Total enrollment
25,613
-1,367 (-5%) vs SY 2020-21
35 schools in Desert Sands Unified
California · 25,613 students · 5 cities
35 public schools operate under Desert Sands Unified, with roughly 25,613 K-12 students enrolled (20 elementary, 7 middle, and 7 high).
4-year change in Desert Sands Unified
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
34
+1 (+3%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Desert Sands Unified ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In California | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.7% | #318 of 534 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 25,613 | #32 of 587 | #276 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 34 | #38 of 587 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.7:1 | #522 of 587 | #8,921 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 77.4% | #181 of 587 | #1,385 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 39.1% | #397 of 530 | #4,079 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Desert Sands Unified
State test results across the district's 30 scored schools run from George Washington Charter at 68.0% proficient to Thomas Jefferson Middle at 11.5%, a gap of 56.5 points. That is the 52nd widest gap among 458 California districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 32 district schools that reported both years went from 28,233 to 24,976 students (down 12%) and from 1,127 to 1,051 full-time teachers (down 7%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Desert Sands Unified
Across 35 schools, Desert Sands Unified instructs about 25,613 students in California. By footprint it is a sparse district.
In terms of grade levels, Desert Sands Unified consists of 20 elementary, 7 middle, 7 high schools, and 1 combined or other.
Average enrollment per school in Desert Sands Unified is about 732, higher than the California average of roughly 578.
Trend over the past 4 years. Total public-school enrollment in Desert Sands Unified has fell 5% since SY 2020-21, moving from about 26,980 students to 25,613. Desert Sands Unified now counts 34 public schools, up from 33 in SY 2020-21.
Within the allk12 community for this area, the community for Desert Sands Unified discusses enrollment trends, district policy changes, and bus-route updates. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.