District guide
Desert Sands Unified public schools
Parent-focused district context for Riverside County, CA: school list, grade pathway, enrollment scale, profile links, and the local checks to make before using the district in a housing decision.
Direct answer for parents
What Desert Sands Unified tells you before choosing a home
Desert Sands Unified is listed with 35 public schools and 26,379 reported students in the current NCES file. Treat this as a district-level research page: it helps you understand scale, grade coverage, and school records, but it does not confirm the school assigned to a specific address.
The current district file lists 20 primary, 7 middle, 7 high, 1 other schools. Verify transition grades, feeder patterns, transfer policies, and program eligibility with the district.
35 district schools are associated with Riverside County in the current file, about 7% of listed county schools. Confirm address-level assignment locally.
Grade pathway
District school mix by level
Use this section to separate elementary, middle, high, and other school records before comparing commute, programs, and assignment rules.
20
11,115 reported students
7
5,934 reported students
7
8,916 reported students
1
414 reported students
Parent checks for Desert Sands Unified
These are the local questions that matter after the public data narrows the field.
Confirm the assigned school
Use official attendance-zone or address lookup tools before assuming a school serves a home.
Check transition grades
Elementary choices can split into different middle or high school paths, especially in large districts.
Verify choice-program rules
Charter, magnet, virtual, and transfer options can require applications, lotteries, or eligibility checks.
Compare similar schools
Compare schools at the same level before treating enrollment, grade span, or school type as a quality signal.
School records
Largest listed schools in Desert Sands Unified
Sorted by reported enrollment. Profile links appear where SchoolsByCounty has generated an individual school page; listed-only records still preserve NCES grade, type, city, and enrollment fields.
| School | Level | Grades | City | Enrollment | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Quinta High Regular | High | 9–12 | La Quinta | 2,500 | Profile |
| Indio High Regular | High | 9–12 | Indio | 2,143 | Profile |
| Palm Desert High Regular | High | 9–12 | Palm Desert | 2,050 | Profile |
| Shadow Hills High Regular | High | 9–12 | Indio | 1,751 | Profile |
| Palm Desert Charter Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Palm Desert | 1,347 | Profile |
| John Glenn Middle School of International Studies Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Indio | 1,045 | Profile |
| Desert Ridge Academy Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Indio | 1,030 | Profile |
| Ronald Reagan Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Palm Desert | 834 | Listed only |
| Indio Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Indio | 784 | Listed only |
| Amelia Earhart Elementary School of International Studies Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 782 | Listed only |
| George Washington Charter Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Palm Desert | 755 | Listed only |
| La Quinta Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | La Quinta | 754 | Listed only |
| Andrew Jackson Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 748 | Listed only |
| Harry S. Truman Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | La Quinta | 666 | Listed only |
| Richard R. Oliphant Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 620 | Listed only |
| Benjamin Franklin Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | La Quinta | 619 | Listed only |
| Gerald R. Ford Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indian Wells | 603 | Listed only |
| Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 591 | Listed only |
| Abraham Lincoln Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Palm Desert | 585 | Listed only |
| James Monroe Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Bermuda Dunes | 581 | Listed only |
| Thomas Jefferson Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | Indio | 538 | Listed only |
| Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 536 | Listed only |
| Martin Van Buren Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 529 | Listed only |
| James Earl Carter Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Palm Desert | 516 | Listed only |
| Carrillo Ranch Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 492 | Listed only |
| Theodore Roosevelt Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 492 | Listed only |
| John F. Kennedy Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 446 | Listed only |
| Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle Regular | Middle | 6–8 | La Quinta | 436 | Listed only |
| Horizon Alternative | Other | KG–12 | La Quinta | 414 | Listed only |
| James Madison Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | La Quinta | 377 | Listed only |
| Herbert Hoover Elementary Regular | Primary | KG–5 | Indio | 343 | Listed only |
| Amistad High (Continuation) Alternative | High | 9–12 | Indio | 209 | Listed only |
| Summit High (Continuation) Alternative | High | 10–12 | La Quinta | 199 | Listed only |
| Desert Sands A.T.L.A.S. Special Education | High | 12 | Indio | 64 | Listed only |
| John Adams Early Childhood Learning Center Regular | Primary | KG–1 | La Quinta | 0 | Listed only |
Communities in the district file
NCES city fields are directory fields, not attendance boundaries. Use them to orient the district footprint, then verify the exact home-to-school assignment.
County coverage
Some districts can include records associated with more than one county. The route is anchored to the district's primary county record in the current data.
Desert Sands Unified FAQ
What schools are included for Desert Sands Unified?
Desert Sands Unified includes 35 public schools in the current NCES district file. The current district file lists 20 primary, 7 middle, 7 high, 1 other schools.
Does this Desert Sands Unified page show exact attendance zones?
No. SchoolsByCounty publishes district and school records from public data. Attendance boundaries, transportation, transfers, magnet eligibility, and charter rules must be confirmed with Desert Sands Unified or local assignment tools.
Is Desert Sands Unified ranked as the best district in Riverside County?
No. This is a district guide, not a recommendation or ranking. Use it to understand the district's listed schools, grade spans, enrollment scale, and available school profiles before verifying local fit.
How many Desert Sands Unified schools have detailed profiles?
7 schools in this district currently link to detailed SchoolsByCounty profiles. Other schools remain listed with NCES directory fields.
Do charter, magnet, or virtual flags mean my student can enroll in Desert Sands Unified?
No. Charter, magnet, and virtual flags are NCES record fields. They do not confirm admission eligibility, lottery access, transfer approval, or program availability for a specific address.
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.