D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School

im going here next year 4 7th grade! cant wait! its gonna b really epic

I need to meet the families of the other two reviews posted in February 2013. We are in the same boat as we definitely don't lean right. My child is getting a great education at this school, and has been very happy. He's embraced his teachers, and has learned to manage his homework well in 7th hour, so the long nights are only occasional. The curriculum is top notch. But there is a strong right wing, conservative culture, and its the only thing I don't like about the school. I find it a bit disturbing that there are bible study groups as electives - it would be less disturbing if non-Christian groups were also represented but the school is small so limited population to pull from. The small size is a huge bonus compared to all the other public school options in the area. I do agree that all the negatives do lend to some great dinner time conversation, and have actually led to considerable learning experiences. I hope to raise children who can look at all sides of an issue prior to making a decision, and regularly being exposed to alternative points of view goes a long way towards that end.
—Submitted by a parent

Oh boy! My family and I are moving to the Denver area and I have been doing extensive research on the schools. After reading the previous reviews (especially the one dated Dec 14, 2011by a parent) I will NOT be looking at homes in this school zone. I am not only offended, but disgusted by this parents' post. My child is finishing up 8th grade and is an honor student who has already started taking college courses. He has already received letters from colleges regarding enrollment. One of those colleges being Stanford. I would not even dream of sending my son to this school. If the mentality of the teachers are in anyway similar to that of the parent writing the post, then shame on you! If they are not, then you may want to figure out a way to remove the post. I would be embarrassed if I were the Principal.
—Submitted by a parent

Of course this school is not for everyone, no school is. That is why we have choice schools in Colorado. I am not sure if it is the best school in the state, but it is definitely one of the best choices in Jefferson County. The school definitely leans right, and makes no bones about it. If you do not lean right, and we do not, then the school provides teaching moments and discussion points over dinner. To me this provides an opportunity to discuss why I believe what I believe, and why others might believe differently. I think it is good to have these type of discussions. Expectations for students are high, across the board. Both for academics and behavior. While the home work load may be high my child who does play sports, is involved in other outside activities seems to be able to handle it efficiently using 7th hour time and "found time" so that time at home dedicated to home work seems fairly reasonable. But I will agree that students need to be motivated, and driven
—Submitted by a parent

I believe this is the best high school in Colorado; I give it 4 stars because it is not for everyone and not perfect. It is for average and above average students who need high standards and a rigorous curriculum to reach their full potential. Students with high self-motivation or creative intelligence will be stifled. Below average students can get a superb education, but they will put in a lot more work for a lower GPA than at their neighborhood school. The whole family needs to value substantive knowledge over grades or you'll go nuts. And if you are not a Bible literalist and a redmeat conservative, you'll have to have a thick skin and an ability to ignore a lot of silliness. E.g. the teacher who tells every class that you can not be a Christian if you believe in evolution. Or the Geography Dept that bought used textbooks already out of date when purchased for ideological (not budgetary) reasons. (I know this because I inquired.) The teachers just handwrote "the former" in front of the references to The Soviet Union. They finally got new online textbooks, but the fact that they were allowed to purchase this outdated tome and use it 15 years was ridiculous.
—Submitted by a parent

My children attended D Evelyn. I thought D'Evelyn would provide a private school education at a public school price. I was wrong. My children are above average intelligence tough not academically gifted and they struggled to get C s at D Evelyn. Student growth is a better indicator of a schools ability to educate then is School ranking. Your student s GPA, class rank and Act scores will matter more to Colleges then D Evelyn s ranking. Expect 4-6hrs of homework nightly. This is the secrete to D Evelyn s success, along with the 25% + drop out rate. Extending the school day and eliminating lower performing students, raises school ranking. D Evelyn does not help struggling students. We found it necessary to hire tutors, then later, to transfer our children to other schools. Childhood is about laughter, living and growing as a person, not just scholastic prestige. Expect tears, struggle and strife at D Evelyn if your child is not gifted, highly disciplined and self motivated. As D Evelyn says it is not for everyone. The school provides a good conservative moral environment. The families are great. Many of the teachers are remarkable though some are ineffective and uncaring.
—Submitted by a parent

I am really interested this school. But I dont know how to get my children in this school

Please ignore the elitist and condescending prior review. Pick your school based upon honest and authentic feedback. You can still be somebody and work at Walmart and a $40,000 per year Ivy League college education won't make you better than anyone else. If that's the typical parent mentality at D'Evelyn, I'd be wary of a school perpetuating that.
—Submitted by a teacher

ok this is the problem too many low scoring kids going to this school! If you just barely passed your csap scores in middle school then yes you will have a very hard time at this school! People that want to go to UNC or another average college might want to pick another high school, you can find many friends at Alameda! This school is for the dedicated kids that want to get scholarships to ivy league school! Too many parents are wanting their children to have fun in high school and find a bunch f friends that you will end up leaving anyways when you go to college! Get you kids involved in school and expect high scores from them to prepare them for the real world and not working at WAL-MART. Of course the students and staff pick fav's they do not want to be around stupid people, who does? Pick this school if you are looking to get scouted from a top college and be somebody!
—Submitted by a parent

I have to agree with someone who rated on here. The staff here t=do tend to pick favorites. Mostly the "cool" kids like the jocks and cheerleaders. Also the dress code isn't very appropriate, with lots of older girls wearing miniskirts and high heels. However good education and prepares well for college.

I'm afraid I must agree with the young person who posted a negative review--my youngest graduated from D'Evelyn where she learned wonderful study skills but was so burned out that she only went one semester to college. Fast forward years later and two granddaughters attended D'Evelyn. One was so badly bullied with no response from the administration that she left. The other granddaughter diligently did well over 3 hours of homework every night and then was put down by teachers who informed her that she really should look for a different school! I would love to see D'Evlyn return to it's earlier years of caring about their students as young people instead of just their scores!
—Submitted by a parent

D'Evelyn is not as good as everyone makes it to be. I have been at develyn since 7th grade and am currently a junior. I struggle with depression, and anxiety. At D'Evelyn they only want test scores. I don't feel like I belong even though I have a ton of friends. If I get a bad test score I am immediately put down by the teachers and the students. Everyone thinks D'Evelyn is great when really we have no social lives and the nerds at D'Evelyn say they like it because they already know everything in the books. The kids who didn't go to Dennison Elementary are the ones that have the biggest trouble. Like me. DON'T GO TO D'EVELYN

My student graduated from D'Evelyn several years ago. Yes, it was hard work. Yes, there was a lot of homework. Most of the teachers are wonderful, a few not so much. And every school has politics. But the result is a well rounded, VERY well educated student. ID'Evelyn is not for everyone. If your student is not willing to put in the effort, don't go to D'Evelyn. They expect a lot from their students. And they (students, parents, administrators) don't tolerate bad behavior, so the teachers don't have to put teaching aside to babysit. If I ask my student now, was it worth it, I would hear, absolutely yes! She has a great work ethic. She has been tutoring students older than she is all through college. She can write intelligently, problem solve, and is not afraid to challenge a professor, who lacks in teaching skills, in a diplomatic manner. You can go to another school, work less and get good grades. And in the end, the colleges probably don't care what high school you went to and how hard you worked. But it does make a difference to the student. By the way, Jefferson County-great school, less expensive to operate-why aren't there more schools like D'Evelyn?
—Submitted by a parent

I was a 13 year parent at D'Evelyn, with 4 kids in attendance. 2 graduated from there and 2 from Wheatridge. 3 had learning disabilities. All were very glad they attended D'Evelyn. The one who is 25 regrets not buckeling down more to have graduated from there. The 23 got her start in ethics and politics there. The 20 is on dean"s list and the 18 had crummy grades but great ACT's, no 4th year of math and admitted to 4 year state school. At D'Evelyn she felt like the dumb one. In the real world she feels very smart. All have worked and had scholarships to help pay for College. IT IS WORTH IT! No inflated grades. 2 hours of homework every night. 30 math problems every day. The diversity club died from lack of interest. If you want one, find a sponsoring teacher and have one again. Don't whine. Is it a perfect school? No. Is it the best school. Yes. Sometimes teachers or administrators are new. Help them to get up to speed. It is your school, parent driven, not district driven. You have much more power. Read the document on the web site. Go to the accountability meetings and be a candidate for the steering committee. Your influence does make a difference.
—Submitted by a parent

D'Evelyn gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. Thanks to committed teachers and a rigorous curriculum, it has set me on a focused path and prepared me for both college and future career endeavors. Teachers here develop intellectual students who enjoy learning, rather than students who go to school merely for the diploma. Indeed, D'Evelyn teachers make the students actually interested in the material. Also, having played a sport here for 4 years, I will undoubtedly vouch for this school's extracurriculars. Our teams have improved significantly each year, and are no longer the weak 4A teams we have been in the past. But remember, the most important aspect of the school is indeed the quality of learning. Oh, and if you're a kid, not a parent, don't worry about any lack of partying. Nuff said.

We have two kids at D'Evelyn and they have really excelled. Yes they work hard and it appears to have bostered their own self-esteem. Their attitudes are terrific, excited about learning and working hard ... ignited their competitive spirits. It is a competitive world out there and for them this is good preparation.
—Submitted by a parent

I really do not know who is writing all these reviews, but I guarantee they are rigged like everything else in this school. My child is in 8th grade and I cannot wait to get her out of this place. She has had some good teachers but she has had some awful teachers. The ineffective teachers in this school are lazy, burned out, and only here for a free ride. This school is ONLY interested in test scores! There is no interest in developing the entire person. The homework load is from the time they get home until they go to bed. Homework is also loaded up on the weekends. Yes, this school does have good test scores, but at what price? If you want a positive educational experience for your child, pass this place up.They will be burned out by college, many are.
—Submitted by a parent

I've been a student here since 7th grade and am now a Junior. D'Evelyn is the absolute best thing that could have happened to me! Yeah, I'm sometimes jealous of some of my friends from other 'easier' schools; but I would never want to trade places with any of them now that we're all starting to look at colleges. If you're fortunate enough to get 'lotteried' in here, you will definitely walk away with an AMAZING education when it's all said and done! As for the few sour grapes below; in the 4-plus years I've been here, the D'Evelyn faculty have always been very respectful and fair to me and all of my friends. As for the students, I'm very proud to say that we're among the nicest, most helpful people you'll find ANYWHERE!!!
—Submitted by a student

Best school in the district, and one of the best in the country for a public school. Even if your child does not make it to higher education, every lesson taught there is a positive thing stays with them for life .
—Submitted by a parent

D'Evelyn will definitely prepare you for college and encourages you to be whatever you want to be. The vast majority of the teachers are great, they offer help and make sure you understand the topic. Sure, we have alot of homework. But you can get alot of it done in a study period at the end of the day, and its really not that bad. However I agree some people below me, the administration is unorganized and too overpowering. Our assistant principles tend to pick 'favorites.' Administrative staff cannot seem to listen, if you have to talk to them about something. And you can be criticized. Lack of communication between the school and parents can be a problem too. Also, students are not given alot of independence. Upperclassmen are not too friendly to the lower, especially Jr. High. But otherwise D'Evelyn is a challenging but rewarding school.
—Submitted by a student