Enrollment
497
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Edwards, CA
Desert Junior-Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Desert Junior-Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 062649003995
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Junior-Senior High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% of California schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Edwards · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.1:1
- small classes for California
- 9.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Desert Junior-Senior High has class sizes smaller than 72% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Junior-Senior High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Edwards, CA.
School address
District: Muroc Joint Unified · California
NCES ID 062649003995 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
9.0%
vs 55.5% California avg
-84% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Junior-Senior High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desert Junior-Senior High
Desert Junior-Senior High is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Edwards, California, enrolling 497 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 9.0% free-meal eligibility runs 84% below the California average.
With 497 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 821 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #591, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (36%) and Hispanic or Latino (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 249 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 68.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Muroc Joint Unified also operates Irving L. Branch Elementary (388 students) and William a. Bailey Elementary (366 students) alongside Desert Junior-Senior 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 Junior-Senior High compares
Desert Junior-Senior 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 | 19.1:1 | ▼ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 9.0% | ▼ 84% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 497 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
497
Bigger than 61% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
9.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 84% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 28% in California - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.0%
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
$14,484
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 249 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 36.4%
Hispanic or Latino 36.2%
Two or More 16.6%
African American 5.5%
Asian 5.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 36.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.3, Desert Junior-Senior High is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Muroc Joint Unified, which includes Desert Junior-Senior High.
$14,484
Per student
-12%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.4%
State 22.1%
Federal 68.6%
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 Junior-Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irving L. Branch Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| William a. Bailey Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Boron Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Boron Junior-Senior High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desert Junior-Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 276
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 253
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
Similar other 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 (~497 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desert Junior-Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Desert Junior-Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Muroc Joint 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 Junior-Senior High
How many students attend Desert Junior-Senior High?
Desert Junior-Senior High has 497 students enrolled. It is a public school in Edwards, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Junior-Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Junior-Senior High is 19.1:1, which is 11% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 22% 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 Junior-Senior High?
9.0% of students at Desert Junior-Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Junior-Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Desert Junior-Senior High is White at 36.4% of enrollment, in Edwards, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Junior-Senior High?
Desert Junior-Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Junior-Senior High rank among public schools in Edwards?
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Junior-Senior High ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Edwards, 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 Edwards on the city page.
Is Desert Junior-Senior High a good school?
Desert Junior-Senior High earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 72% of California schools. It is also more 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 Muroc Joint Unified?
Besides Desert Junior-Senior High, Muroc Joint Unified also operates Irving L. Branch Elementary (388 students), William a. Bailey Elementary (366 students), and West Boron Elementary (276 students). See the Muroc Joint 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.