Education
Education is of utmost importance in the Coachella Valley. Educating the populace as well as addressing the quality and capacity of the area’s workforce is one CVEP’s primary goal areas.
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Public Schools
With more than 71,000 students in our public K-12 schools and 20,000 of those in high school, The Coachella Valley starts with a tremendous opportunity to shape our future workforce. With unprecedented cooperation and collaboration, the three K-12 school districts which include Palm Springs Unified, Desert Sands Unified and Coachella Valley Unified, the Riverside County Office of Education, the Riverside County Workforce Investment Board and the Riverside County Economic Development Agency have linked with College of the Desert and local universities, to develop key articulation an programmatic connections that create opportunities for “pipeline strategies” for the valley’s future economy. Using their own
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Palm Springs Unified School District, serving the West Valley, boasts sixteen elementary schools, four middle schools, three comprehensive high schools, one continuation high school, alternative education programs, eight headstart/state preschools, three full-day headstart programs, four childcare programs, and an extensive adult education program, with a total enrollment of 24,000.
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Desert Sands Unified serving the Central Valley, has 20 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and seven high schools, serving a student population of 29,000, and an average class size of 27 students.
- Coachella Valley Unified, serving the East Valley, includes 14 elementary schools, three middle schools & three highs schools, along with a continuing education center. School enrollment totals over 18,000, with a student to teacher ratio of 19.7.
Click here for a complete list of schools.
College & Universities The Coachella Valley is home to several higher education institutions, and has placed a major emphasis on expanding higher education opportunities to meet the growing need for a highly skilled and educated workforce to expand economic opportunities.
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California State University San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus offers 10 different Bachelor’s degree programs and 10 Master’s degree or Credential programs. The newest addition to the program is degree options for healthcare majors.
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The University of California Riverside, Palm Desert Graduate Center expands the reach of University of California, Riverside, into the Coachella Valley. Palm Desert Campus, as well as the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center are designed for growth, and are the genesis of higher education in the heart of the Valley.
- College of the Desert, a part of the California Community College system, is located in Palm Desert. These combined campuses serve the growing need for higher education in the Valley, with approximately 15,000 students enrolled across all three centers of higher education. College of the Desert is scheduled for a major expansion to accommodate increasing enrollment.