Desert Sands Unified
Public school district · Riverside County · California · NCES district ID 0611110
Desert Sands Unified spent $17,070 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 53% of the other California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $16,855). Its 34 schools enrolled 25,613 students in 2024-25; 55.2% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $19,599 per student, up 14.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 94% (California: 86.2%).
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 Sands Unified in enrollment (24,456 to 27,748 students) and Desert Sands Unified itself.
Where the money came from
$646,780,000 in revenue: 55.2% state, 36.6% local and 8.2% federal. Total spending including $42,582,000 of capital outlay was $513,153,000, or $19,453 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$357,050,000 55%
- Local$236,915,000 37%
- Federal$52,815,000 8%
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 646 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
26,379 students in 2022-23, 25,897 students in 2023-24, 25,613 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 | 26,379 | 1103.2 | 23.9 |
| 2023-24 | 25,897 | 1088.7 | 23.8 |
| 2024-25 | 25,613 | 1080.8 | 23.7 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$136,794,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $5,186 per student
Desert Sands Unified booked $136,794,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,103 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 $123,996 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 86 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).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $107,038,000 | 78.2% |
| Special education | $20,438,000 | 14.9% |
| Vocational | $2,191,000 | 1.6% |
| Other programs | $7,127,000 | 5.2% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $4,238 in 2018-19, $4,295 in 2019-20, $4,360 in 2020-21, $4,738 in 2021-22, $5,186 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).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Desert Sands Unified scored proficient or above: 39% in reading and 26% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within California, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This district | California | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 39% | 45% | 11,527 |
| Math | 26% | 34% | 11,520 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
94% of the 2,260 students in Desert Sands Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 94% | 86.2% |
| Students in the class | 2,260 | 495,492 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
19 elementary schools, 10,889 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Elementary | 808 | 23.4 | 50.5% | Not reported |
| Andrew Jackson Elementary | 750 | 22.7 | 79.2% | Not reported |
| Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies | 748 | 24.9 | 47.6% | Not reported |
| George Washington Charter | 746 | 25.7 | 36.9% | Not reported |
| Harry S. Truman Elementary | 635 | 25.4 | 67.9% | Not reported |
| Benjamin Franklin Elementary | 627 | 21.6 | 69.9% | Not reported |
| Abraham Lincoln Elementary | 607 | 25.2 | 74.5% | Not reported |
| Gerald R. Ford Elementary | 598 | 23.9 | 49.7% | Not reported |
| Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy | 592 | 22.8 | 71.3% | Not reported |
| Richard R. Oliphant Elementary | 568 | 21.8 | 62.1% | Not reported |
| James Monroe Elementary | 562 | 25.5 | 54.8% | Not reported |
| Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary | 560 | 21.1 | 79.1% | Not reported |
The other 7 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Van Buren Elementary | 533 | 24.2 | 85.0% | Not reported |
| Theodore Roosevelt Elementary | 490 | 22.3 | 84.9% | Not reported |
| James Earl Carter Elementary | 487 | 22.1 | 48.3% | Not reported |
| Carrillo Ranch Elementary | 459 | 22.4 | 72.3% | Not reported |
| James Madison Elementary | 403 | 23.7 | 85.4% | Not reported |
| John F. Kennedy Elementary | 390 | 21.6 | 84.4% | Not reported |
| Herbert Hoover Elementary | 326 | 24.1 | 87.4% | 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.
7 middle schools, 5,866 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Desert Charter Middle | 1,298 | 27.6 | 47.4% | Not reported |
| John Glenn Middle School of International Studies | 1,099 | 24.4 | 47.8% | Not reported |
| Desert Ridge Academy | 962 | 23.6 | 65.9% | Not reported |
| Indio Middle | 768 | 22.4 | 83.2% | Not reported |
| La Quinta Middle | 709 | 23.4 | 70.7% | Not reported |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle | 591 | 27.0 | 84.4% | Not reported |
| Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle | 439 | 20.7 | 65.4% | 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.
7 high schools, 8,572 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Quinta High | 2,425 | 24.8 | 56.2% | Not reported |
| Palm Desert High | 2,079 | 26.0 | 44.5% | Not reported |
| Indio High | 1,962 | 23.6 | 82.5% | Not reported |
| Shadow Hills High | 1,650 | 23.4 | 63.8% | Not reported |
| Summit High (Continuation) | 195 | 16.5 | 75.9% | Not reported |
| Amistad High (Continuation) | 192 | 12.6 | 82.3% | Not reported |
| Desert Sands A.T.L.A.S. | 69 | 16.9 | 39.1% | 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.
1 other school, 286 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon | 286 | 22.3 | 72.0% | 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 Sands Unified
- Website: dsusd.us
- Phone: (760) 777-4200
- Office: 47-950 Dune Palms Rd., La Quinta, CA 92253
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 Sands Unified
- California districts by spending per studentDesert Sands Unified ranks 305 of 646 California districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($17,070).#305 of 646
- Every school district in CaliforniaDesert Sands Unified is the number 33 by size of 1,991 California districts, with 26,379 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#33 of 1,991
- Temecula Valley UnifiedThe next larger California district: 26,538 students in fall 2022, $14,165 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$14,165
- West Contra Costa UnifiedThe next smaller California district: 25,737 students in fall 2022, $19,122 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$19,122
- Compare Desert Sands Unified with Temecula Valley UnifiedEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- La Quinta High, its largest high school2,425 students in 2024-25, 24.8 per teacher.2,425
- Teacher salary spending across CaliforniaDesert Sands Unified spent $123,996 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $99,744); spending, not a salary.$123,996
- 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 Sands Unified
How many schools and students are in Desert Sands Unified?
34 schools were open in 2024-25 (19 elementary, 7 middle, 7 high, 1 other), enrolling 25,613 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Desert Sands Unified spend per student?
$17,070 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 at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $16,855 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $19,599 per student, up 14.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Desert Sands Unified's money come from?
$646,780,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 55.2% state, 36.6% local and 8.2% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Desert Sands Unified live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 2,923 of the 27,601 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 10.6%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Desert Sands Unified spend on teacher salaries?
$136,794,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $5,186 per student. Divided by the 1,103 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $123,996 per teacher, more than 86 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).How do students in Desert Sands Unified do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Desert Sands Unified scored proficient or above: 39% in reading and 26% in math, against 45% in reading and 34% in math across California. California's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Desert Sands Unified?
94% of the 2,260 students in Desert Sands Unified's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 86.2% across California. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Desert Sands Unified's NCES district ID?
0611110. 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
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.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, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.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