Enrollment
1,650
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Indio, CA
Shadow Hills High
Federal NCES profile for Shadow Hills High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 061111012319
👥 S:T ratio 14
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shadow Hills High earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #4 of 4
- high schools in Indio · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.4:1
- students per teacher
- 61.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Shadow Hills High has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shadow Hills High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Indio, CA.
School address
District: Desert Sands Unified · California
NCES ID 061111012319 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shadow Hills High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shadow Hills High
Shadow Hills High is a higher-need, large high school in Indio, California, enrolling 1,650 students.
At 21.4:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 61.2% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,650 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 365 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #250.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 409 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 57.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 8 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Indio's high schools, it stands alongside Indio High (1,962 students): Shadow Hills High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.4:1 vs 23.4:1).
Desert Sands Unified also operates La Quinta High (2,425 students) and Palm Desert High (2,079 students) alongside Shadow Hills 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 Shadow Hills High compares
Shadow Hills 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 | 21.4:1 | ▼ 0% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.2% | ▲ 10% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,650 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.4:1
Leaner classes than 12% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,650
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.4:1
students per teacher
- 0% below state mean
Top 47% in California - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
57.3%
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
$15,695
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 409 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 101 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 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 86.3%
White 7.9%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 1.4%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 86.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.8, Shadow Hills High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desert Sands Unified, which includes Shadow Hills High.
$15,695
Per student
-5%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.4%
State 50.5%
Federal 11.0%
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 Shadow Hills High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Quinta High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palm Desert High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Indio High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Palm Desert Charter Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Glenn Middle School of International Studies | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shadow Hills High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,425
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 2,079
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 1,962
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,298
- Students per teacher
- 26.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,099
- Students per teacher
- 25:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar high schools in Indio
3 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 (~1,650 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shadow Hills High's federal record.
- Compare Shadow Hills High against another school. Compare schools
- Desert Sands 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 Shadow Hills High
How many students attend Shadow Hills High?
Shadow Hills High has 1,650 students enrolled. It is a high school in Indio, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shadow Hills High?
The student-teacher ratio at Shadow Hills High is 21.4:1, which is 0% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 36% 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 Shadow Hills High?
61.2% of students at Shadow Hills High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shadow Hills High?
The largest demographic group at Shadow Hills High is Hispanic or Latino at 86.3% of enrollment, in Indio, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shadow Hills High?
Shadow Hills High has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Shadow Hills High rank among high schools in Indio?
By Resource Investment Index, Shadow Hills High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Indio, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Indio on the city page.
Is Shadow Hills High a good school?
Shadow Hills High earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. 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 Desert Sands Unified?
Besides Shadow Hills High, Desert Sands Unified also operates La Quinta High (2,425 students), Palm Desert High (2,079 students), and Indio High (1,962 students). See the Desert Sands 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.