Daphne Elementary School

This school is still going strong under the leadership of Mr. Jonathan Ellis, who took the reins from beloved retiring Principal Jan Palmer over the summer. A wonderfully diverse school with strong parent support and a professional, loving staff. We are very fortunate to have this as our school!
—Submitted by a parent

This is a five star school that has a strong principal who shows great leadership. The teachers come together like family helping one another. We attended for 2 years (it is a k-3 school) and whenever the kids had an extra activity even in the evenings(choir) you could always count on seeing Mrs. Palmer (principle) showing support and encouraging her kids. From the Principle right down to the janitorial staff they all do their best to make it a safe, fun learning place for everyone right down to those in special ed. We only wished it continued at the way to 6th grade.
—Submitted by a parent

The staff is always so friendly and the school is always keeped in beautiful shape!I have 2 children that attend and cant wait for my 3 child to start!
—Submitted by a parent

I have had a wonderful experience with DES! I was sceptical of public school when I moved here but put my daughter at DES in her 1st grade year. This school is absolutely wonderful! The Principal is easy to approach and very into the students and their activities. She knows each student by name and is always outside every morning in the car pool line. The library, art department and the physical education departments are outstanding as well. This year my daughter got the best teacher I could have ever hoped for. Ms. Cashia. She is firm but fun and the kids respect her so much. My daughters grades have gone from so-so to honor roll every quarter. Finally, the office staff and the school nurse are all so caring and kind. I absolutely love this school! I am so thankful for everything this school has to offer.
—Submitted by Christy Riddell, a parent

I don't know where to start! I love this school! Yes it is old, but boy does it have charm and the teachers are awesome. The cafeteria ladies are best! The school could use some TLC, but grounds are fantastic. I am so glad the board of education decided to keep the school as a K-3 and not have a mega K-6 school! The PE teachers are great with the kids, Coach Davis does a marvelous job with the students. I just wish this school went through the sixth grade! It is centrally located, easy to get to, unlike the other elementary school! Jan Palmer, the principal is awesome and shows her love for the students. The board of education only pays for art and music instruction every other week, I have witnessed many times over that students love art more than music. Art should be offered once a week!
—Submitted by a parent

DES is an excellant school. We had a fantastic year in Kindergarten and looking forward to another great year in first grade. Everyone at this school loves children, from the cafeteria ladies, cross gaurd, and especially the teachers, principal and staff. I am grateful to be able to call DES our school. I do not think you could buy a better education or enviroment for your child.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal at Daphne Elementary School does a superb job. Both of my children attended here (one is still there) and they have had a wonderful experience. The teachers are very caring and go out of their way to provide an environment that promotes learning. This school is very heavy in the arts and my children really liked that.
—Submitted by S Wainwright, a parent

I have a military family and so we move a lot. My daughter has been to 3 different schools all in different states in the past school year and I am proud to say that Daphne is by far the best. The parents are very involved in the childrens academics. The school has fundraising systems in place so that the students don't suffer at all from lack of funding. Overall it is a wonderful, beautiful, and safe environment.
—Submitted by tara mcmeans, a parent

My little girl rides her bike on the sidewalks to the 1st grade at Daphne Elementary, a school we studied carefully studied carefully (including the information at this site) and compared to all of the elementary schools in the Mobile/Eastern Shore area. Daphne s elementary school is a 1930 s model with old window unit air conditioners. But I am plenty happy, because my little girl s first grade teacher is one motivated educator. Walking into the room, the blast of colors and visual learning aids (all self-constructed by the teacher and personalized for this year s incoming class) are intense. The teacher has a class photograph of each class she has ever taught on the wall. How many teachers have you ever met that had a photograph of each class from years back on the wall? I am glad to know that my daughter will be on that wall in years to come. The principal at Daphne Elementary is no slacker either. It rained cats and dogs on the first day of school, and the lady stood in the torrent with her rain gear in ankle deep water, directing traffic. I was looking at a real American hero. I ve worked plenty of 12 hour days without ever leaving the desk for lunch, but I suddenly feel outworked. Nike ought to sign her up on a multi-million dollar galoshes endorsement deal, and the high paid professionals that complain that our public school officials are overpaid ought to put some gel on their temples so the doctor can administer the electroshock therapy.
—Submitted by a parent