Bella Vista Elementary, Desert Hot Springs CA

Original Research by School Decision on Bella Vista Elementary

Bella Vista Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Desert Hot Springs, a small desert city in the Coachella Valley known for its natural mineral springs and wellness-focused economy. The school sits within Palm Springs Unified School District, which in November 2024 won voter approval for a substantial school facilities bond aimed at modernizing aging classrooms and buildings across the district, including improvements at schools approaching middle age. This signals a district-wide commitment to infrastructure renewal that will shape the longer-term environment.

The student body at Bella Vista is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller share of white students and smaller populations of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The overwhelming majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the surrounding community. Data on the share of English learners and students receiving special education services was not available.

On state assessments, Bella Vista's proficiency rates are low across both English language arts and mathematics. In tested grades, students show proficiency rates in the low to mid-range in ELA, with mathematics proficiency notably lower. The school also reported science proficiency results for fifth grade, which were similarly modest. The school has only one year of comparable assessment data, so longer-term trend information is not available. When positioned against other districts in Riverside County, Bella Vista's overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint among comparable schools in the county. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what reading and math support structures are in place, what interventions target struggling students, and what the school's strategic priorities are for raising achievement.

The surrounding neighborhood and housing market show modest property values, with a homeownership rate and rental costs that reflect Desert Hot Springs' positioning as an affordable community within the Coachella Valley. The area is car-oriented; most residents drive alone to work, and the local economy centers on health care and social assistance, retail trade, and hospitality and food service tied to tourism.

Bella Vista is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. It enrolls students across all six grades in roughly even distribution, with a moderate total enrollment typical for an elementary school serving multiple neighborhoods. The school is located on Avenida Jalisco in the city proper.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 32% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 25% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 21% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 34% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 29% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 36% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 21% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

This schoolPalm Springs 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.