Enrollment
307
Middle
DISTRICT 351 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ACTON-AGUA DULCE UNIFIED·NCES 060000109444
High Desert
3620 Antelope Woods Rd., Acton, CA 93510 · (661) 269-0310 · Los Angeles County
GRADES 05–08MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL307 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
21.6:1
14 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.3:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
71%
219 students
DISTRICT 70% · STATE 65%
Community
0
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 5 | 86 | 28% |
| Grade 6 | 67 | 22% |
| Grade 7 | 81 | 26% |
| Grade 8 | 73 | 24% |
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
High Desert→Vasquez High
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Acton-Agua Dulce Unified. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
32.2%
CA avg 49.1% . -11.8pp since 2014
Math
18.9%
CA avg 37.7% . -8.1pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 32 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 19 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 12 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 8 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 7.2% | 25.0% | 32.6% | 35.2% |
| Math | 5.9% | 13.0% | 25.7% | 55.4% |
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 | 32.2% | 18.9% |
| 2023-24 | 29.5% | 13.7% |
| 2022-23 | 27.5% | 14.4% |
| 2021-22 | 28.7% | 22.0% |
| 2018-19 | 61.2% | 41.6% |
| 2017-18 | 48.1% | 40.5% |
| 2016-17 | 56.1% | 32.1% |
| 2015-16 | 47.0% | 30.0% |
| 2014-15 | 44.0% | 27.0% |
% 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
23.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.7%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-14.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 23% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% 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 High Desert
High Desert's state test result (23.5% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Desert this school | 307 | 71.3% | 23.5% |
| Denair Middle Denair | 298 | 68.5% | 24.3% |
| Waterloo Elementary Stockton | 339 | 65.2% | 37.8% |
| Mountain Vista Middle Kelseyville | 405 | 70.4% | 13.6% |
| Healdsburg Junior High Healdsburg | 293 | 64.8% | 37.9% |
| Sycamore Middle Gridley | 423 | 73.0% | 38.0% |
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 High Desert ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Los Angeles County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 23.5% | #954 of 1,224 | #207 of 248 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 18.9% | #890 of 1,227 ▲ 114 | #199 of 248 ▲ 14 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 32.2% | #936 of 1,227 ▼ 5 | #204 of 248 ▼ 9 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +0.2pp | #824 of 1,214 | #195 of 247 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 307 | #1,183 of 1,377 | #272 of 317 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.6:1 | #731 of 1,279 | #163 of 301 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.6% | #612 of 1,278 | #86 of 301 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 71.3% | #710 of 1,329 | #221 of 312 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +10.4% | #98 of 257 | #22 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
307
+33 (+12%) vs 2020
-21% since 2000-01, when it was 388
Student : Teacher
21.6:1
was 21.1:1
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 | 307 | 14.2 | 21.6:1 | 71% (219) |
| 2023-24 | 287 | 13.5 | 21.3:1 | 77% (221) |
| 2022-23 | 306 | 11.3 | 27.1:1 | 64% (196) |
| 2020-21 | 274 | 13 | 21.1:1 | 58% (158) |
| 2017-18 | 278 | 15 | 18.5:1 | 55% (152) |
| 2015-16 | 259 | 11 | 23.6:1 | 41% (106) |
| 2010-11 | 430 | N/A | N/A | 33% (142) |
| 2000-01 | 388 | 16 | 24.3:1 | 18% (70) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for High Desert.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (278 to 307); teachers down 5% (15 to 14.2).
About High Desert
High Desert is a small middle school based in Acton, California. The school's enrollment of 307 students covers grades 5 through 8. Statewide, middle schools in California average about 659 students each.
High Desert is part of Acton-Agua Dulce Unified, where 3 schools serve 1,053 students.
Hispanic students are the majority at High Desert, with 58% of enrollment. The school is also 36% White. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 48%. The school's diversity index is 53%, meaning two students picked at random have a 53% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The teaching staff at High Desert is 14.2 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 21.6:1. This ratio sits 0.9 above the 20.7:1 average for middle schools in California. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 71%. For comparison, public schools in Los Angeles County average 70%.
Compared with California schools that have similar shares of low-income students, High Desert's results are 14.3 points below predicted: 23.5% against 37.7%.
Los Angeles County census figures show that the median household income is $90,112, 36% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of people live in poverty. There are 2,244 public schools in Los Angeles County, enrolling about 1,265,907 students in all.
The nearest other public school, iLEAD Hybrid, is about 0.1 miles away. Inside a five-mile radius, there are 4 other public schools. High Desert is 7th of 7 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Rural: Fringe, meaning it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Enrollment climbed 12% from its 2020-21 level of 274.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
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 Acton-Agua Dulce Unified
- Vasquez HighHigh · 394 students
- Meadowlark ElementaryElementary · 352 students
Other schools in Acton
- iLEAD HybridCombined · 3,817 students
- Vasquez HighHigh · 394 students
- iLEAD Online CharterCombined · 356 students
- Meadowlark ElementaryElementary · 352 students
Other High Desert schools
One other US public school is named High Desert. High Desert is the largest of the 2.
- HIGH DESERTSHOSHONE, ID · 23 students
Nearby schools
- iLEAD Hybrid0.1 mi · 3,817
- iLEAD Online Charter0.1 mi · 356
- Vasquez High1.2 mi · 394
- Meadowlark Elementary1.3 mi · 352
- Anaverde Hills5.2 mi · 517
- Palmdale Learning Plaza6.8 mi · 800
Frequently asked questions
About High DesertHow large is High Desert?
High Desert enrolls approximately 307 students in grades 05-08.
What age range does High Desert serve?
High Desert serves students from grade 05 through grade 08.
How many teachers does High Desert have?
High Desert employs 14 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 21.6:1.
What is the student diversity at High Desert?
Student demographics at High Desert are roughly 36% White, 58% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is High Desert in?
High Desert is part of Acton-Agua Dulce Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.