The DSBN operates schools in each of the twelve municipalities in the region.

As of 2018, it was considered the top employer by number of employees in the Niagara Region.

[6] DSBN offers high school level courses online through Desire2Learn (D2L).

The board was created on January 1, 1998, as a result of the amalgamation of the Lincoln County Board of Education serving the boundaries of the former Lincoln County, and the Niagara South Board of Education which served the boundaries of the former Welland County.

[9] Niagara District Secondary School was closed in 2010 and is now the site of the Royal Elite International Academy.