Dakota High School

I am a parent of a daughter that recently graduated from Dakota and another one that will be graduating soon. I have nothing but great things to say about this community of administrators, teachers, security, etc. As a parent, I have had the opportunity to be very involved from elementary school all the way through high school giving me first hand experience at what goes on. Resources are available to all....just ask! There is an excellent Fine Arts program graduating some of the top students at DHS. The athletic department offers a variety of sports, many going on to win championships! Encouraging your child to become involved in something is my best advice. There are so many after school clubs available to meet people and to be able to be a part of something. My college student recently told me that she loved everything about Dakota. She felt it totally prepared her for college.
—Submitted by a parent

These comments speak for themselves - all of the positive comments come from the kids/parents who are, or have athletes in this school. I attended every Parent Teacher conference for four years. I had a kid who was honor roll when she started there. She had some issues socially at this school with harassement and she withdrew and declined academically. I met with the staff and the situation just got worse. These ignorant comments about Parents not getting involved simply do not apply to everyone universally. I also get a kick out of a tenth grader telling parents how to be behave. Imagine that, an athlete at the school thinking that athletes don't get special treatment. Anyway, for those of you have kids that are self motivated and do not require extra attention at times, I am happy for you. You should consider yourselves fortunate. However, not every teenager falls in to that category, and to say that others are un motivated slackers is over simplifying an incredibly complex equation. Long story short, school should meet the needs of the entire student body, this school is great for the low maintenance students and athletes.

i don't understand all these negative comments, especially from parents! they didnt even go here!! i'm currently going into the 10th grade, and Dakota High School is a great school, if i do say so myself. Just like any other school, it has their druggies, nerds, bullies, populars. The ones who fail chose to, and the ones who succeed actually put effort. I honestly do not think athletes get better treatment, considering i am one of the very few good, girl tennis players there. They're fine arts program is phenomenal, as i am in the band. They have tons of AP classes, and the teachers do care if you ask for help. They are not going to spoon feed your children, learn to grow up. My mother went to Chippewa High School, so it has been here a while and she excelled even though she was bullied. Overall, i would go here if i had a choice. But if you have negative things about this school, then don't go here and waste our time listening to you complain.
—Submitted by a student

I was a student at this high school, 2010 graduate. I was cyber bullied my whole senior year by another student and even though the school pretends to care about how their students are being treated- I was told to deal with it and the most they could do was watch my car during school hours. Besides for the few amazing teachers I encountered, your child may not have a good experience if they are not an athlete. Drugs? There were a few major drug busts in my year and about 6 major fights. All in all, the teachers care - management does not.
—Submitted by a student

This school is so great! It helps student learn to become smart and responsible adults!
—Submitted by a parent

They do not have police officers patrolling all around the school. They have one liaison officer who is a police officer but he works full time in the school. The school as far as I can tell has hardly a drug problem, you have a certain set of kids you'll find at every school that does drugs, it doesn't mean its a huge problem. Anyone who says the school has a drug problem just has a kid who either does drugs or hangs out with kids that do drugs. DHS is an overall positive environment, with a lot of activities for students, a great sports program, and really good class offerings (Chippewa Valley Schools offers more classes than many surrounding school districts.) You should be proud if your kid goes here.
—Submitted by a parent

I thought anyone actually interested in these reviews would like to know that the student accusing teachers of being 'friends' rather than teachers and role models is not being completely honest and mistaking their friendliness for a lack of professionalism. The school also has a large amount of police officers that patrol the campus and it has no more of a ' drug problem' than any other high school, if any at all. Of the 28 school districts in Macomb County Michigan, chippewa Valley (Including Dakota) is only out ranked in any catagories by 2 districts, Utica and Romeo, as determined by Michigan merit testing. As it is a very wealthy district, they are also able to afford the best of facilities and supplies.

I'm a senior at Dakota this year, and I've had a great experience at Dakota so far. If you're looking for a bigger school, with a nice building, and good balance, Dakota's a great pick. Chippewa Valley School only have two high schools: Dakota and Chippewa Valley. Dakota is known greatly for their athletics. I'd have to agree that if your child has great athletic talents that Dakota can get them where they need to be, as far as a profession goes. Football games and Homecoming are so fun at Dakota! Since we have a larger school, it makes our games much more fun and energetic. The kids honestly enjoy being in high school. It's a great all around experience. We have a 2-time defending D1 state champion football team, award winning Drama club, an amazing fine arts program, great teachers, everything you would want your child to experience.
—Submitted by a student

This school is really fun to go to. The teachers are usually nice, though the curriculum is fairly easier than necessary. I love having so many kids to talk to everyday.
—Submitted by a student

Con's ~ This school has a serious drug problem... This outweighs the pro's in my opinion. They better address this issue soon and hard or this school is going to implode on itself with violence and drug related pain and anguish!
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated from Dakota last year and Dakota is a well balanced out high school. If your son or daughter plays sports and you think they will go far with that Dakota is the place to be. As far as education goes its not the best place to be. Dakota's academic standings are far more lower than Chippewas because at Chippewa they actually make students work. If you don't take AP classes you will not be prepared for college, and most kids don't. The teachers are basically our friends and isn't a bad thing but when it comes to teaching there, honestly, there is only a few good ones at that school. The rest of them sit on their computers and call it a day. So if you want your son or daughter to get a sports scholarship send them to Dakota a good education send them to Chippewa.
—Submitted by a student

they have a safe atmosphere where learning has no boundries
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in his 2nd year at Dakota (10th grade) and is doing very well! Dakota offers something for everyone - their schedule of classes is a 1/2' thick offering everything from jewelry making to AP classes. There are 25 different clubs and several athletics. Get your child involved in something and I guarantee they will thrive at Dakota. If you ask for help at Dakota you will get it - from teachers, consolers and everyone. There is a lot of school spirit - especially during football season. If your child does not succeed - they are not trying!
—Submitted by a parent

Dakota High School has a fabulous academic program for students. I do caution, if your child is not college prep material, they are going to have a very hard time in Dakota. Our physical education/sports programs are top of the line, as our Football Team, the Dakota Cougars won the state championship last year. I have recently relocated to Maryland and hope that I can find a school that is even close to Dakotas equivalence. The teachers, the office staff are all very friendly and top of the line. I recommend Dakota High School for any child that is motivated and wants to succeed in life.
—Submitted by Teresa Meyers, a former student

If you are popular, aggressive, loud or an athlete you will do fine at Dakota. I have two daughters who attended Dakota for four years, (one is in college now and one is graduating 2007) and they couldn't wait to be done with high school. Trying to change a class is impossible, they just won't do it. Parental involvement is discouraged, they don't even want to know parents exist unless they need money for something. We intentionally moved into this area for the school district, and other than elementary school, have been sorely disappointed.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated from Dakota, I am currently in the pharmacy program at Wayne state. Dakota really prepared me for college. I don't understand a lot of these parents comments, they say that their kids were not prepared for college, and they also wine that the teachers at Dakota did not hold their childs hand and walk them through high school. High school teaches you to be independent, you should not need a teacher to hold your hand and walk you through school, in college professors do not care who you are or the problems you have. The only thing that will prepare you for college is yourself, and the moral your parents have taught you while growing up, ultimately it is a failure of parenting if your kid does bad in college, because you have not prepared them for growing up and tacking care of their own responsibilities.
—Submitted by a former student

I graduated in 2001. Looking back I would say that it is an average public high school. The teachers are pretty good and there are good facilities. However, I felt that I was not prepared well enough for a top tier university. Considering teachers are handling children of different intelligence levels, I would reccommend adding more Advanced Placement (AP) classes, something I would have taken advantage of.
—Submitted by a former student

I graduated from Dakota in 2005. The teachers were good for the most part, and as long as the students make an effort and act like they care, they won't be 'just a number' to the teachers. The music and drama programs are excellent. Parents 'the drama mama's' help out so much with the plays and fashion shows. It's not impossible to make friends, though it might take a few years to find the ones worth sticking with. My only complaint is the DRAMA. All the kids talk behind each other's backs, and everyone knows everyone's business. Other than that, it's not as bad as some parents seem to think.
—Submitted by a former student

I have no clue where these negative commentors are getting their information. I have had 4 children in the CVS district and cannot count the number of ways they have benefited. We have had every grade except kindergarten. I would recommend the program to any parent in any part of the country. These teachers and counselors go above and beyond to help students as well as the parents. In my experience it is the attitude of the parent that determines the attitude of the student and which determines the attitude of the teacher to the student. Parents apparently want the school to accomplish a miracle instead of teaching. Frankly, I would rather the teachers pay attention to the students who want to be there and to succeed.
—Submitted by a parent

my daughter came from a smaller school in another district. she loved it at dakaota. She was in the medical career program for 3 yrs and now she is in nursing school. she had a 2.8gpa in high school and now she carries a 3.9 in college. they have alot of clicks, you just have to find the right one to get into. she loved all her teachers except for one, she would not help my daughter with her math and had to retake the class. that was the only bad experience she had.
—Submitted by a parent