Palm Desert High School
74-910 Aztec Road, Palm Desert, CA 92260View on map
- Public
- Palm Desert
- 468 seniors
- 2,107 students
Palm Desert High School is a public high school in Palm Desert (Desert Sands Unified) with 468 seniors. In fall 2025, 73% of its 131 University of California applicants were admitted, compared with a county median of 81%. Its students applied most often to UC San Diego (UCSD), UC Irvine (UCI), and UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). 74% of the class of 2023 completed the A–G courses UC requires.
UC admit rate
73%
96 of 131 applicants, fall 2025
Seniors admitted to a UC
21%
96 of 468 seniors
Seniors who applied to UC
28%
131 of 468 seniors
UC Los Angeles (UCLA) admit rate
12%
9 of 77 applicants, fall 2025
UC Berkeley (Cal) admit rate
20%
11 of 54 applicants, fall 2025
Campus by campus, fall 2025
The share of this school's applicants each campus admitted, beside the campus's rate for everyone else. Hardest campus first.
University of California
Palm Desert High School applicants did better than all California applicants at 5 of 9 campuses, about the same at 4.
- Los AngelesAbout the same
12%
9 of 77 admitted
This school12%All CA10%
Admitted students' average GPA 4.20 (all applicants 3.97)
- Berkeley7 pts higher
20%
11 of 54 admitted
This school20%All CA13%
Admitted students' average GPA 4.26 (all applicants 3.96)
- Irvine14 pts higher
36%
31 of 85 admitted
This school36%All CA22%
Admitted students' average GPA 4.21 (all applicants 3.89)
- San Diego8 pts higher
33%
33 of 101 admitted
This school33%All CA25%
Admitted students' average GPA 4.25 (all applicants 3.90)
- Santa BarbaraAbout the same
33%
27 of 83 admitted
This school33%All CA32%
Admitted students' average GPA 4.27 (all applicants 3.90)
- Davis13 pts higher
50%
25 of 50 admitted
This school50%All CA37%
Admitted students' average GPA 4.16 (all applicants 3.98)
- Santa CruzAbout the same
74%
37 of 50 admitted
This school74%All CA71%
Admitted students' average GPA 3.99 (all applicants 3.80)
- RiversideAbout the same
87%
55 of 63 admitted
This school87%All CA87%
Admitted students' average GPA 3.94 (all applicants 3.85)
- Merced4 pts higher
100%
27 of 27 admitted
This school100%All CA96%
Admitted students' average GPA 3.86 (all applicants 3.86)
Fall 2025. A student admitted to several campuses counts once at each one. All CA is the campus’s admit rate that fall for applicants from every California high school. Within 3 points counts as about the same. GPA is the UC-calculated GPA (weighted, capped).
California State University
Palm Desert High School applicants did better than the campus overall at 1 of 5 campuses, about the same at 4.
- San DiegoAbout the same
33%
74 of 224 admitted
This school33%Overall34%
- Long Beach10 pts higher
57%
116 of 202 admitted
This school57%Overall47%
- FullertonAbout the same
90%
106 of 118 admitted
This school90%Overall87%
- San MarcosAbout the same
98%
86 of 88 admitted
This school98%Overall96%
- San BernardinoAbout the same
95%
76 of 80 admitted
This school95%Overall98%
Fall 2025. A student admitted to several campuses counts once at each one. Overall is the campus’s admit rate for all its applicants, from federal IPEDS data (fall 2023, the latest published). Within 3 points counts as about the same.
Where graduates go
Class of 2023 (466 graduates), the latest published by fall 2025, within 12 months of graduating.
Any college
79%
368 of 466 graduates
UC or CSU
19%
89 graduates
Community college
41%
190 graduates
| Destination | Graduates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| UC | 48 | 10% |
| CSU | 41 | 9% |
| CA private college | 28 | 6% |
| Out of state | 61 | 13% |
| Community college | 190 | 41% |
| Not enrolled | 98 | 21% |
| Enrolled in college | 368 | 79% |
| Total | 466 | 100% |
How each student group compares
Compare college-going across student groups
- Gender: Male, Female
- Race & ethnicity: Hispanic or Latino, White, Asian, Two or more races
- Student need: Low-income, Students with disabilities, English learners
Advanced Placement
20
AP courses offered
2023–24 school year · US Dept. of Education Civil Rights Data Collection
105
AP class sections
Counts every section taught, so it is larger than the number of different AP courses.
77% of students are in AP courses
2024–25 school year · California School Accountability Report Card
40%
of graduating seniors passed at least two AP exams or courses
201 of 501 graduates
A score of 3 or higher on exams or a C- or better in courses. Not comparable with the exam-only share.
2025–26 school year · California Department of Education (College/Career Indicator)
26%
of graduating seniors scored 3 or higher on at least two AP exams
127 of 489 graduates
2023–24 school year · California Department of Education (College/Career Indicator)
Subject areas
- English: 33 classes
- Fine and performing arts: 14 classes
- Foreign language: 3 classes
- Mathematics: 12 classes
- Science: 8 classes
- Social science: 26 classes
Academic context
State test (CAASPP), juniors tested in 2026, and the share of low-income students. A–G is the class of 2023. The tick is the county median.
- Juniors meeting the English standard 69%County median 52%
- Juniors meeting the math standard 38%County median 18%
- Juniors exceeding the English standard 31%County median 20%
- Juniors exceeding the math standard 15%County median 6%
- Low-income students 59%County median 83%
- Graduates completing courses 74%County median 54%