The Desert Sands Unified School District (DSUSD) is a public school district with main offices located in La Quinta, California. The district was founded in 1964, after the California Department of Education consolidated all Indio public schools. As of 2017, DSUSD serves 28,958 students in Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, and parts of Rancho Mirage and Coachella.

History

In the 1930s and 1940s, Indio Public Schools consisted of Washington, Roosevelt, Jackson, Lincoln and Hoover schools, with the Jefferson school the sole junior high-level facility. In 1966, voters approved the consolidation of the Indio Elementary School District and the Coachella Valley Joint Union High School District, with some smaller elementary districts, into one, 760 square mile, district called Desert Sands Unified School District. The district initially served about 6,600 students. In 2010, using funds provided by the Magnet Schools Assistance Program, two elementary schools were converted to magnet schools: the Carrillo Ranch Elementary Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School and the John F. Kennedy Elementary Math and Science Magnet School. In 2016, the school district celebrated its 50th anniversary with an exhibit at the Coachella Valley History Museum, a former one-room school house built in 1909. In 2016-2017, Desert Sands began offering full-day Kindergarten at all schools (except for Washington Charter) in order to help prepare students and increase reading and writing skills. The expansion was funded by the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan. In 2017, Students in the Desert Sands Unified School District outperformed the other Coachella Valley school districts on statewide tests. In the 2018-19 school year, the school district launched a new One to World device initiative titled Connect. Chromebooks are used district-wide for grades 2-12 and the devices are being issued each year alongside textbooks. Students needing a wifi connection at home can also be issued a mifi device to connect to the district's network.

Schools

DSUSD has 20 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 4 high schools, 2 continuation high schools, an alternative education school, and 2 preschool programs.

Elementary schools

Middle schools

High schools

Other schools

Closed or Proposed Schools