Desert Sands Charter District operates 1 public schools serving 742 students, placing it among the smaller districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 727 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Los Angeles County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $40,532 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 10.7% local, 81.3% state, and 7.9% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. The district's equity score — 87/100, ranked #21 of 1547 in California against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
a 159.8:1 student-counselor ratio that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 69.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 60.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% African American, 11.1% White across the district's schools.
Desert Sands Charter accounts for 100.0% of all Desert Sands Charter District student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Desert Sands Charter District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Desert Sands Charter District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 78.6% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Desert Sands Charter District student-counselor ratio is 160:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Desert Sands Charter District chronic absenteeism rate is 69.9% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Desert Sands Charter District?
Desert Sands Charter District has 1 schools, including 1 high. Total enrollment is 742 students.
How much does Desert Sands Charter District spend per student?
Desert Sands Charter District spends $40,532 per student. The district has an equity score of 87/100, ranking #21 in California.
What is the average rent near Desert Sands Charter District?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Los Angeles County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Desert Sands Charter District?
Desert Sands Charter District students are 60.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% African American, 11.1% White, 0.6% Asian, averaged across 1 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Desert Sands Charter District?
Desert Sands Charter District has an equity score of 87/100, ranking #21 out of 1547 districts in California. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.