Enrollment
1,497
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Palm Springs, CA
Palm Springs High
Federal NCES profile for Palm Springs High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062955004569
👥 S:T ratio 13
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palm Springs High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #4 of 7
- public schools in Palm Springs · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.7:1
- students per teacher
- 95.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Palm Springs High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Springs High ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Palm Springs, CA.
School address
District: Palm Springs Unified · California
NCES ID 062955004569 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palm Springs High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palm Springs High
Palm Springs High is a high-poverty, large high school in Palm Springs, California, enrolling 1,497 students.
At 21.7:1, 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: 95.8% of students qualify for free meals, 73% 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 94% of state schools at 1,497 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 115 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #30.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (73%) and White (12%) (diversity index 45/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 299 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.0% 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.
Palm Springs Unified also operates Desert Hot Springs High (1,687 students) and Rancho Mirage High (1,401 students) alongside Palm 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 Palm Springs High compares
Palm 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 | 21.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.8% | ▲ 73% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,497 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.7:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,497
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% 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
21.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 50% in California - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
29.0%
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
$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 299 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 104 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.9 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 72.7%
White 12.0%
African American 6.6%
Asian 4.5%
Two or More 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.9, Palm Springs High is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palm Springs Unified, which includes Palm 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 Palm Springs High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hot Springs High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rancho Mirage High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cathedral City High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| James Workman Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nellie N. Coffman Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palm Springs 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
- 1,401
- 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 (~1,497 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palm Springs High's federal record.
- Compare Palm 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 Palm Springs High
How many students attend Palm Springs High?
Palm Springs High has 1,497 students enrolled. It is a high school in Palm Springs, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palm Springs High?
The student-teacher ratio at Palm Springs High is 21.7:1, which is 1% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palm Springs High?
95.8% of students at Palm Springs High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palm Springs High?
The largest demographic group at Palm Springs High is Hispanic or Latino at 72.7% of enrollment, in Palm Springs, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palm Springs High?
Palm Springs High has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Palm Springs High rank among public schools in Palm Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Palm Springs High ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Palm 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 Palm Springs on the city page.
Is Palm Springs High a good school?
Palm Springs High earns 47/100 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 Palm Springs High, Palm Springs Unified also operates Desert Hot Springs High (1,687 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.