Del Dayo Elementary School

I have a 4th and 2nd grader at Del Dayo. My 4th grader has been there since Kinder. I believe this is the absolute best school in Sacramento County. The teachers are very dedicated. Lots of parent involvement. All of the extras such as Spanish, art docent, chess, and school activities such as fall festival make the school even more wonderful. The PTO is great. The principal Mr. Harp is great. With the parents and teachers doing such a wonderful job the kids here do excellent.
--Submitted by a parent

Third year attending and this is AN EXCELLENT CHOICE OF SCHOOL! Outstanding teachers/ staff that are dedicated PLUS high parent involvement PLUS high academic standards EQUALS test scores among the highest in the region. Technology abounds, 2 computer labs, computer techinician on staff, full time librarian, library itself is fantastic, author days, music teacher, art teacher, PE classes, family library nights, science nights, assemblies, art docent program, book fairs -- the list goes on and on. Beautiful campus, friendly neighborhood school that is committed to educating and preparing the students to become well rounded and thoughtful citizens!
--Submitted by a parent

Wonderful school. TONS of parental involvement. Great families. Skilled teachers who really care about your kid's learning.
--Submitted by a parent

This is an absolutely wonderful school.
--Submitted by a parent

Well organized, high parent participation, great teachers, extra curricular activities include once a week Spanish class, Kidz Art class, etc. great reading and writing, science program. Needs improvement on racial diversity and cultual diversity.
--Submitted by a parent

The school is too provincial. No racial diversity, no focus on cultural diversity. A lot of peer pressure to conform to established culture, no effort to include minority children.
--Submitted by a parent

Del Dayo is the best of the best. Excellent teachers and staff. Dedicated parents and students. Very well organized PTO with great leadership. Significant money is raised to keep Del Dayo with new technology, great support staff, a really nice library, PE equipment, assemblies, Art and much more. Respectfulness, honesty and perseverance are taught as the students become educated well rounded good citizens of our community. Our family has been with Del Dayo for six years and just LOVE IT.
--Submitted by a parent

Great school thus far. My daughter is in kindergarten and there is tons of parent participation and hands-on instruction. I came in with high expectations and they have been met.
--Submitted by a parent

Del Dayo is committed to high academic achievement, but there is more to life than being a 4.0 student. My children both attended their entire elementary school years there. However, each of them had a very different experience. The demand for excellence compromises the development of the whole child and leaves children who cannot keep up feeling inadequate and abnormal, especially children with special needs such learning or social impairments. Many teachers are focused on high test scores and not on character development, which is a shame and sends a negative messages to children and families who do not fit the 'Del Dayo' mold of high academic achievement and high income to afford the extracurricular activities/sports offered. Students with special needs may want to consider an alternative school to preserve self esteem. My daughter, who is gifted did well. My son who is not, suffered every year.
--Submitted by a parent

Fabulous school! We have been there four years and have been consistently pleased. Positives - Very hands on. Parents line up to volunteer. We routinely have multiple parents who want to volunteer for the same positions. Wonderful teachers! The school brings in great speakers, etc. for the kids. Negatives - the amount of work, particularly homework, assigned. Another potential negative is the financial cost of Del Dayo. It is in a rather affluent neighborhood and one of the reasons Del Dayo is so great is because parents pay for a lot of extras like fieldtrips and science activities. We have an annual auction that raised around $85,000 last year, and parents were the primary bidders. I imagine for some families it is a financial burden to keep up. Del Dayo is great but be prepared to keep up with the Joneses.
--Submitted by a parent