Voters approved the formation of the district and funded the building of the COD campus with a bond issue.

[4] The Jeane and Justin Hilb student center and the Carol L. Meier Lecture Hall opened in 1998, and Bob and his wife "Mike" Pollock funded the creation of the COD campus's Theatre One in 1999.

The Marks Center for the Arts was funded by Don and Peggy Cravens, Bob and Barbara Leberman, and the COD Alumni Association in 2003.

From 1966 to 1999, residents in the High Desert to the north of the Coachella Valley were also part of the community college district.

In 2001, the Eastern Valley Center opened to address a need for more English and ethnic studies classes, such as Mexican American Culture and Intro to African American Literature, as well as for a campus located in the eastern Coachella Valley's agricultural and casino gaming corridor.

Prior to 2014, COD competed in the Harold & Hazel Wright Gymnasium, which has since been demolished and replaced by tennis courts.