Schools in Indio · Desert Sands Unified School District
Indio’s public schools beat 63% of California districts
The public schools Indio’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 63% of California’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
Reading proficiency
56%
▲ 8 pts vs CA 49%
2020–21
Math proficiency
31%
▼ 2 pts vs CA 33%
2020–21
Graduate on time
91%
▲ 3 pts vs CA 88%
class of 2020
Spent per student
$19.6K
▼ 8% vs CA $21.2K
FY2024
Students per teacher
22.9
CA 21.6
Schools
21
13,711 students
The School Grade
How Indio compares
B Test scoresB− Graduation
California school districts we grade (1,139)Better than 63%
Lower resultsHigher results
California towns with similar household incomes (520)Better than 70%
High confidence. Built on 1,963 tested students and a graduating class of 2,302; ordinary year-to-year swings are unlikely to change it.
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on California’s state tests against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown but don’t count. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids through every district that serves it, weighted by students tested. Tests count 60%, graduation 40%.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are compared with the rest of California only. A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D the rest.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income, so we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Indio.
11 schools teach K in Indio’s district. Which one depends on your address: Andrew Jackson Elementary, Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies, Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy and Richard R. Oliphant Elementary and more.
11 schools teach 1st grade in Indio’s district. Which one depends on your address: Andrew Jackson Elementary, Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies, Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy and Richard R. Oliphant Elementary and more.
11 schools teach 2nd grade in Indio’s district. Which one depends on your address: Andrew Jackson Elementary, Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies, Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy and Richard R. Oliphant Elementary and more.
11 schools teach 3rd grade in Indio’s district. Which one depends on your address: Andrew Jackson Elementary, Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies, Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy and Richard R. Oliphant Elementary and more.
11 schools teach 4th grade in Indio’s district. Which one depends on your address: Andrew Jackson Elementary, Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies, Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy and Richard R. Oliphant Elementary and more.
11 schools teach 5th grade in Indio’s district. Which one depends on your address: Andrew Jackson Elementary, Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies, Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy and Richard R. Oliphant Elementary and more.
4 schools teach 6th grade in Indio’s district. Which one depends on your address: John Glenn Middle School of International Studies, Desert Ridge Academy, Indio Middle and Thomas Jefferson Middle.
4 schools teach 7th grade in Indio’s district. Which one depends on your address: John Glenn Middle School of International Studies, Desert Ridge Academy, Indio Middle and Thomas Jefferson Middle.
4 schools teach 8th grade in Indio’s district. Which one depends on your address: John Glenn Middle School of International Studies, Desert Ridge Academy, Indio Middle and Thomas Jefferson Middle.
The path, start to finish
K–511 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–84 middle schoolsDepends on your address
9–122 high schoolsDepends on your address
Parts of Indio are served by Coachella Valley Unified School District.
The district
Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
Test scores · 2020–21
Well above the state in reading
Reading56%
State average 48.5%
Math31%
State average 33.4%
Indio vs. its neighbors
Indio’s schools rank 1st of 3 among the towns that share its borders. School Grade, by percentile among California districts.
Every school in Indio
21 schools. Grades are ours, from state tests and graduation. Stars are from neighbors.
Elementary
Andrew Jackson Elementary
750 students23:1Rate it →
Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies
748 students25:1Rate it →
Mountain Vista Elementary
C599 studentsRate it →
Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy
D−592 students23:1Rate it →
Richard R. Oliphant Elementary
D−568 students22:1Rate it →
Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary
560 students21:1Rate it →
Martin Van Buren Elementary
533 students24:1Rate it →
Theodore Roosevelt Elementary
490 students22:1Rate it →
Carrillo Ranch Elementary
459 students22:1Rate it →
James Madison Elementary
D−403 students24:1Rate it →
John F. Kennedy Elementary
D−390 students22:1Rate it →
Herbert Hoover Elementary
326 students24:1Rate it →
Middle
John Glenn Middle School of International Studies
C−1,099 students24:1Rate it →
Desert Ridge Academy
A−962 students24:1Rate it →
Indio Middle
768 students22:1Rate it →
Thomas Jefferson Middle
D−591 students27:1Rate it →
High
Private & other
Parents talk
What Indio families are saying about school.
Parents weigh in
Live in Indio? Is a B for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
TT Weaver · 2d
New to Indio Schools
Or ask about
Within reach
Colleges →Colleges near Indio
There’s no college in Indio, but 4 are within 30 miles. The closest is California Indian Nations College in Palm Desert, 7.3 miles away.
California Indian Nations CollegeCommunity college · Public · Palm Desert
7.3 mi29 students
College of the DesertCommunity college · Public · Palm Desert
8.8 mi7,129 students
San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho MirageCommunity college · For-profit · Rancho Mirage
10 mi260 students
Copper Mountain Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Joshua Tree
28.3 mi919 students
Straight-line distance from the center of Indio. Degree-granting colleges with students on campus · College Scorecard · IPEDS.
School data: U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts, F-33 school finance). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within California. Stars are from neighbors.