Location: Lancaster, CA
Are you a student or parent at Desert Winds Continuation High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to Desert Winds Continuation High available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe Desert Winds Continuation High is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Desert Winds Continuation High students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at Desert Winds Continuation High
- Every sports team you can join at Desert Winds Continuation High
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Desert Winds Continuation High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Lancaster, CA in Los Angeles County.
Based on its location, Desert Winds Continuation High is classified as a school in a large suburb. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Desert Winds Continuation High School45030 Third St. E. Lancaster, CA 93535-2503
Phone number: 6619487555
Desert Winds Continuation High School homepage: https://dwhs-avuhsd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Principal: Kevin WassnerEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Desert Winds Continuation High School is 760 students, making it a somewhat large high school, in the top half of all California high schools by size.
As a mid-sized high school, Desert Winds Continuation High strikes the balance between size and comfort. There will be enough students to provide a diversity of experiences, like clubs and sports, for you to join. But it'll be small enough that you'll likely get to know most people in your class.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Desert Winds Continuation High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at Desert Winds Continuation High has steadily decreased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 10th grade | 25 | 11 | 36 |
| 11th grade | 209 | 131 | 340 |
| 12th grade | 225 | 155 | 380 |
As you can see in the table above, the senior class is 376 students larger than the freshman class. This suggests that Desert Winds Continuation High is shrinking in size and taking on fewer students.
There are a few reasons this can happen. The population of Lancaster could be decreasing, thus sending fewer students into Desert Winds Continuation High. Alternatively, other schools (like charter or private schools) might be appearing, drawing students away.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Desert Winds Continuation High School?
From our statistics, Desert Winds Continuation High has a 61:39 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
There is a large male majority at Desert Winds Continuation High, and much more than you would expect from the general population in Los Angeles County. As a result, it'll feel like there are a lot more girls than boys in your classes.
Sometimes this imbalance can result from random chance and may not suggest anything about Desert Winds Continuation High. In other cases, the school might preferentially select for males. For example, in our data we find that continuation high schools unfortunately seem to be male-dominated. In yet other cases, other neighboring schools might attract female students, drawing them away from Desert Winds Continuation High.
If the male majority is concerning to you, we suggest contacting Desert Winds Continuation High administration and asking if they have any thoughts about why there's a gender imbalance. Their phone number is 6619487555.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at Desert Winds Continuation High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, Desert Winds Continuation High has a diverse student body. No single ethnicity composes more than 50% of all students, which means you'll be surrounded by a diverse set of students in class. Only a third of California schools show this much diversity.
The most common ethnicity at Desert Winds Continuation High is Hispanic. In California, 51.5% of all students are Hispanic, making it the most common ethnicity. Even though Desert Winds Continuation High is relatively diverse, students of Hispanic descent are the most common ethnicity here.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1.4% | 11 |
| Asian | 1.4% | 11 |
| Hispanic | 40.2% | 306 |
| Black | 32.6% | 248 |
| White | 18.0% | 137 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 1 |
| Two or more races | 6.0% | 46 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Lancaster. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.
Income Level of Desert Winds Continuation High Families
What are the family incomes of students at Desert Winds Continuation High School? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.
To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.
To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.
The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.
At Desert Winds Continuation High, 2.1% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 46.1% qualify for free lunches.
This means Desert Winds Continuation High has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, Desert Winds Continuation High is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Lancaster is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 16 | 2.1% |
| Free lunches | 351 | 46.1% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 393 | 51.7% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Lancaster and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
Desert Winds Continuation High is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. Desert Winds Continuation High is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.
If you have any interests that Desert Winds Continuation High doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is Desert Winds Continuation High School to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?
To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at Desert Winds Continuation High: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.
These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other Desert Winds Continuation High students at risk.
In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 0 referrals to law enforcement, and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 433 students.
To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Antelope Valley Union High School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antelope Valley High | 0 | 0 | 1764 |
| Palmdale High | 0 | 0 | 3067 |
| Quartz Hill High | 0 | 0 | 3151 |
| Lancaster High | 0 | 0 | 2452 |
| Phoenix High Community Day | 0 | 0 | 140 |
| Desert Sands Charter | 0 | 0 | 1771 |
Academic Performance
Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at Desert Winds Continuation High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about Desert Winds Continuation High's academics here.
Graduation Rate
To start off, an important benchmark of academic achievement is graduation rate. For all students who start high school at Desert Winds Continuation High, the state of California wants as many students to graduate as possible, since a high school diploma can mean a big difference in getting a job.
At Desert Winds Continuation High, 76% Desert Winds Continuation High students graduated within four years of starting high school.
Here's how this stacks up to other schools. The California state government has defined 90% as a target rate. The state average is around 80-85%.
Desert Winds Continuation High is in the 38th percentile of all public high schools in California for graduation rate. This is below average. Generally, a graduation rate of above 90% is considered good and well above average, and below 75% is well below average.
Note: This data comes from a few years back, but the trends are likely to stay the same, since schools don't get significantly better or worse within a short period of time.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Desert Winds Continuation High School students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Desert Winds Continuation High School must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.
If Desert Winds Continuation High students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at Desert Winds Continuation High.
English/Language Arts
At Desert Winds Continuation High School, 13% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered well below average and puts Desert Winds Continuation High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. The vast majority of Desert Winds Continuation High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
This low percentage itself isn't much cause for concern - as teachers and students get more familiar with the new Common Core, the pass rate at Desert Winds Continuation High will likely increase. But it still reflects Desert Winds Continuation High's low standing among California high schools.
English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.
Math
The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.
At Desert Winds Continuation High School, 1% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Desert Winds Continuation High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Desert Winds Continuation High students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.
Math Test Results (2015)
Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.
Sports Teams
What’s Next?
Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!
Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.
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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- IBO.org