John F. Kennedy Elementary, Indio CA

Original Research by School Decision on John F. Kennedy Elementary

John F. Kennedy Elementary sits in Indio, a growing city in the Coachella Valley that mixes suburban residential neighborhoods with commercial corridors. The city has a recognizable historic downtown anchored by Miles Avenue, is known widely for hosting the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, and functions as an economic hub where healthcare, retail, construction, and hospitality are the dominant employment sectors. Housing in the area is more affordable than coastal Southern California, and the city is experiencing steady residential growth with major new developments underway, including mixed-use projects and large new housing communities.

The school enrolls a small population of students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The vast majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic. Demographic data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the reported data.

State test results from the most recent year show persistently low proficiency across all tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, proficiency rates ranged from single digits in fifth grade to modest levels in third grade. Mathematics proficiency was similarly low, with rates in single digits in fourth and fifth grades. Science proficiency in fifth grade was also very low. Overall, proficiency rates place the school in the bottom quartile among districts in Riverside County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what academic supports are in place and what the school's response plan includes.

Desert Sands Unified, the parent district, serves the Coachella Valley and has made a long-term commitment to school infrastructure. In March 2024, voters approved a general obligation bond to repair, modernize, and rebuild aging district schools, funding HVAC upgrades, shade structures, classroom and science lab modernization, and career-training facilities. Rather than raising tax rates, the measure extends the existing tax obligation through a specified future year. For families considering the district and the property market, this represents a sustained tax commitment tied to school improvement, a meaningful factor alongside academic outcomes when weighing the value proposition of living in the area.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 321%

School 21% · District 35% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 411%

School 11% · District 35% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 52%

School 2% · District 30% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 38% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 42% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 44% · ▼ 35 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 30% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

This schoolDesert Sands Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.