James Monroe Elementary

James Monroe Elementary is an elementary-level community of medium-sized scale in Bermuda Dunes, California, run under Desert Sands Unified, serveing 562 students in grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 21% larger than the state mean of about 465.

Within Desert Sands Unified, which oversees 34 schools and 25,613 students, James Monroe Elementary is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, James Monroe Elementary reports that Hispanic students make up the majority at 69%; the rest reads as 20% White, 6% multiracial, 3% Asian. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 51%.

On the resource side, The school reports having 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 25.6:1. The state averages around 22.3:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 69% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, James Monroe Elementary is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 38.4%; this one delivers 58.9%, a residual of +20.5 points.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Riverside County indicate median household income runs about $93,074, about 26% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. In all, Riverside County runs 543 public schools (combined enrollment of about 424,872 students), of which James Monroe Elementary is one.

Horizon is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), James Monroe Elementary ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 36.6%.

James Monroe Elementary operates from a suburban location.

Trend over the last 7 years. James Monroe Elementary's enrollment has contracted 15% since 2018, when it stood at 660 (now 562). White enrollment moved from 34% to 20% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio loosened from 23.6:1 in 2018 to 25.6:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.