8	99.6
2022	754	34.9	21.5	98
2023	741	33.9	21.8	98.2
2024	744	35.1	21.1	96.5

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 Painted Hills Middle

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$13,527

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Painted Hills Middle

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 2413^th of 2715 Middle schools	Ranks 2388^th of 2802 Middle schools	3.7%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Painted Hills Middle)	31.1	22.5	8.6%
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Palm Springs Unified)	40.2	30.9	9.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	48.5	44.2	4.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Painted Hills Middle)	17.8	10	7.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Palm Springs Unified)	27.2	20	7.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (California)	38.5	33.2	5.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Painted Hills Middle)	22.6	25.1	2.5%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Palm Springs Unified)	40.9	34.3	6.6%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	51.4	47.4	3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Painted Hills Middle)	11.3	12.8	1.4%
7th Grade Mathematics (Palm Springs Unified)	25.9	21	4.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (California)	37.9	33.2	4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Painted Hills Middle)	22.8	24.9	2.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Palm Springs Unified)	36.4	32.3	4.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	49.4	45.7	3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Painted Hills Middle)	11.8	9.5	2.3%
8th Grade Mathematics (Palm Springs Unified)	19.1	15.1	4%
8th Grade Mathematics (California)	36.6	29.9	6.7%
8th Grade Science (Painted Hills Middle)	9.9	14.5	4.6%
8th Grade Science (Palm Springs Unified)	19.4	16.5	2.9%
8th Grade Science (California)	30.8	28.8	2.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	819	741	9.5%
African American	72	43	40.3%
American Indian	5	1	80%
Asian	10	8	20%
Hispanic	612	573	6.4%
Pacific Islander	1	0	100%
White	99	85	14.1%
Two or More Races	20	31	55%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	96.5%	98.2%	1.8%

Schools Near Painted Hills Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts (2024)				CAST Science (2024)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading/Language Arts End of Course	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Painted Hills Middle	Public	6-8	9250 Sonora Dr.	Desert Hot Springs	92240	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 251-1551	744	35	21.1	96.5%	79 (10.6%)	39 (5.2%)	590 (79.3%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.2%)	16.5	2412^th of 2777 public middle schools	13.1%		17.8	2388^th of 2802 public middle schools	14.8%	24					11.2	11.2	27.2	22.2	24.1	24.5	11.7	8.6	10.7	10.4	$13,527
Desert Springs Middle	Public	6-8	66-755 Two Bunch Palms Trail	Desert Hot Springs	92240	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 251-7200	740	33	22.2	96.9%	52 (7.0%)	33 (4.5%)	624 (84.3%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	17 (2.3%)	16.6	2409^th of 2777 public middle schools	13.3%		15.3	2497^th of 2802 public middle schools	10.9%	88					13.2	13.2	19.7	23.6	21.4	21.6	15.7	12.0	9.5	12.4	$12,837
Raymond Cree Middle	Public	6-8	1011 Vista Chino	Palm Springs	92262	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 416-8283	710	37	19.3	97.7%	77 (10.8%)	58 (8.2%)	526 (74.1%)	20 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.8%)	37.8	1531^st of 2777 public middle schools	44.9%		39.2	1488^th of 2802 public middle schools	46.9%	43	3.3	0.0	12.5	5.6	17.5	17.5	35.3	41.3	38.8	38.4	27.4	29.9	19.2	25.4	$13,740
James Workman Middle	Public	6-8	69-300 30th Ave.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8540	1,027	45	23.0	98.1%	67 (6.5%)	17 (1.7%)	852 (83.0%)	52 (5.1%)	6 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	29 (2.8%)	38.8	1510^th of 2777 public middle schools	45.6%		38.3	1521^st of 2802 public middle schools	45.7%	11					19.9	19.9	36.2	45.5	36.7	39.4	20.7	26.3	27.2	24.8	$12,792
La Contenta Middle	Public	7-8	7050 La Contenta Rd.	Yucca Valley	92284	San Bernardino County	Morongo Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 228-1802	645	35	18.2	71.9%	351 (54.4%)	34 (5.3%)	223 (34.6%)	11 (1.7%)	7 (1.1%)	4 (0.6%)	14 (2.2%)	28.6	1871^st of 2777 public middle schools	32.6%		26.8	1963^rd of 2802 public middle schools	29.9%	92					18.8	18.8		33.6	33.2	33.4		20.6	14.0	17.5	$7,052
Nellie N. Coffman Middle	Public	6-8	34-603 Plumley Rd.	Cathedral City	92234	Riverside County	Palm Springs Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 770-8617	928	45	20.6	97.1%	29 (3.1%)	15 (1.6%)	863 (93.0%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	11 (1.2%)	21.7	2182^nd of 2777 public middle schools	21.4%		25.3	2037^th of 2802 public middle schools	27.3%	145					11.2	11.2	23.6	30.4	30.9	28.4	13.4	16.8	16.0	15.4	$12,996
Palm Desert Charter Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	74-200 Rutledge Way	Palm Desert	92260	Riverside County	Desert Sands Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 862-4320	1,389	50	27.9	62.8%	471 (33.9%)	26 (1.9%)	713 (51.3%)	83 (6.0%)	3 (0.2%)	4 (0.3%)	89 (6.4%)	68.2	716^th of 2777 public middle schools	74.2%		70.3	677^th of 2802 public middle schools	75.8%	39					35.3	35.3	54.9	52.8	55.5	54.4	41.1	35.3	44.6	40.3	$9,712

Painted Hills Middle

Painted Hills Middle:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Palm Springs Unified:

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Rank History for Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for all students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for Special Education students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for Homeless students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for Female students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for Disabled students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for Male students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for African American students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for Hispanic students at Painted Hills Middle

Rank History for White students at Painted Hills Middle

Enrollment information for Painted Hills Middle

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Painted Hills Middle

Student/Teacher Ratio Painted Hills Middle

Per Pupil Expenditures for Painted Hills Middle

Impact of COVID-19 on Painted Hills Middle

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Painted Hills Middle

Frequently Asked Questions about Painted Hills Middle

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