Martin Van Buren Elementary, Indio CA

Original Research by School Decision on Martin Van Buren Elementary

Martin Van Buren Elementary is a public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Indio, California, with an enrollment of about five hundred students. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, reflecting the broader Indio community. The school is part of Desert Sands Unified, which in March 2024 won voter approval for a bond measure to modernize aging facilities across the district.

On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, the school's results show a pattern worth understanding clearly. In English language arts, proficiency ranged from the low thirties at third grade to just under half at fifth grade. In math, proficiency was lower, hovering in the low to mid-thirties across tested grades. In science, measured only at fifth grade, proficiency was around one-fifth of students. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's tested schools, a position that reflects strong relative performance within Riverside County, though the absolute numbers show that many students are not yet meeting state standards in core subjects.

The data available does not include breakdowns by English learner or special education status, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how it serves students learning English and students with disabilities. Attendance, chronic absenteeism, and discipline data were also not provided in the records on file.

Indio itself is a suburban, affordable alternative to Southern California's pricier coastal areas. The city is home to the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals and has a recognizable downtown anchored by historic Miles Avenue. The city is investing in civic and downtown revitalization, with a new Civic Center Campus under development and plans to transform major corridors into more walkable, pedestrian-oriented spaces. Housing in the zip code is moderately priced, and the local economy centers on healthcare, retail, construction, agriculture, and hospitality tied to festivals and tourism. The neighborhood is served by public parks, recreation centers, and public transit through SunLine Transit Agency. New residential development, including a Del Webb 55+ community and mixed-use projects, is underway, and the city is tracking modest steady growth.

District schools are aging; many are over decades old. The bond measure approved in early 2024 will fund HVAC upgrades, shade structures, and classroom modernization across the system. The tax rate is not increasing, but the current rate extends through a specified future date. For a family considering the area, this represents both a commitment to school infrastructure improvement and a factor in long-term property tax planning.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 35% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 30% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 38% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 42%

even with state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 44% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 30% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 1 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.