Enrollment
722
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Desert Hot Springs, CA
Painted Hills Middle
Federal NCES profile for Painted Hills Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062955012795
👥 S:T ratio 12
🌟 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
Painted Hills Middle earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #2 of 8
- public schools in Desert Hot Springs · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.9:1
- students per teacher
- 96.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Painted Hills Middle has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Painted Hills Middle ranks #2 of 8 public schools in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
School address
District: Palm Springs Unified · California
NCES ID 062955012795 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.9:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.4%
vs 55.5% California avg
+74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Painted Hills Middle compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Painted Hills Middle
Painted Hills Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Desert Hot Springs, California, enrolling 722 students.
At 21.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the California median, within a few percentage points of the 21.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 96.4% of students qualify for free meals, 74% above the California average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 722 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 751 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #135.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 241 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Desert Hot Springs's middle schools, it stands alongside Desert Springs Middle (749 students): Painted Hills Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.9:1 vs 22:1).
Palm Springs Unified also operates Desert Hot Springs High (1,687 students) and Palm Springs High (1,497 students) alongside Painted Hills Middle.
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 Painted Hills Middle compares
Painted Hills Middle on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.9:1 | ▲ 2% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.4% | ▲ 74% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 722 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.9:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
722
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
96.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% 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
21.9:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 52% in California - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
45.3%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 241 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 118 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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 80.1%
White 8.9%
Two or More 5.3%
African American 4.8%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.5, Painted Hills Middle is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Springs Unified, which includes Painted Hills Middle.
$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 Painted Hills Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hot Springs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Palm Springs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rancho Mirage High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cathedral City High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| James Workman Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Painted Hills Middle'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
- 1,334
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,020
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar middle schools in Desert Hot Springs
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~722 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Painted Hills Middle's federal record.
- Compare Painted Hills Middle 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 Painted Hills Middle
How many students attend Painted Hills Middle?
Painted Hills Middle has 722 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Painted Hills Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Painted Hills Middle is 21.9:1, which is 2% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Painted Hills Middle?
96.4% of students at Painted Hills Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Painted Hills Middle?
The largest demographic group at Painted Hills Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 80.1% of enrollment, in Desert Hot Springs, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Painted Hills Middle?
Painted Hills Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Painted Hills Middle rank among public schools in Desert Hot Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Painted Hills Middle ranks #2 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 Painted Hills Middle a good school?
Painted Hills Middle earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Painted Hills Middle, 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.