La Quinta High

La Quinta High, an expansive four-year high school in La Quinta, California, one of the schools within Desert Sands Unified, educates 2,425 students, covering grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 838 students per school, that is 189% above typical.

Desert Sands Unified runs 34 schools in total, collectively educating 25,613 students. La Quinta High is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, La Quinta High shows that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 77% of enrollment; the rest is composed of 16% White, 3% multiracial, 3% Asian. By comparison, Riverside County as a whole is about 51% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 98 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 24.8:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 18.2:1 average. An estimated 74% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

With demographic context factored in, La Quinta High tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 35.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 44.3%.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Riverside County) shows that median household earnings sit near $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%. La Quinta High is one of 543 public schools in Riverside County (combined enrollment of about 424,872 students).

The closest other public school is Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts La Quinta High at 1st of 7; the average score across the group is 25.5%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Looking at the recent track record. La Quinta High's enrollment has decreased 10% since 2018, when it stood at 2,691 (now 2,425). The Hispanic share of enrollment increased from 68% to 77% over that span. Class-load math has fell: from 27.0:1 in 2018 to 24.8:1 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.