Desert Center Unified
Public school district · Riverside County · California · NCES district ID 0611100
Desert Center Unified spent $76,538 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, the most of the 1,238 California districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $17,666). Its one school enrolled 29 students in 2024-25; 15.0% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $104,280 per student, up 36.2% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among California districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Desert Center Unified in enrollment (21 to 31 students) and Desert Center Unified itself.
Where the money came from
$2,305,000 in revenue: 15.0% state, 79.1% local and 5.9% federal. Total spending including $399,000 of capital outlay was $2,389,000, or $91,885 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$345,000 15%
- Local$1,823,000 79%
- Federal$137,000 6%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 1,238 districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25
25 students in 2022-23, 25 students in 2023-24, 29 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 25 | 3.0 | 8.3 |
| 2023-24 | 25 | 3.0 | 8.3 |
| 2024-25 | 29 | 3.0 | 9.7 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$230,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $8,846 per student
Desert Center Unified booked $230,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 3 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $76,667 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 15 in 100 California districts with a figure (state median $99,744, 1,149 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,621 in 2018-19, $9,571 in 2019-20, $8,950 in 2020-21, $7,893 in 2021-22, $8,846 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
1 elementary school, 29 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Mountain Elementary | 29 | 9.7 | 69.0% | Not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
Contact Desert Center Unified
- Website: dcusd.schoolblocks.com
- Phone: (760) 413-2646
- Office: 1434 Kaiser Rd., Desert Center, CA 92239
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Desert Center Unified
- California districts by spending per studentDesert Center Unified ranks 4 of 1,238 California districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($76,538).#4 of 1,238
- Every school district in CaliforniaDesert Center Unified is the number 1,954 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 26 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#1,954 of 1,991
- Big Creek ElementaryThe next larger California district: 28 students in fall 2022, $54,607 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$54,607
- Death Valley UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 24 students in fall 2022, $59,417 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$59,417
- Compare Desert Center Unified with Big Creek ElementaryEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaDesert Center Unified spent $76,667 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$76,667
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Desert Center Unified
How many schools and students are in Desert Center Unified?
One school was open in 2024-25 (1 elementary), enrolling 29 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Desert Center Unified spend per student?
$76,538 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the California median for districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $17,666 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $104,280 per student, up 36.2% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Desert Center Unified's money come from?
$2,305,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 15.0% state, 79.1% local and 5.9% federal (NCES F-33).How much does Desert Center Unified spend on teacher salaries?
$230,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $8,846 per student. Divided by the 3 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $76,667 per teacher, more than 15 in 100 California districts (state median $99,744). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average California teacher salary at $87,275 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).What is Desert Center Unified's NCES district ID?
0611100. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25