Desert Sands Unified
A public school district in La Quinta, California, with 35 operational schools in 2024–25.
The district in 2024–25
- 25,615
- Students enrolled
- 1,080.8
- Teachers, full-time equivalent
- Derived by NCES from the state’s counts.
- 2,528.8
- All staff, full-time equivalent
- $17,070
- Spending per pupil, fiscal year 2023
- Current expenditure over fall membership, both as the district reported them.
How this compares
- Students enrolled: 25,615 in 2024–25
- Ranks 263rd of 17,800 districts by enrollment, and 32nd of 1,976 in California. Larger than 98% of the 17,800 districts in the fifty states and DC that report an enrollment. The ranking →
- Current spending per pupil: $17,070 in fiscal year 2023
- More than 59% of the 17,189 districts with a spending figure. Current spending leaves out buildings and debt, and a district of a few pupils can spend far more per pupil than any large one.
Spending and revenue
Desert Sands Unified spent $17,070 per pupil in fiscal year 2023, against $7,302 in fiscal year 2005
Current spending per pupil, each fiscal year: current expenditure over fall membership, both as the district reported them to NCES. In the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. A year with no column is a year the survey has no figure for.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics — School District Finance Survey (F-33), fiscal year 2005 onwards
The figures behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Spending per pupil | Current expenditure | Membership |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | $17,070 | $450.3 million | 26,379 |
| FY2022 | $15,695 | $419.0 million | 26,698 |
| FY2021 | $13,984 | $377.3 million | 26,982 |
| FY2020 | $13,292 | $371.7 million | 27,963 |
| FY2019 | $13,157 | $376.4 million | 28,610 |
| FY2018 | $12,561 | $360.6 million | 28,708 |
| FY2017 | $12,166 | $352.3 million | 28,958 |
| FY2016 | $11,269 | $323.6 million | 28,719 |
| FY2015 | $9,690 | $281.0 million | 28,999 |
| FY2014 | $8,885 | $259.1 million | 29,156 |
| FY2013 | $8,411 | $245.3 million | 29,159 |
| FY2012 | $8,530 | $249.1 million | 29,199 |
| FY2011 | $8,163 | $237.7 million | 29,123 |
| FY2010 | $8,286 | $243.0 million | 29,323 |
| FY2009 | $8,356 | $242.1 million | 28,976 |
| FY2008 | $8,684 | $249.9 million | 28,775 |
| FY2007 | $8,247 | $233.2 million | 28,277 |
| FY2006 | $7,627 | $210.2 million | 27,565 |
| FY2005 | $7,302 | $197.6 million | 27,059 |
Revenue by source, fiscal year 2023
| Source | Revenue | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Federal | $52.8 million | 8.2% |
| State | $357.1 million | 55.2% |
| Local | $236.9 million | 36.6% |
| Total | $646.8 million |
Federal, state and local revenue as the F-33 records them. Each share is of the survey’s total revenue, so a part withheld does not inflate the others.
The district’s schools
35 operational schools, A to Z.
2 more columns on a wider screen
The district’s entry
- Status
- Open
- Type
- Regular public school district that is not a component of a supervisory union
- Charter status
- Not a charter district
- Grades
- Kindergarten to Grade 12
- NCES district ID
- 0611110
Elsewhere
- Public schools in California — enrollment, teachers and spending across the state, against the nation.
- Every school district in California — A to Z, each with its page.
- California on the American Factbook — the state’s entry, across every hub.
Sources
- Common Core of Data (CCD), 2024–25 — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), 2024–25.
- School District Finance Survey (F-33), fiscal years 2005 to 2023
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "School District Finance Survey (F-33)," fiscal years 2005 to 2023.
Data retrieved