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Best kept secret at James Earl Carter Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
487
Elementary
DISTRICT 573 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DESERT SANDS UNIFIED·NCES 061111006219
James Earl Carter Elementary
74-251 Hovley Ln. East, Palm Desert, CA 92260 · (760) 862-4370 · Riverside County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL487 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 74% of California public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- DThree-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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
22.1:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.4:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
63%
308 students
DISTRICT 79% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 81 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 75 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 69 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 87 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 84 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 91 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (81) is 11% smaller than its 5th grade class (91).
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 39% · 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
56.0%
CA avg 49.1% . -8.0pp since 2014
Math
51.6%
CA avg 37.7% . -3.4pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 56 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 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 8 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 | 30.2% | 25.8% | 20.6% | 23.4% |
| Math | 32.0% | 19.6% | 25.2% | 23.2% |
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 | 56.0% | 51.6% |
| 2023-24 | 63.2% | 51.0% |
| 2022-23 | 64.6% | 58.1% |
| 2021-22 | 62.5% | 54.3% |
| 2018-19 | 72.2% | 56.1% |
| 2017-18 | 70.4% | 60.1% |
| 2016-17 | 66.4% | 60.2% |
| 2015-16 | 65.0% | 59.0% |
| 2014-15 | 64.0% | 55.0% |
% 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
55.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.5%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+12.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 42% 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 James Earl Carter Elementary
James Earl Carter Elementary's state test result (55.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Earl Carter Elementary this school | 487 | 63.2% | 55.2% |
| Stockard Coffee Elementary Modesto | 461 | 62.9% | 40.1% |
| New Haven Elementary Manteca | 514 | 61.7% | 32.8% |
| Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary Modesto | 532 | 61.7% | 42.0% |
| River Charter Schools Lighthouse Charter West Sacramento | 446 | 62.8% | N/A |
| Mayall Street Elementary North Hills | 471 | 65.0% | 69.5% |
Matched among California elementary 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 James Earl Carter Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Riverside County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 55.2% | #1,392 of 5,151 | #37 of 283 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 51.6% | #1,478 of 5,172 ▼ 28 | #41 of 283 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.0% | #1,606 of 5,172 ▼ 529 | #54 of 283 ▼ 33 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -4.6pp | #634 of 5,116 | #19 of 280 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 487 | #2,601 of 5,915 | #243 of 296 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 22.1:1 | #2,238 of 5,352 | #67 of 292 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 64.6% | #1,303 of 5,354 | #52 of 292 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 63.2% | #3,320 of 5,625 | #230 of 294 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -26.5% | #784 of 3,837 | #20 of 207 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
487
-64 (-12%) vs 2020
-30% since 2000-01, when it was 693
Student : Teacher
22.1:1
was 20.4:1
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 | 487 | 22.1 | 22.1:1 | 63% (308) |
| 2023-24 | 517 | 23 | 22.5:1 | 56% (291) |
| 2022-23 | 516 | 23 | 22.4:1 | 53% (274) |
| 2020-21 | 551 | 27 | 20.4:1 | 57% (316) |
| 2017-18 | 663 | 29 | 22.9:1 | 57% (375) |
| 2015-16 | 680 | 28 | 24.3:1 | 50% (339) |
| 2010-11 | 631 | N/A | N/A | 43% (274) |
| 2000-01 | 693 | 34 | 20.4:1 | 22% (151) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James Earl Carter Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 27% (663 to 487); teachers down 24% (29 to 22.1).
About James Earl Carter Elementary
Located in Palm Desert, California, James Earl Carter Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school. Its 487 students are spread across kindergarten through 5.
Desert Sands Unified includes 34 schools. Together they enroll 25,613 students.
A majority of students at James Earl Carter Elementary, 52%, are Hispanic. The next largest groups are 26% White, 10% Asian, 9% multiracial, and 2% Black. County-wide, about 51% of residents are Hispanic. By the diversity index, James Earl Carter Elementary comes in at 65%.
Teachers at the school number 22.1 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 22.1:1. Elementary schools in California have a similar average ratio of 22.3:1. Roughly 63% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Across public schools in Riverside County, the average is 74%.
The allk12 Grade for James Earl Carter Elementary is B+. Compared with California public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 74% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
The model predicts 42.5% for a school in California with James Earl Carter Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch share. James Earl Carter Elementary posts 55.2%.
County data help place the school in context: in Riverside County, median household income is about $93,074, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 26% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 8%. The public schools of Riverside County number 543 and enroll about 424,872.
The closest other public school is Abraham Lincoln Elementary, about 0.8 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts James Earl Carter Elementary at 3rd of 9.
By NCES locale, the school is City: Small, or inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
The number of students declined from 551 to 487 over 4 years. Students per teacher rose from 20.4 in 2020-21 to 22.1 in 2024-25.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for James Earl Carter Elementary covering things like enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Riverside County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
2,478,600
Census ACS
Median income
$93,074
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
543
424,872 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Desert Sands Unified
- La Quinta HighHigh · 2,425 students
- Palm Desert HighHigh · 2,079 students
- Indio HighHigh · 1,962 students
- Shadow Hills HighHigh · 1,650 students
- Palm Desert Charter MiddleMiddle · 1,298 students
- John Glenn Middle School of International StudiesMiddle · 1,099 students
Other schools in Palm Desert
- Palm Desert HighHigh · 2,079 students
- Palm Desert Charter MiddleMiddle · 1,298 students
- Ronald Reagan ElementaryElementary · 808 students
- George Washington CharterElementary · 746 students
- Abraham Lincoln ElementaryElementary · 607 students
Nearby schools
- Abraham Lincoln Elementary0.8 mi · 607
- Palm Desert Charter Middle0.8 mi · 1,298
- Palm Desert High1.1 mi · 2,079
- George Washington Charter2.1 mi · 746
- Rancho Mirage Elementary2.9 mi · 349
- Ronald Reagan Elementary3.3 mi · 808
Frequently asked questions
About James Earl Carter ElementaryHow large is James Earl Carter Elementary?
James Earl Carter Elementary enrolls approximately 487 students in grades KG-05.
Is James Earl Carter Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
James Earl Carter Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does James Earl Carter Elementary have?
James Earl Carter Elementary employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 22.1:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at James Earl Carter Elementary?
At James Earl Carter Elementary, the student body is approximately 26% White, 52% Hispanic, 2% Black, 10% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is James Earl Carter Elementary in?
James Earl Carter Elementary is part of Desert Sands Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.