Enrollment
1,334
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Cathedral City, CA
Cathedral City High
Federal NCES profile for Cathedral City High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062955010279
👥 S:T ratio 23
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 19
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cathedral City High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 9
- public schools in Cathedral City · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.3:1
- small classes for California
- 97.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Cathedral City High has class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cathedral City High ranks #2 of 9 public schools in Cathedral City, CA.
School address
District: Palm Springs Unified · California
NCES ID 062955010279 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cathedral City High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cathedral City High
Cathedral City High is a high-poverty, large high school in Cathedral City, California, enrolling 1,334 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 97.4% of students qualify for free meals, 75% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,334 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 134 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #20.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (91% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 18/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 267 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 6 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Cathedral City's high schools, it stands alongside Mt. San Jacinto High (325 students): Cathedral City High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.3:1 vs 16.3:1).
Palm Springs Unified also operates Desert Hot Springs High (1,687 students) and Palm Springs High (1,497 students) alongside Cathedral City High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cathedral City High compares
Cathedral City High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.3:1 | ▼ 10% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.4% | ▲ 75% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,334 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,334
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
97.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 75% above the California average of 55.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 10% below state mean
Top 29% in California - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,520
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 267 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 101 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 90.5%
White 4.1%
Asian 2.6%
African American 1.4%
Two or More 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.8, Cathedral City High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Springs Unified, which includes Cathedral City High.
$17,520
Per student
+6%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.1%
State 54.5%
Federal 9.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Cathedral City High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hot Springs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Palm Springs High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rancho Mirage High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James Workman Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nellie N. Coffman Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cathedral City High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,687
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,497
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,020
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 914
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar high schools in Cathedral City
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,334 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cathedral City High's federal record.
- Compare Cathedral City High against another school. Compare schools
- Palm Springs Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Cathedral City High
How many students attend Cathedral City High?
Cathedral City High has 1,334 students enrolled. It is a high school in Cathedral City, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cathedral City High?
The student-teacher ratio at Cathedral City High is 19.3:1, which is 10% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cathedral City High?
97.4% of students at Cathedral City High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cathedral City High?
The largest demographic group at Cathedral City High is Hispanic or Latino at 90.5% of enrollment, in Cathedral City, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cathedral City High?
Cathedral City High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cathedral City High rank among public schools in Cathedral City?
By Resource Investment Index, Cathedral City High ranks #2 of 9 public schools in Cathedral City, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Cathedral City on the city page.
Is Cathedral City High a good school?
Cathedral City High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Palm Springs Unified?
Besides Cathedral City High, Palm Springs Unified also operates Desert Hot Springs High (1,687 students), Palm Springs High (1,497 students), and Rancho Mirage High (1,401 students). See the Palm Springs Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.