Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Desert Sands Unified

This page covers 19 of the 20 elementary schools in Desert Sands Unified had enough federal data to rank, including 1 charter school. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

19
Schools Ranked
California
State
1
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 19
1
rank
Ronald Reagan Elementary
Grades KG–05834 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
44
/100
Student:Teacher
26.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
55/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
53%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
James Earl Carter Elementary
Grades KG–05516 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
43
/100
Student:Teacher
22.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
53%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
Gerald R. Ford Elementary
Grades KG–05603 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
42
/100
Student:Teacher
22.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
40/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
59%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
George Washington Charter
Grades KG–05755 studentsCharter
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
41
/100
Student:Teacher
25.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
49%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
James Monroe Elementary
Grades KG–05581 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
40
/100
Student:Teacher
24.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
64%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
Richard R. Oliphant Elementary
Grades KG–05620 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
40
/100
Student:Teacher
23.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
71%
High economic need
7
rank
Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies
Grades KG–05782 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
39
/100
Student:Teacher
24.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
38/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
60%
Near nat'l 52.2%
8
rank
Carrillo Ranch Elementary
Grades KG–05492 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
39
/100
Student:Teacher
22.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
38/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
81%
High economic need
9
rank
Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy
Grades KG–05591 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
39
/100
Student:Teacher
23.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
38/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
76%
High economic need
10
rank
John F. Kennedy Elementary
Grades KG–05446 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($18,016/student)
38
/100
Student:Teacher
23.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
38/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$18,016
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
84%
High economic need
9 more elementary schools in Desert Sands Unified not shown here.
View all schools in Desert Sands Unified
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
19
Elementary Schools
35
Total Schools
44
#1 Score
39
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare Desert Sands Unified with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.