Douglass Valley Elementary School

Had my kids here for one year and it was one too many. The administration at this school is unbelievable. I was yelled at by office staff on more than one occasion. The administration ties the hands of the teachers that care about the students and the other portion of the staff just doesn't care and I had students from K - 5. I had to teach my oldest how to multiply and divide again when we pulled them from the school.
--Submitted by a parent

Don't believe everything you here! My child had the time of their life last school year in 3rd grade. The teacher she had was very caring, worked hard, and always took time out of his day. I absolutely loved whn I would get a random phone call explaining the positive things my child was doing in class. Yeah, my child did have a lot of work to do but goals were set but my child came a long ways with her academics! Great work Douglass Valley!
--Submitted by a parent

I found this school to be only adequate for my 3rd grader. While I feel the principal and vice-principal provide positive professional leadership (and are genuinely looking to the best interest of students), I did not feel the caliber of teachers (that I frequently encountered) performed accordingly in their ability to interact positively as role models and trained educators. I would have liked to have seen more of the characteristics of the principal/v.p. (both awesome) trickle down through the teachers. However, my son gave rave reviews of the TAG teacher and Art teacher, both of whom serve as great role models and truly love the students. Another positive is the support provided to students of deployed service members - truly outstanding! In my experience there were often gaps in critical communication which led to some safety concerns and even missed events. The academics seem positive although there is a high reliance on worksheets rather than hands-on learning which did become monotonous to my student. Overall, my son did feel safe in this school but did not feel this was his best school experience yet.
--Submitted by a parent

Douglass Valley is a wonderful school! We provide the best support for military families I've ever seen or heard of ( I was a military kid who moved many times and a military spouse) . The PTO provides bags of goodies for kids when a parent deploys, we have a group that meets weekly during school hours, we have a "Wall of Honor" where pictures of deployed parent are posted during their absence. Also, the school has a full-time counselor (sometimes 2 people part-time fill this role). The reading support is exceptional with 2 full-time reading specialist in addition to the classroom teachers. Our goal is to make your child's time with us the best years of school they have anywhere.
--Submitted by a teacher

I can't say enough good things about Douglass Valley. From the principal to the teachers and parent volunteers, everything is top notch. My daughter attended the school for two years and I knew when she left that she got the best education possible. It was hard to find a school where we moved that I felt that was even close to Douglass Valley.
--Submitted by a parent

Very Disappointed. This school seems to forget that they serve a military installation and that children will come and go all year. No one ever explained 'the rules' to my 8 year old. He was in school 5 months before he knew how to take a book out of the library. The teacher told me 'He's afraid to ask questions.' That is new to this school. He had no issues in Massachusetts. The teacher would also call attention to him in class because she didn't like the snacks he brought. So what's wrong with a homemade cookie?Only fruit was good for the teacher. Good CSAP Scores for 3rd grade reading, but they stopped teaching Social Studies and Science for the last 3 months, to focus on CSAP. To me that is not a good representation of what the children learn on a regular basis.
--Submitted by a parent

This is a terrific school as far as safety and education go. The teachers are absolutely terrific and Mr. Piper, the principal is wonderful. There is always something great going on for the students to participate in. I didn't rate the school five stars only because the parents are a bit 'cliquey' and conservative for my tastes. I wish there was a way to fix this, and I understand that it isn't the schools fault entirely.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is just excellent! We have sinced moved and boy do we miss it! Parental involvement is so high that sometimes you weren't needed. The teachers and staff are absolutely phenomenal. Great communication, small class size for more interpersonal learning, and they don't pus over the top studying for state test exams like other schools. The leadership is genuinely interested in your children's education, not just statewide test scores. Which by the way are also outstanding! Would highly recommend this school to anyone that is afforded the opportunity to have your children educated there.
--Submitted by Sara Sebero Bryant, a parent

This is an excellent school, lots of assistance for our children who have reading difficulties. They have really soared during their time here. The after school activities are great including an active math and science night with Air Force Academy professors. The kids have had many field trips including, Pikes Peak, Cave of the Winds, Garden of the Gods. The math, music, science, Spanish have all kept my children enthused!
--Submitted by a parent