Shadow Hills High

Located at 39-225 Jefferson St., in Indio, California, Shadow Hills High is a big secondary school that caters to 1,650 students (grades 9 through 12), part of Desert Sands Unified. Compared to the state average of about 838 students per school, that is 97% bigger than typical.

Across the 34 schools in Desert Sands Unified (25,613 students total), Shadow Hills High accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Shadow Hills High reports that 86% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority; the rest reads as 8% White, 3% multiracial. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 51%.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 71 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 23.4:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 18.2:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 80% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Shadow Hills High sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 31.8%; this one delivers 30.2%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Riverside County) records that median household income runs about $93,074, roughly 26% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Shadow Hills High is one of 543 public schools in Riverside County (combined enrollment of about 424,872 students).

The closest other public school is Desert Ridge Academy, roughly 0.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Shadow Hills High comes 4th of 7 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 35.1%.

Shadow Hills High operates from a rural location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 21%: 2,100 students in 2018 compared to 1,650 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 14% to 8% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 26.2:1 in 2018 to 23.4:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.