The ratification of the Constitution in 1987 gave rise to the creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region. This led to a series of talks between President Corazon Aquino and Father Conrado Balweg. On July 15, 1987, Executive Order No. 220 was signed in the City of Manila, creating the Cordillera Administrative Region. This region is carved out of provinces previously belonging to Regions 01:  Abra, Baguio City, Benguet, and Mountain Province and Region 02: Ifugao and Kalinga-Apayao.

On September 23, 1987, Administrative Order No. 36 was issued directing the various departments and agencies of the national government to establish their respective offices at Baguio City. This Administrative order formally established the DECS-CAR office on April 1, 1988, at the Quirino Hall, Teachers Camp, Baguio City.

Mr. Pedro Indunan became the first Regional Director with Mr. Stephen N. Capuyan as the first Assistant Regional Director. Director Indunan served the directorship from April 1, 1988, until his retirement on July 17, 1990. Mr. Stephen N.Capuyan took over as the second Regional Director on August 1, 1990.

From teachers Camp, DECS-CAR transferred to its new office at Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet on April 1995.

In August 2001, Republic Act 9155, An Act instituting a framework of governance for basic education, establishing authority and accountability, renaming the department of education, culture, and sports as the department of education, and for other purposes, otherwise known as the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, was issued. This law providedaframeworkforthegovernanceofeducation,decentralizinggovernanceto the field, making the schoolsandlearningcenterstheheartoftheeducationalsystem but maintained the old structure in the regional office of which there are six existing divisions (Elementary Division, Secondary Division, Alternative and Learning Division, Physical Education and Sports Division, Administrative Division, Budget and Finance Division). DECS was alsorenamed into DepED, still, under the old structure, Elementary Division, Secondary Division, Alternative Learning System, Physical Education and School Sports Division, and Accounting, Budget and Finance. After almost three decades from the last reorganization in government, Executive Order No. 366 (EO 366, s. 2004) was issued in October 2004. The said EO is entitled directing a strategic review of the operations and organizations of the executive branch and providing options and incentives for government employees who may be affected by the rationalization of functions and agencies of the executive branch. In December 2011, DepEd embarked onthe review and revisions of its Rationalization Plan based on RA 9155 and long- term reforms needed in the education sector to respond to fast – changing demands of the local and global environment. On November 15, 2013, the DepEd Rationalization Plan was approved by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The approval included the rationalized structure and staffing pattern of offices at the central, regional and schools division levels.At the Regional level, the created Offices under the rationalization program are 1. Office of the Regional Director (ORD), 2.Curriculumand Learning Management Division(CLMD), 3.Quality Assurance Division (QAD), 4. Education Support Services Division (ESSD) 5. Policy, Planning and Research Division (PPRD), 6.Field and Technical Assistance Division (FTAD) 7. Administrative Division (AD), 8. Human and Resource Development Division (HRDD), and 9. Finance.

Series of discussion and information dissemination were done on the Rationalization Program in 2013 to 2014. By virtue of DO No. 2, s. 2013, the New Organizational Structures of the Central, Regional, and Schools Division Offices of the Department of Education was in place in 2015. Created Offices are Office of the Regional Director (ORD), Curriculum and Learning Management Division (CLMD), Quality Assurance Division (QAD), Education Support Services Division (ESSD) Policy, Planning and Research Division (PPRD), Field and Technical Assistance Division (FTAD) Administrative Division (AD), and Human Resource Development Division (HRDD).

At present, DEPED-CAR has 8 Schools Division Offices namely; Schools Division of Abra, Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Tabuk City. Currently, the regional office is headed
by RD Estela L. Cariño EdD, CESO III with 104 regular employees and 8 job orders.