PSUSD considering school boundary changes in Desert Hot Springs after school crowding
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - Bella Vista Elementary School is approaching full capacity.
Lisa Arseo, principal of Bella Vista Elementary, say overcrowding is affecting everything from classroom availability to where students can attend school, raising concerns.
“Every classroom we have is full,” she reveals. “We don’t have a space for P.E. right now that’s a classroom space, so if there is bad weather they’re in the hallway or stage. We have a music teacher that travels from class to class.”
According to Arseo, the growing student population is pushing the campus to its limits and disrupting day-to-day operations. As a result, some incoming students are being reassigned to other schools within Desert Hot Springs that still have available space.
“We have students in certain grade levels that we need to get bused to another school because we have a cap in some of our classrooms,” Arseo said. “We prefer to keep all of our residential students with us, but unfortunately, because we are quite full, sometimes they get shipped to other schools.”
The reassignment process has created challenges for families — particularly those with multiple children in different grade levels.
District officials acknowledge the concerns and say they are working with families to minimize disruptions.
“When we’ve hit capacity in our class sizes and we can’t take in another student for that particular grade level, we certainly work with the families to make accommodations that we can for that student and any siblings involved,” said a district representative.
Bella Vista Elementary is currently operating at 91 percent capacity, with officials pointing to rapid residential development in Desert Hot Springs as a key factor driving the increase in enrollment.
“We are getting more homes built in that area to the west of Bella Vista,” the district said. “They have a very large school boundary area, and it’s starting to get a bit crowded.”
To address the issue, Palm Springs Unified School District is beginning to explore potential adjustments to elementary school boundaries in Desert Hot Springs. However, no changes have been approved at this time.
District officials say any boundary changes would likely be considered starting in the 2027–28 school year, allowing time to carefully plan and implement solutions.
Stay with News Channel 3 for more.
