1
Enrollment
709
Middle
DISTRICT 838 · STATE 659
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DESERT SANDS UNIFIED·NCES 061111009358
La Quinta Middle
78-900 Avenue 50, La Quinta, CA 92253 · (760) 777-4220 · Riverside County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL709 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 36% of California public middle schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats 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
23.4:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 24.2:1 · STATE 20.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
85%
605 students
DISTRICT 79% · 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 | 214 | 30% |
| Grade 7 | 230 | 32% |
| Grade 8 | 265 | 37% |
Student demographics
37%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
36.0%
CA avg 49.1% . +10.0pp since 2014
Math
22.8%
CA avg 37.7% . +0.8pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 36 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 23 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 10 points since 2014, while math scores have held steady.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 9.0% | 27.0% | 28.5% | 35.5% |
| Math | 11.8% | 11.1% | 25.4% | 51.8% |
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 | 36.0% | 22.8% |
| 2023-24 | 34.2% | 20.3% |
| 2022-23 | 32.4% | 23.5% |
| 2021-22 | 38.1% | 24.9% |
| 2018-19 | 41.6% | 29.2% |
| 2017-18 | 32.9% | 24.7% |
| 2016-17 | 34.3% | 20.9% |
| 2015-16 | 38.0% | 18.0% |
| 2014-15 | 26.0% | 22.0% |
% 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
28.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
29.5%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 28% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 30% 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 La Quinta Middle
La Quinta Middle's state test result (28.4% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Quinta Middle this school | 709 | 85.3% | 28.4% |
| Rincon Middle Escondido | 772 | 83.0% | 31.9% |
| Creekside Junior High Los Banos | 812 | 84.6% | 19.1% |
| Lompoc Valley Middle Lompoc | 744 | 82.0% | 19.5% |
| Herbert Hoover Middle Merced | 629 | 87.3% | 26.4% |
| Burton Middle Porterville | 586 | 83.6% | 37.0% |
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 La Quinta Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Riverside County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 28.4% | #789 of 1,224 | #40 of 78 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 22.8% | #771 of 1,227 ▲ 17 | #37 of 78 ▲ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.0% | #823 of 1,227 ▼ 11 | #45 of 78 ▼ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -2.0pp | #198 of 1,214 | #11 of 77 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 709 | #584 of 1,377 | #67 of 79 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.4:1 | #1,014 of 1,279 | #51 of 78 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 37.1% | #858 of 1,278 | #49 of 77 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 85.3% | #410 of 1,329 | #35 of 78 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +25.9% | #30 of 257 | #1 of 15 |
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
709
-47 (-6%) vs 2020
-4% since 1990-91, when it was 737
Student : Teacher
23.4:1
was 27.0:1
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 | 709 | 30.3 | 23.4:1 | 85% (605) |
| 2023-24 | 688 | 31 | 22.2:1 | 84% (581) |
| 2022-23 | 754 | 32 | 23.6:1 | 83% (624) |
| 2020-21 | 756 | 28 | 27.0:1 | 87% (658) |
| 2017-18 | 563 | 23.1 | 24.4:1 | 81% (457) |
| 2015-16 | 425 | 21 | 20.2:1 | 84% (356) |
| 2010-11 | 677 | N/A | N/A | 68% (461) |
| 2000-01 | 1,436 | 59 | 24.3:1 | 40% (569) |
| 1990-91 | 737 | 31 | 23.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for La Quinta Middle.
Since 2017-18: students up 26% (563 to 709); teachers up 31% (23.1 to 30.3).
About La Quinta Middle
La Quinta Middle is a medium-sized middle-grades school based in La Quinta, California. Students in grades 6 through 8 attend the school, which enrolls 709 students.
Desert Sands Unified has 25,613 students spread across 34 schools.
La Quinta Middle's enrollment is 78% Hispanic. Next come 11% White and 7% multiracial. That compares with about 51% Hispanic among all Riverside County residents. By the diversity index, La Quinta Middle comes in at 37%.
Its teaching staff equals 30.3 full-time positions, a ratio of 23.4:1. For comparison, middle schools in California average 20.7:1. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 85%. The 74% average for public schools in Riverside County is 11 points lower.
The allk12 Grade for La Quinta Middle is C+. Compared with California public middle schools, the school scored higher than 36% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
After adjusting for student poverty, La Quinta Middle lands between the top and bottom 10% of California schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 28.4%; the prediction is 29.5%.
Among Riverside County residents, median household income is about $93,074, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 543 public schools in Riverside County, with a combined enrollment of about 424,872.
Nearest public school: Harry S. Truman Elementary, about 0.1 miles away. The five-mile area around La Quinta Middle holds at least 8 other public schools. La Quinta Middle's average proficiency of 28.4% compares with 37.9% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Under the NCES locale system, La Quinta Middle is Suburb: Large.
Enrollment was 756 in 2020-21 and 709 in 2024-25, a decrease of 47 students. The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 27.0:1 to 23.4:1.
Parents and students can post about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs at La Quinta Middle. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
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 La Quinta
- La Quinta HighHigh · 2,425 students
- Harry S. Truman ElementaryElementary · 635 students
- Benjamin Franklin ElementaryElementary · 627 students
- Colonel Mitchell Paige MiddleMiddle · 439 students
- HorizonCombined · 286 students
- Summit High (Continuation)High · 195 students
Nearby schools
- Harry S. Truman Elementary0.1 mi · 635
- Benjamin Franklin Elementary1.3 mi · 627
- La Quinta High1.8 mi · 2,425
- Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies2.3 mi · 748
- Mountain Vista Elementary2.3 mi · 599
- John Glenn Middle School of International Studies2.4 mi · 1,099
Frequently asked questions
About La Quinta MiddleWhat is the total enrollment at La Quinta Middle?
La Quinta Middle enrolls approximately 709 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does La Quinta Middle serve?
La Quinta Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at La Quinta Middle?
Approximately 23.4:1 students per teacher at La Quinta Middle.
What is the student diversity at La Quinta Middle?
Student demographics at La Quinta Middle are roughly 11% White, 78% Hispanic, 2% Black, 2% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is La Quinta Middle public or private?
La Quinta Middle is a public K-12 school, overseen by Desert Sands Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.