Benjamin Franklin Elementary

Located at 77-800 Calle Tampico, in La Quinta, California, Benjamin Franklin Elementary is an average-sized elementary-level community that caters to 627 students (grades K through 5), operated by Desert Sands Unified. By comparison, California's public schools average about 465 students each, so Benjamin Franklin Elementary sits 35% larger than that benchmark.

Benjamin Franklin Elementary is one of 34 schools operated by Desert Sands Unified, a district that hosts 25,613 students overall.

Demographically, Benjamin Franklin Elementary reports that nearly all students (80%) are Hispanic; the rest comes out to 14% White, 4% multiracial. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 51%.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Benjamin Franklin Elementary has 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 21.6:1. The state averages about 22.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 82% of students at Benjamin Franklin Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably above Riverside County's rate of about 74%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Benjamin Franklin Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 30.6%, the actual is 31.3%, a residual of +0.8 points.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Riverside County) reports that median household earnings sit near $93,074, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. In all, Riverside County runs 543 public schools (combined enrollment of about 424,872 students), of which Benjamin Franklin Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Harry S. Truman Elementary, around 1.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Benjamin Franklin Elementary ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 36.5%.

Geographically, the school is in a suburban area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Benjamin Franklin Elementary has edged down 12%, going from 714 students in 2018 to 627 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged up from 75% to 80%. Class-load math has fell: from 23.8:1 in 2018 to 21.6:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the feed for Benjamin Franklin Elementary typically covers pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.