Des Plaines students are served by three elementary school districts and attend three highly-achieving high schools. Residents living west of Mt Prospect Road send students to CCSD 59. A small section of Des Plaines north of the Central Rd attend River Trails District 26. The remaining areas send students to Des Plaines District 62.
For high school, residents west of Mt Prospect Road attend Elk Grove High School in neighboring Elk Grove Village. The remaining students attend either Maine East or Maine East High School, with the attendance boundary being the Des Plaines River.
Des Plaines High Schools
- Elk Grove High School: 500 W Elk Grove Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
- Maine East High School: 2601 Dempster St, Park Ridge, IL 60068
- Maine West High School: 1755 S Wolf Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60018
District 62 Schools
- Algonquin Middle School: 767 E Algonquin Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016
- Central Elementary School: 1526 E Thacker St, Des Plaines, IL 60016
- Chippewa Middle School: 123 N 8th Ave, Des Plaines, IL 60016
- Cumberland Elementary School: 700 E Golf Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016
- Forest Elementary School: 1375 S 5th Ave, Des Plaines, IL 60018
- North Elementary School: 1789 Rand Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016
- Orchard Place Elementary School: 2727 Maple St, Des Plaines, IL 60018
- Plainfield Elementary School: 1850 Plainfield Dr, Des Plaines, IL 60018
- South Elementary School: 1535 Everett Ave, Des Plaines, IL 60018
- Terrace Elementary School: 735 S Westgate Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016
District 59 Schools
- Brentwood Elementary School: 260 Dulles Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016
- Devonshire Elementary School: 1401 Pennsylvania Ave, Des Plaines, IL 60018
- Friendship Jr High School: 550 Elizabeth Ln, Des Plaines, IL 60018
River Trails District 26 Schools
- Euclid Elementary School: 1211 N Wheeling Rd, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
- Indian Grove Elementary School: 1340 Burning Bush, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
- River Trails Middle School: 1000 N Wolf Rd, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
