Dougherty Valley High School

I totally agree that it is so hard to get response from the school (counselor, teacher and principal). You get frustrated after pushing for reply so many times. Part of the reason is that the size of the class your child should be lucky if the teacher still remember his/her name after the semester. Teachers and counselors lack of experience they are relatively young group as well. Still, it is a great school. High API is very encouraging. The residents overall education levels are high. They focus on their children s education that s why you see people hire tutors to help their kids to achieve under pressure.

The academics are top notch. It is great if your only goal for your child's 4 years of high school is to get to a good college. But that seems to be the entire focus. Parent involvement and spirit seems to be nil. Parents push their children hard to excel in the academics, getting tutors for A students so that they can get perfect scores whiles kids who get less than perfect feel ashamed. It is rare for families to even show up at sporting events. The only reason many even allow their kids to be involved in sports is for the college application not for joy or passion for the game. Passions outside of extremely high academic performance are not encouraged. There is no sense of balance or community at this school. The only memories many of these kids will have of high school is studying.
--Submitted by a parent

Truly a fantastic place to work or study. Dougherty Valley is an up-and-coming high school of its own, growing above API 920 in the past school year and certainly will be higher again this year. The leadership team is supportive of both students and staff, the counselors are accessible and flexible, and the teachers are true intellectuals with much more skill than their paychecks suggest, and the conversations students have in the halls are good-hearted and smart! The principal cares deeply for his staff and students, going out of his way daily to lend support any way he can. Likewise the teachers make themselves available to students basically any time of the day. I believe the vision unto which Dr. Reimann is trying to lead us. My only concern is that class sizes (which are still below state averages) interfere with the kind of differentiated instruction a seasoned veteran like me wants to provide, which means the school's potential API is probably closer to 975. If we could hire more staff and bring sizes down to 12-18 per classroom, this would be California's epic performer -- it's a real sweetheart school. Given the choice, this is where you want your kids to go.
--Submitted by a teacher

It is so hard to get any counsellors, Principal, or Vice Priincipals to respond to ANY emails or phone calls. We are very disappointed in their lack of engagement or communication (esp. when parents want information or have questions). So far, the only department we are very impressed with is the College and Career Center. Ms. Schratz does an outstanding job. Teachers seem very involved too. But the new principal, Dr. Reimann, really needs to make his office and staff more accessible to parents. So far, it seems like a 'shut gate'.
--Submitted by a parent

I am looking for an excellent ROP for my eighth-grader. I've heard that Dougherty Vally offers this kind of program. How can I find out more about ROP at Doughterty?
--Submitted by a parent

I have heard such great things about this school so we moved here.But the reality is that school falls short on every ground that really matters.The staff is so young they fail to maintain the teacher student distance that should bre there.The counselar never follows up on your emails or phone requests.I have yet to see the councellar though half year of the school has passed.I have been to the office multiple times and have yet to see the counceller .Considering that my daughter is new student we should not have to try this hard.Agreed the facilities are great but then it is a new school.
--Submitted by a parent

Dougherty Valley HS has tremendous opportunities for students seeking to get into a college or university. The high academic standards have drawn colleges and university recruiters from around the nation on college night and is quickly establishing itself as the top public high school in the area. The academic expectations are high and is not for suited for everyone yet it draws families and students from outside the district for an opportunity to attend this high school. Much like California High School attracts students because of their successful athletic programs, Dougherty Valley High School is drawing students who have their sites for higher education beyond high school.
--Submitted by a parent

For a new school, there are some great programs they are implementing. Overall, the leadership is outstanding. Of course, there are some missing "traditions" at this brand new school, but the staff and students appear to be working overtime to create a great program for the students. My only mentionable complaint is the favoritism toward affluent students. Although this school is diverse, it caters to wealthier students which places financial and academic pressure on the lower income earners. The expectations are high and that is beneficial for all; however, additional costs for programs from academic to extracurricular programs create hardhips on famlies with lesser means.
--Submitted by a parent

The competition is great, the student body is diverse, the teachers are excellent, the academic performance is outstanding, and there are a lot of sports and extracurriculars to choose from.
--Submitted by a parent

I love how there aren't typical cliques at this school - the student body is diverse and people of different races get together. The upperclassmen aren't as scary as they portray in movies and are usually friendly, or at least don't bother you if you don't bother them. I just wish that the admins are more observant of the few pointless fights happening here and there...
--Submitted by a student