Enrollment
1,687
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Desert Hot Springs, CA
Desert Hot Springs High
Federal NCES profile for Desert Hot Springs High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062955008267
👥 S:T ratio 25
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Hot Springs High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #1 of 8
- public schools in Desert Hot Springs · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.7:1
- small classes for California
- 97.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Desert Hot Springs High has class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Hot Springs High ranks #1 of 8 public schools in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
School address
District: Palm Springs Unified · California
NCES ID 062955008267 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
90.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Hot Springs High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desert Hot Springs High
Desert Hot Springs High is a high-poverty, large high school in Desert Hot Springs, California, enrolling 1,687 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 97.2% 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 95% of state schools at 1,687 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 77 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #33.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 16 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 241 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 14 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Palm Springs Unified also operates Palm Springs High (1,497 students) and Rancho Mirage High (1,401 students) alongside Desert Hot Springs 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 Desert Hot Springs High compares
Desert Hot Springs 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 | 18.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.2% | ▲ 75% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,687 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,687
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
97.2%
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
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 25% in California - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
48.3%
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
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 241 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 202 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 14 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 80.6%
White 8.7%
African American 6.4%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.8, Desert Hot Springs High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Springs Unified, which includes Desert Hot Springs 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 Desert Hot Springs High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Springs High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rancho Mirage High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cathedral City High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| James Workman Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Nellie N. Coffman Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desert Hot Springs High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- 1,334
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- 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 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 (~1,687 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desert Hot Springs High's federal record.
- Compare Desert Hot Springs 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 Desert Hot Springs High
How many students attend Desert Hot Springs High?
Desert Hot Springs High has 1,687 students enrolled. It is a high school in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Hot Springs High?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Hot Springs High is 18.7:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 19% 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 Desert Hot Springs High?
97.2% of students at Desert Hot Springs High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Hot Springs High?
The largest demographic group at Desert Hot Springs High is Hispanic or Latino at 80.6% of enrollment, in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Hot Springs High?
Desert Hot Springs High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Desert Hot Springs High rank among public schools in Desert Hot Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Hot Springs High ranks #1 of 8 public schools in Desert Hot Springs, 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 Desert Hot Springs on the city page.
Is Desert Hot Springs High a good school?
Desert Hot Springs High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Desert Hot Springs High, Palm Springs Unified also operates Palm Springs High (1,497 students), Rancho Mirage High (1,401 students), and Cathedral City High (1,334 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.