Dowdell Middle Magnet School

This school is very unprepared, no school assemblies or dances, most of the staff and teachers are rude to almost everyone (use favoritism), school sports coaches don't know the sport or interact with the kids!! A lot of the kids are rude to but there are some nice and ready to learn kids. They need to encourage kids to want to learn make school fun, so they want to go to school, they also very much need to enforce rules!!! There were many kids who didn't wear their uniforms and got away with it! There was a tea her who sat there and ate doughnuts while there was a mandatory lock down!!! HORRIBLE SCHOOL

Dowdell is an enviromental studies and educational school it teach me every thing i know now this is a great school on thursdays is tutorial. Tutorial is like when youre failing in a certial calss or if you need help you spend mosty half an hour getting help in that one class im going to the 8th grade this year this school has done nothing but help me suceed in my classes thats why i reccomend your child to go to Dowdell Middle Magnet School were we do things naturally
—Submitted by a student

I was a student at this school. The teachers may have been a little unorthodox but they gave me the most information I had ever received. And I remember 99% of it all. I'd been to Burns Middle and Bloomingdale High in Valrico for 6th and 9th, there teachers don't hold a flame.
—Submitted by a student

Dowdell waz a okay school my daughter loved iit she literly cryed when ii took her out
—Submitted by a parent

This school has many fundraisers including dances, candy sales, etc. so people can perform at our school and talk. We have dinners and plenty of field trips depending on money raised. To help us, every thursday, we attend a class we need help in and or failing called'tutorial day'. We sign up for them ourselfs. I reccomend you come to dowdell,'Where We do Things Naturally!'.
—Submitted by a student

My daughter is finishing out her 8th grade and has been enrolled at this school since 6th grade. My daughter is on the basketball, track and volleyball team. She is also school president this year. This school has wonderful teachers that are willing to help their students learn so they are able to move on to better things in high school. My daughter had a tought time in elementary, but thing turned around at Dowdell and she is making A's and B's. Dowdell is a wonderful school. Thanks to Ms. Belign.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is finishing out her 7th grade year and has had a wonderful experience. Last year she was also at Dowdell, although it was a first year and she is shy and even though acedemically she did wonderful (straight A's) she didn't really feel like a part of the school. This year has been much different, she played on the Basketball team again this year and they were undefeated, she is a member of the Junior National Honor Society and has participated in a lot of functions due to this, she has a good group of friends and her teachers this year have been outstanding. I personally love the school, although it isn't for a student that may tend to get in with the wrong crowds or be a follower and not very acedemically strong.
—Submitted by Gayle Deshner, a parent

I`m on the Falcons team and I couldn`t be happier.If my grades were slipping the team`s teachers would schedule a student conference to find out the problem and fix it. The teachers are fun and encouraging. So if you want your child to have fun and learn at the same time this is the scchool for you.
—Submitted by Chanel Anderson, a student

I have had 2 students at Dowdell, the oldest graduates from High School this year and her experience in the Dowdell Magnet program was priceless, she will graduate with honors! The youngest entered 6th grade this school year. The Magnet faculty for 6th grade is outstanding, my daughter has gone from a less than confiedent student to an all star performer. Mrs. Shafer, Mr. Setter and Ms. Bedford are amazing. You can tell each of them enjoys their profession and it shows in the test results and confiedence of the students they teach. It's not all fun and games but they do a great job of balancing the less than fun side of education with learing experiences that are truly fun. My daughter is proud to be a Panther at Dowdell and her test results and grades show it. I highly recommend the Magnet program at this school.
—Submitted by Christine Lee, a parent

I pulled my child out of this school after one year and would have done so sooner had there been a seat available in another magnet school. I found several teachers narrow-minded and intolerant of any child expressing individuality. My child met with prejudice and was misgraded on several papers, which I brought to the attention of the principal. Nothing was done to reprimand the teachers in question. If your child is not a sheep, this is not the school for him or her.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has been at this school for 3 years and really enjoys it. It's focus is environmental, so if your child loves anything to do with animals and their environment it is the perfect choice. Parent involvement is low, but we are working on that, I think most parents don't feel they need to be involved in middle school, but they do. This school is constanly getting the kids interested in many aspects of science. Check it out!
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are great my children really enjoy the fact that the teachers are cool and they teach the material in a clear matter. The teacher really care about the children and make it their goal so that the child understands the material and there is always open communication with the parent just as well. I as a parent really apperciate the fact that I have the opportunity to participate in the schools activities, with or without prior notification to them and they welcome me open arms, what a refeshing thought that you are not going to be told that you are not welcome and the securety measures are excellent, for me the school is rated 'A'.
—Submitted by a parent