Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy

Located at 37315 60th St. East, in Palmdale, California, Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy is a mid-sized junior high that serves 813 students (grades 6 through 8), operated by Palmdale Elementary. That puts it 23% larger than the typical public school in California, which averages around 659 students.

Palmdale Elementary comprises 29 schools with combined enrollment of 17,941 students; Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy is among them.

Looking at the student body, Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy records that 76% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 18% Black, 2% White. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 48%.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy has 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 22.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 20.7:1, putting Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy higher than the state norm the norm. Around 83% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably above Los Angeles County's rate of about 70%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 30.0%; this one delivers 20.4%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Los Angeles County put median household income runs about $90,112, roughly 36% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. In all, Los Angeles County runs 2244 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,265,907 students), of which Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy is one.

Nearest neighbor: Quail Valley Elementary, around 0.1 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy at 5th of 6; the average score across the group is 22.7%.

The campus sits in a commuter-belt setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 16%: 967 students in 2018 compared to 813 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 23.7:1 in 2018 to 22.1:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the feed for Shadow Hills Engineering and Design Magnet Academy typically covers sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.