Public education in Palm Springs is under the jurisdiction of the Palm Springs Unified School District, an independent district with five board members.

The District has fourteen elementary schools, four middle schools, three comprehensive high schools, one continuation high school, one independent study program, eight headstart/state preschools, three full-day headstart programs, four childcare programs, and an extensive adult education program.

The PSUSD serves the Desert Communities of Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Thousand Palms.

The Palm Springs Unified School District has four middle schools: Desert Springs Middle School, James Workman Middle School, Nellie N. Coffman Middle School and Raymond Cree Middle School.

The largest middle school in the Palm Springs Unified School District, Desert Springs Middle School is located in Desert Hot Springs and serves approximately 1,800 students in grades six through eight. James Workman Middle School is located in Cathedral City and serves the north side of Cathedral City and a small portion of Palm Springs. James Workman serves approximately 1,500 students in grades six through eight. Nellie N. Coffman Middle School is located in Cathedral City and serves approximately 1,200 students in grades six through eight.

Raymond Cree Middle School is located in Palm Springs and is the smallest middle school in the Palm Springs Unified School District.

Raymond Cree serves approximately 1,000 students in grades six through eight. Private schools in Palm Springs and nearby communities include Desert Adventist Academy (K-8), Desert Chapel (K-12), St. Teresa's (K-8), King's School (K-8), Desert Christian (K-12), and Marywood-Palm Valley (K-12). The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino has committed to building a new Catholic high school in the Coachella Valley, called St. Xavier's. The Desert Community College District, headquartered in Palm Desert with its main campus, College of the Desert located there.

California State University, San Bernardino and University of California, Riverside have satellite campuses available within the College of the Desert campus.