Needles is part of San Bernardino County in California, but is on the borders of the states of Arizona and Nevada.

Needles has been a regular stop for the Santa Fe railway since the 19th century.

The school district is one of the largest in the United States in terms of area with almost 6,000 square miles (16,000 km2) in its boundaries, the largest geographical school district in the contiguous United States.

In distance, this is the farthest school district from the county education offices (212 miles by freeway).

The district runs from Amboy, California to Needles, and south to Havasu Lake, Parker Dam, and Big River, California.