Originally organized in 1883, it is currently the largest district in the Texas Education Agency's Educational Service Center (ESC) Region 19, as well as the largest district within the city of El Paso and El Paso County.

The EPISD also provides public education to the children of U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Fort Bliss.

[3] In 2009, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.

[24] The district began leasing a property on the grounds of El Paso International Airport in 1963 to house its administrative headquarters.

By the 2010s the City of El Paso desired the use of the property for airport expansion but chose to defer the original 2014 expiration of the lease to at least December 31, 2019, so EPISD had time to find a new headquarters location.