District overview
At a glance
Source years shown below
Reported students
25,615
NCES CCD 2024–25, where reported
Open schools
35
NCES preliminary directory 2025–26
Student–teacher ratio
23.7:1
Calculated from NCES 2024–25 enrollment and teacher FTE
Spending per pupil
$17,070
Current expenditure · FY 2023 F-33
Instruction per pupil
$10,226
Calculated from FY 2023 F-33
Grades served
KG–12
NCES preliminary directory 2025–26
District interpretation
What the numbers say about Desert Sands Unified
Desert Sands Unified operates 35 current public-school records serving grades KG–12 in La Quinta, California. NCES reports 25,615 students and 1,080.81 classroom teacher FTE for 2024–25.
By reported enrollment, the district ranks 32 of 2014 California districts with data. That position describes scale only—it does not say whether individual schools are a good fit for a particular student.
FY 2023 finance records show $17,070 in current expenditure per pupil and $10,226 per pupil assigned to instruction. This places reported current spending 997 of 1893 districts in California. Local wages, transportation, special education, facilities, and district responsibilities all affect this comparison.
Student context
Needs schools plan for
- English learners
- 22.5%
- Students with disabilities (IDEA)
- 11.8%
- Classroom teachers (FTE)
- 1,080.81
- Current expenditure (FY 2023)
- $450,294,000
Context measures describe who a district serves and its resources. They are not negative rating inputs.
Desert Sands Unified location
La Quinta, California · 33.7024, -116.2763. This is the NCES EDGE district-office point, not an attendance boundary.
Open exact point in OpenStreetMap →Student demographics
Race and ethnicity share of reported enrollment
- White14.6%
- Hispanic76.4%
- Black1.3%
- Asian2.9%
- American Indian / Alaska Native0.3%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.1%
- Multiracial4.3%
Race/ethnicity: NCES CCD 2024–25 where reported, otherwise CRDC 2021–22. English learner and disability context: CRDC 2021–22. Totals can differ due to rounding or source privacy rules.
Interactive campus directory
Explore schools in Desert Sands Unified
35 current directory entries
Filter by school level or name, then sort by enrollment or reported student–teacher ratio.
Showing 35 of 35 schools