The district was founded in 1964, after the California Department of Education consolidated all Indio public schools.
As of 2017, DSUSD serves 28,958 students in Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, and parts of Rancho Mirage and Coachella.
[3][5] In 2016-2017, Desert Sands began offering full-day Kindergarten at all schools (except for Washington Charter) in order to help prepare students and increase reading and writing skills.
The expansion was funded by the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan.
Chromebooks are used district-wide for grades 2-12 and the devices are being issued each year alongside textbooks.