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Desert Sands Unified School District, California, elections

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Desert Sands Unified School District
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District details
School board members: 5
Students: 25,898 (2023-2024)
Schools: 35 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Desert Sands Unified School District is a school district in California (Riverside County). During the 2024 school year, 25,898 students attended one of the district's 35 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Jump to a section:
Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 1

General election

General election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 1

Incumbent Wendy Jonathan won election in the general election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 1 on November 8, 2016.

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Wendy Jonathan (Nonpartisan)

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Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 3

General election

General election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 3

Incumbent Gary Tomak won election in the general election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 3 on November 8, 2016.

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Gary Tomak (Nonpartisan)

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Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 4

General election

General election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 4

Incumbent Linda Porras won election in the general election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 4 on November 8, 2016.

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Linda Porras (Nonpartisan)

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Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 2

General election

General election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 2

Incumbent Donald Griffith won election in the general election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 2 on November 4, 2014.

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Donald Griffith (Nonpartisan)

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Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 5

General election

General election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 5

Incumbent Michael Duran won election in the general election for Desert Sands Unified School District school board Trustee Area 5 on November 4, 2014.

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Michael Duran (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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About the district

School board

The Desert Sands Unified School District consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Kailee WatsonArea 12028
Tricia PearceArea 320202028
Linda PorrasArea 420162028
Humberto AlvarezArea 22026
Michael DuranArea 520062026

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Desert Sands Unified School District
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
California State Assembly District 47Greg WallisRepublican Party 68% 19%
California State Assembly District 36Jeff GonzalezRepublican Party 32% 2%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $58,563,000 $2,194 11%
Local: $204,461,000 $7,658 38%
State: $268,829,000 $10,069 50%
Total: $531,853,000 $19,921
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $480,948,000 $18,014
Total Current Expenditures: $419,015,000 $15,694
Instructional Expenditures: $253,606,000 $9,499 53%
Student and Staff Support: $51,658,000 $1,934 11%
Administration: $47,959,000 $1,796 10%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $65,792,000 $2,464 14%
Total Capital Outlay: $44,984,000 $1,684
Construction: $39,566,000 $1,481
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $368,000 $13
Interest on Debt: $16,380,000 $613

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 31 70-74 20-29 21 PS 50-54 49
2018-2019 35 69 25-29 29 30-39 50-54 56
2017-2018 34 68 25-29 28 30-39 55-59 54
2016-2017 35 70 25-29 27 30-39 55-59 54
2015-2016 33 67 25-29 25 40-49 50-54 54
2014-2015 29 63 25-29 21 20-29 45-49 49
2013-2014 68 85-89 60-69 64 >=50 60-79 78
2012-2013 64 86 55-59 59 60-69 80-84 78
2011-2012 64 87 61 57 60-69 70-74 79
2010-2011 60 82 52 53 70-79 65-69 76

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 56 85-89 60-69 48 PS 65-69 70
2018-2019 49 78 40-44 43 60-69 60-64 70
2017-2018 48 78 40-44 42 50-59 60-64 69
2016-2017 49 80 40-44 42 50-59 60-64 69
2015-2016 49 77 40-44 42 60-69 70-74 70
2014-2015 45 73 40-44 38 50-59 60-64 66
2013-2014 63 75-79 50-59 58 >=50 60-79 77
2012-2013 60 80 55-59 53 50-59 75-79 78
2011-2012 61 82 58 54 60-69 75-79 79
2010-2011 58 80 56 51 70-79 70-74 76

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 91 >=95 >=90 90 >=50 >=90 93
2018-2019 90 >=95 >=90 90 >=50 80-89 92
2017-2018 90 >=95 >=90 89 >=50 80-89 89
2016-2017 89 >=95 80-89 88 >=50 60-79 92
2015-2016 91 >=95 >=90 89 >=50 PS 94
2014-2015 89 >=90 >=90 88 >=50 >=80 92
2013-2014 88 >=95 80-89 85 >=50 >=80 92
2012-2013 86 >=95 90-94 82 >=50 >=50 92
2011-2012 86 >=95 >=90 83 >=50 >=80 91
2010-2011 83 85-89 80-84 79 >=50 >=50 90

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 25,898 -1.9
2022-2023 26,379 -1.2
2021-2022 26,698 -1.1
2020-2021 26,982 -3.6
2019-2020 27,963 -2.3
2018-2019 28,610 -0.3
2017-2018 28,708 -0.9
2016-2017 28,958 0.8
2015-2016 28,719 -1.0
2014-2015 28,999 -0.5
2013-2014 29,156 0.0
2012-2013 29,159 -0.1
2011-2012 29,199 0.3
2010-2011 29,123 -0.7
2009-2010 29,323 1.2
2008-2009 28,976 0.7
2007-2008 28,775 1.7
2006-2007 28,277 2.5
2005-2006 27,565 1.8
2004-2005 27,059 3.5
2003-2004 26,122 3.6
2002-2003 25,180 2.4
2001-2002 24,582 4.4
2000-2001 23,500 2.9
1999-2000 22,815 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Desert Sands Unified School District (%) California K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.3 0.4
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 2.9 12.1
Black 1.4 4.9
Hispanic 75.7 56.1
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.4
Two or More Races 4.3 5.8
White 15.3 20.2

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Desert Sands Unified School District had 1,088.73 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 23.79.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 0.00
Kindergarten: 98.32
Elementary: 614.38
Secondary: 376.03
Total: 1,088.73

Desert Sands Unified School District employed 15.00 district administrators and 69.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 15.00
District Administrative Support: 87.81
School Administrators: 69.00
School Administrative Support: 158.53
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 280.45
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 9.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 76.90
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 35.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 24.30
Librarians/Media Specialists: 0.70
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 59.33
Other Support Services: 622.60

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The Desert Sands Unified School District operates 35 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Abraham Lincoln Elementary593KG-5
Amelia Earhart Elementary School Of International Studies762KG-5
Amistad High (Continuation)1969-12
Andrew Jackson Elementary762KG-5
Benjamin Franklin Elementary622KG-5
Carrillo Ranch Elementary471KG-5
Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle3976-8
Desert Ridge Academy1,0186-8
Desert Sands A.T.L.A.S.5912-12
Dr. Reynaldo J. Carreon Jr. Academy598KG-5
George Washington Charter756KG-5
Gerald R. Ford Elementary615KG-5
Harry S. Truman Elementary644KG-5
Herbert Hoover Elementary335KG-5
Horizon356KG-12
Indio High2,0279-12
Indio Middle7806-8
James Earl Carter Elementary517KG-5
James Madison Elementary376KG-5
James Monroe Elementary537KG-5
John Adams Early Childhood Learning Center0KG-1
John F. Kennedy Elementary386KG-5
John Glenn Middle School Of International Studies1,0656-8
La Quinta High2,4889-12
La Quinta Middle6886-8
Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary567KG-5
Martin Van Buren Elementary535KG-5
Palm Desert Charter Middle1,3896-8
Palm Desert High2,0399-12
Richard R. Oliphant Elementary606KG-5
Ronald Reagan Elementary818KG-5
Shadow Hills High1,7029-12
Summit High (Continuation)16710-12
Theodore Roosevelt Elementary491KG-5
Thomas Jefferson Middle5356-8


About school boards

Education legislation in California

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics California
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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