The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cathedral City Elementary
Cathedral City Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a working-class Coachella Valley city between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage. The school sits in a community that is undergoing significant residential and commercial growth, with new neighborhoods, retail corridors, and logistics facilities expanding across the area, while maintaining a historically blue-collar character and a culturally diverse population.
The school's student body is almost entirely Hispanic, and a very substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment runs at a moderate size for an elementary school, distributed fairly evenly across the grade bands. The data does not provide counts for students receiving special education services or English learners, so a parent may want to reach out to the school directly about those populations and the supports available.
Academic performance across the school is well below state averages. On the most recent state assessments, proficiency in math ranged from around one-fifth to slightly above one-quarter of students across grades three through five, while proficiency in English language arts was around one-third. Proficiency in fifth-grade science was notably lower, at roughly one in six students. When viewed against the districts across Riverside County, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint. These are challenging results that reflect the learning gaps many students in this community face. A parent considering this school should plan for the reality that students here are not reaching grade-level benchmarks at typical rates and would want to understand what interventions the school has in place for students who need additional support in foundational skills.
The school is part of Palm Springs Unified School District. In late 2024, voters approved a substantial facilities bond that will fund classroom and building modernization across the district, including completing upgrades to Cathedral City High School. That bond extends the district's existing property-tax levy, with the rate holding steady over the bond's term rather than increasing further. For families, this signals ongoing capital investment in the district's aging facilities.
Cathedral City itself is a mixed residential and commercial city with a recognizable downtown arts and entertainment district centered on Avenida Lalo Guerrero, where the community amphitheater, library, and cultural venues cluster. Most of the city is car-dependent, organized around Highway [a figure] and Interstate 10 corridors, though the downtown core and some central neighborhoods support walking and biking. The city is in an active growth phase, with multiple new residential communities under development and the median home price in the zip code higher than the national benchmark. Rental costs are moderate by California standards. Healthcare facilities, the school district, the automotive center, Amazon distribution operations, and the Agua Caliente Casino form the employment base.
Cathedral City Elementary is a regular public school with no magnet or charter designation. State testing data was available for the school year shown; graduation-rate and chronic-absenteeism data do not apply to an elementary school. The school's website information was not provided, so a parent should visit directly or contact the district to learn about specific programs, schedules, and community engagement opportunities.
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