Cabot Yerxa Elementary, Desert Hot Springs CA

Original Research by School Decision on Cabot Yerxa Elementary

Cabot Yerxa Elementary is a small school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Desert Hot Springs, a small desert city centered on natural hot mineral springs and wellness tourism in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County. The school enrolls a student body that is nearly all Hispanic, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Most students are learning English or come from households where Spanish is primary, though the school's data on English learner enrollment was not available.

State testing results place the school in the bottom quartile of proficiency among school districts in Riverside County. In English language arts, students across grades three through five showed mixed performance, with fifth-grade proficiency running higher than third and fourth grade. In mathematics across the same grades, proficiency rates were substantially lower across all three grades. Fifth-grade science proficiency was also low. These results reflect the fact that a large majority of students at Cabot Yerxa are below grade-level standards in both reading and mathematics, and parents may want to look into further detail with the school about instructional approaches, intervention programs, and literacy and math support resources available to students.

The school sits in a community marked by affordable housing, a car-oriented layout, and an economy anchored in health care, hospitality, and retail. The local property values are below the state average, and median rents in the zip code are in the mid-range. This is a neighborhood where many families own their own homes but face affordability pressures. Desert Hot Springs describes itself as a growing city with available land and a pro-business stance, and the broader region is seeing steady residential demand.

The school is part of Palm Springs Unified, a district serving multiple communities across the valley. In November 2024, voters approved a school facilities bond that will fund modernization of aging classrooms and schools throughout the district, including improvements to some of the oldest facilities. The tax rate for the bond was structured so that property owners would not see an increase in their taxes compared to what they are already paying. This capital work will unfold over the coming years and affects the physical condition and modernization timeline of schools in the district, including this one.

Cabot Yerxa is a regular public elementary school with no charter or magnet designation. It serves the early grades, so it has no graduation rate, and special education and English learner program data were not available in the source. The school's weight in the community is tied to academic performance and school culture, and families considering enrollment should visit, speak with current parents and staff, and understand what supports the school offers to help students move from current performance levels toward grade-level standards.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 32% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 413%

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

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

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 21% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 34% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 29% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 15 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 513%

School 13% · District 21% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 10 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.