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What's the most underrated thing about Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
948
Middle
DISTRICT 856 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PALMDALE ELEMENTARY·NCES 062958010905
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad
36555 Sunny Ln., Palmdale, CA 93550 · (661) 285-5866 · Los Angeles County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL948 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 17% of California public middle schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public middle schools
Student : Teacher
21.5:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.3:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
90%
850 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 253 | 27% |
| Grade 7 | 328 | 35% |
| Grade 8 | 367 | 39% |
Student demographics
35%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
30.5%
CA avg 49.1% . +3.5pp since 2014
Math
10.0%
CA avg 37.7% . -3.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 31 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 10 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 4 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 3 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 6.6% | 23.9% | 24.7% | 44.8% |
| Math | 3.6% | 6.4% | 18.8% | 71.2% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 30.5% | 10.0% |
| 2023-24 | 28.7% | 11.1% |
| 2022-23 | 30.0% | 11.9% |
| 2021-22 | 28.4% | 9.1% |
| 2018-19 | 31.2% | 13.3% |
| 2017-18 | 31.5% | 12.3% |
| 2016-17 | 26.8% | 12.5% |
| 2015-16 | 30.0% | 14.0% |
| 2014-15 | 27.0% | 13.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
19.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
27.0%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 20% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 27% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad's state test result (19.9% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad this school | 948 | 89.7% | 19.9% |
| Curran Middle Bakersfield | 973 | 87.4% | 19.3% |
| Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy Palmdale | 822 | 89.3% | 17.8% |
| Emerson Middle Bakersfield | 813 | 90.2% | 15.1% |
| Monte Vista Middle San Jacinto | 893 | 90.9% | 15.0% |
| Franklin Classical Middle Long Beach | 991 | 87.7% | 27.7% |
Matched among California middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 19.9% | #1,048 of 1,224 | #227 of 248 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 10.0% | #1,143 of 1,227 ▼ 67 | #242 of 248 ▼ 13 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 30.5% | #968 of 1,227 ▼ 12 | #211 of 248 ▼ 10 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +1.5pp | #686 of 1,214 | #174 of 247 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 948 | #249 of 1,377 | #65 of 317 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.5:1 | #719 of 1,279 | #162 of 301 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 34.8% | #887 of 1,278 | #152 of 301 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 89.7% | #292 of 1,329 | #123 of 312 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.6% | #115 of 257 | #25 of 38 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
948
-19 (-2%) vs 2020
-2% since 2010-11, when it was 971
Student : Teacher
21.5:1
was 22.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 948 | 44.1 | 21.5:1 | 90% (850) |
| 2023-24 | 1,020 | 41.2 | 24.8:1 | 91% (926) |
| 2022-23 | 974 | 44.7 | 21.8:1 | 88% (857) |
| 2020-21 | 967 | 44 | 22.0:1 | 87% (844) |
| 2017-18 | 881 | 40.8 | 21.6:1 | 84% (744) |
| 2015-16 | 664 | 31 | 21.4:1 | 84% (560) |
| 2010-11 | 971 | N/A | N/A | 66% (640) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad.
Since 2017-18: students up 8% (881 to 948); teachers up 8% (40.8 to 44.1).
About Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad is a medium-sized middle-grades school in Palmdale, California. It covers grades 6 through 8, with a total enrollment of 948 students. Statewide, middle schools in California average about 659 students each.
Within Palmdale Elementary, Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad is one of 29 schools. The district enrolls 17,941 students.
Hispanic students are the majority at Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad, with 80% of enrollment. Other groups make up 13% Black and 4% White. Los Angeles County as a whole is about 48% Hispanic, so the school's share is higher. The school's diversity index is 35%, meaning two students picked at random have a 35% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school employs the equivalent of 44.1 full-time teachers, for a ratio of 21.5:1. That is higher than the 20.7:1 average for middle schools in California. The free or reduced-price lunch share, often used to gauge student poverty, is 90%. Public schools in Los Angeles County average 70%.
Measured against California public middle schools, Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad receives a C-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad is 7.1 points below its prediction. Actual: 19.9%. Predicted: 27.0%.
Across Los Angeles County, the median household income is $90,112, roughly 36% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Los Angeles County is home to 2,244 public schools and about 1,265,907 public school students.
Of nearby public schools, Joshua Hills Elementary is the closest, at about 0.6 miles. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad. Its average proficiency rate of 19.9% is below the 22.1% average for nearby schools.
In the federal locale system, Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad is coded Suburb: Large, for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Compared with 2020-21, when it had 967 students, enrollment in 2024-25 was about the same at 948.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss school safety, transportation, and start times at Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Los Angeles County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,808,667
Census ACS
Median income
$90,112
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
2,244
1,265,907 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Palmdale Elementary
- Los Amigos - Dual ImmersionElementary · 1,027 students
- Palmdale Academy CharterCombined · 989 students
- David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet AcademyMiddle · 952 students
- Dos Caminos Dual ImmersionElementary · 945 students
- Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet AcademyMiddle · 822 students
- Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet AcademyMiddle · 813 students
Other schools in Palmdale
- Highland HighHigh · 2,706 students
- William J. (Pete) Knight HighHigh · 2,349 students
- Palmdale Aerospace AcademyCombined · 2,259 students
- Palmdale HighHigh · 2,208 students
- Hillview MiddleMiddle · 1,100 students
- Antelope Valley Learning AcademyCombined · 1,059 students
Nearby schools
- Joshua Hills Elementary0.6 mi · 581
- Barrel Springs Elementary0.9 mi · 627
- Innovations Academy of Palmdale1.5 mi · 409
- Desert Rose Elementary1.6 mi · 614
- Cactus Medical Health and Technology Magnet Academy1.6 mi · 822
- Cimarron Elementary1.9 mi · 497
Frequently asked questions
About Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet AcadWhat is the total enrollment at Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad?
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad enrolls approximately 948 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad serve?
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad is approximately 21.5:1 (44 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad?
At Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad, the student body is approximately 4% White, 80% Hispanic, 13% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad in?
Desert Willow Fine Arts Sci and Tech Magnet Acad is part of Palmdale Elementary.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.