Palm Desert's Best Middle Schools Ranked In New Analysis: 2024

PALM DESERT, CA —Riverside Stem Academy, in the Riverside Unified School District — is the top public middle school in Riverside County, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

According to that publication, that school ranks at #16 in the state, with students showing an 82% proficiency in math and 85% proficiency in reading.

U.S. News researchers based the 2025 ranking of the nation’s best public middle schools on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. For the report, the researchers analyzed 59,128 middle schools. In California, 7,166 schools were ranked. Here's how Palm Desert ranked:

#471: Palm Desert Charter Middle, Desert Sands Unified School District

Go here to see the full list of the best California middle schools.

The methodology for the rankings focused on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in math and reading/language arts. It also accounted for students’ backgrounds and their achievements in core subjects. Student-teacher ratios were applied to break ties.

LaMont Jones, managing editor for Education at U.S. News, said in a news release that the rankings are intended as an evaluation tool to give parents a snapshot of how well schools provide high-quality education and prepare students for a successful future.