Desert Shadows Middle School

This school is fabulous. My family recently moved to Arizona from the Philadelphia, PA region. My daughters are have thrived, partly due to the sense of community at DSMS. The teachers and administration are readily accessible and genuinely care about their students. The only exception is the orchestra teacher. She was rude, unprofessional (with one of my daughters who is learning violin), to the degree that we had her removed from the class and placed into the band program. The band teacher is one of the most caring, genuine and professional teacher I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. He loves his students and treats them like family. Overall, both the elementary and middle school are wonderful for students to grow up in!
--Submitted by a parent

This school was amazing. The 7th Grade Social Studies programs (Gettysburg Reenactment, Tombstone, and White House Dinner) were amazing. My son was able to take advantage of the science trip to Costa Rica with Ms. Kendrick and in 8th grade both the Washington DC trip and the France Foreign Exchange. I am truely amazed this is a public school. They offer much more than any of the private schools around.
--Submitted by a parent

My 7th grade daughter is open enrolled at Desert Shadows Middle School and she is loving every minute of it. The teachers and administration have been very helpful in helping us find our way. There are many volunteer opportunities and there is a warm community feeling. I would recommend Desert Shadows to anyone!
--Submitted by a parent

My second child is in 8th grade at Desert Shadows Middle and I look forward to my 6th grader attending next year. Through the years with my older child and current student, I have found the teachers very approachable and communicative. We have experienced teachers who really try to challenge the students and bring out the best in them.. Middle school can be tough because of the social, emotional, and developmental issues for 7th and 8th graders, but the administration is very involved in getting the information and tools out to parents that help families not only get through the middle school years, but also prepare for high school. I would definitely take a tour and check out this school.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm very disappointed in this school and their politics. The most pressing issue is that my child worked extra hard to achieve academic success. Grades averaged a 98 for the entire school year, including all classes. They had an award ceremony and didn't acknowledge my child. When questioned about it, they had the most ign----- teacher told me that they only had two academic awards, the recipients were determined/selected by teacher's choice, not by who earned it. The children that were selected could not compare academically to my child. Needless to say how heartbreaking that was for my child. In light of their mess, they do have an awesome honors math teacher.
--Submitted by a parent

My son is going into 8th grade and we had a superb 7th grade year. The highlights of this school are the Social Studies program with Gettysburg and the White House Dinner. Also all his teachers seem to care and were good with communication, etc. I would recommend this school.
--Submitted by a parent

Our child is very unhappy with this school. Some of the staff simply want nothing to do with kids that have special needs. If your child is covered by an IEP, you should seriously consider anything other than DSMS.
--Submitted by a parent

I go to Desert Shadows and i love it so much. i have made so many new friends and gotten really good grades. i recommend Desert Shadows Middle School.
--Submitted by a student

I go here and I am in 7th grade and I love it! Our Principle and our Vice Principle are the coolest people ever! Desert Shadows also has awesome, funny teachers! They have regular and honors teachers as well. I love this school, and even though it doesn't show it on the outside, on the inside there is great teachers that really love what they do.
--Submitted by a student

My son is in his second year at DSMS and is thriving in this warm, friendly, yet academically challenging school. The administration and staff truly care about the well being of every student here. I hope all parents in the area who are approaching the middle school experience with their child will consider this 'Excelling' public school.
--Submitted by a parent