South Doyle High School

Most of the children at SDHS are wonderful regardless of what Mr Davis and Ms Eaton think or say. According to several friends that teach there, all they hear from Davis and his follower Eaton is negative things about the school, students, and teachers as well as comments how they can fire anyone at any time. With a new administration that truly cares about the children of South Knoxville and bring a positive attitude, the sky is the limit. Unless the current administration is changed, we are going to lose some great teachers and counselors at the end of the year like Karns almost did last year.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated from this school, my son graduated from this school and now my grandson goes there.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a student in South Doyle High School right now, and have had nothing but positive experiences here. I am a straight-A student, primarily due to the teachers actually understanding their subject matter, and particularly like the way the school administration handles their duties. This school is farther away from the center of Knox County, and as such, policy changes tend to be somewhat slow. As such, the rules tend to be very relaxed. I also went to Karns High School during my Freshman year, so I have a comparison point - The students are much happier here and are only barely falling behind Karns. The theory that "Working hard at all times of every day of the week makes a good student" is absolute junk. Students do better when not in therapy from unnecessary stress.
—Submitted by a student

Im a Current Student at this School it's horrible The teachers can't teach and the prinicpals aren't good authority figures. The only thing that is positive about this school is the College and Career advisor, Mrs. Jackson.
—Submitted by a student

When my honor student child transferred to South Doyle the very first day i was worried, walking to the office I saw kids making out in front of the school doors. South Doyle offers many opportunities for kids to go several different pathways after they graduate but the educational experience itself is dismal. Instead of kids earning their grades through hard work and study and actually learning, extra credit is almost a given in every class. If you cant make the grade many of the teachers offer so much extra credit work that a child can turn a F into a B easily even if they fail every test. The extra credit work in many cases has no relation to the subject being taught. My honor students main lesson from S. Doyle w was she didn't have to learn anything, all she had to do was turn in the extra credit.
—Submitted by a parent

I hate my school. Bullying is such a problem. It seems the troublemakers never get in trouble and the good kids do! The work is a joke and they have basically no exrtracurricular activities. There's no theatre/drama classes or a drama club. I hate it.
—Submitted by a student

In order to change the directions of this school, there needs to be more participation from the parents! School board meeting tonight. I will be there. This school needs changes as a whole. Teachers would be able to do alot more if parents would get behind them instead of on them. I have went w/ my child for weeks and surprised her and them on serveral days. Most of you would not believe how our kids act. I am ready for the community to get active instead of sitting around doing nothing. Remember these kids are the future!
—Submitted by a parent

My oppinion this school is great my only problem with it is that they have 'Freshman Acadamy' and they are getting rid of that next year. The classes are amazing and they have great electives to choose from. The only thing that any parent would be concerned with at this school is the learning style. If the student doesn't want to learn the teachers won't put in an effort to teach them. In my oppinon, thats not a bad thing.
—Submitted by a student

I have two daughters at SDHS, a senior and a freshman. Both were homeschooled from kindergarten through 8th grade. We put them in public school because they had a desire to interact with other kids on a daily basis. We had heard many negative comments about SDHS, but we decided to give it a fair chance. We have not been disappointed. Our oldest has taken all the honors and AP classes that are offered. She has a 4.0 GPA and has scored a 29 on the ACT. Her coursework has been challenging, and her teachers have been excellent. They have inspired her and encouraged her desire for knowledge. The principals have been quick to respond every time I've brought an issue to them; I can't say enough good things about them. They are sincere in their desire to see students succeed. I recommend SDHS!
—Submitted by a parent

I totally agree with the comments about the administration being more concerned with keeping their jobs. If you have any concerns they dismiss you and will not listen to the children or the parents. If a parent brings up a issue it it pushed or shoved under the rug. I will eventually have to speak to the school board about concerns for anyone to even listen
—Submitted by a parent

This school is totally unorganized, too many chiefs, and they do not care about the students, all they care about is their numbers, and keeping their job.
—Submitted by a parent

I graduated S-D in '03. Like many others have said, the major drawback to the school is the amount of apathy among the student body. I think much of this is due in part to the middle school experience. I am not alone when I say it felt as though actual education was suspended during the three years at S-DMS. When freshmen arrive, it's as if the majority have forgotten how to learn. Also, there was the feeling that the curriculum was being catered more toward the fundamental and basic level students as opposed to the college-prep and AP. It was as if administrators felt the C-P and AP students could pretty much fend for themselves. Still, I received quite an education from SD. I currently attend UTK and many of the classes I've taken here so far aren't nearly as challenging as a few I took at S-D.
—Submitted by Amanda D., a former student

South Doyle is a school that lags because the students expect so. Honor and AP students get something out it because they are motivated. Unfortuantly, there is a mass of students who are in fundamental and basic class and nothing is done to help them raise their levels. It's not just that South Doyle is a bad school, it's that parents don't care, teachers are frustrated.
—Submitted by a former student

I think that SDHS is a great school and i would tell anyone to go there.The teachers are really nice and its mostly the students that are bad. The teachers can't do anything about that i think that it is the parents fault.
—Submitted by Chris Mcmurray, a student

I graduated from S-D in December of '04. While the school itself isn't necessarily the greatest in the world it definately has a lot to offer if you desire to take a lot from it. The best part of S-D is the fact that they have a College and Career Center and COunselor. Mrs. Jackson takes time to help every student in the school decide what he/she wants to do, where to go to make that dream come true, and how to pay for it. I am majoring in Elementary Education at Carson Newman College and for those of you who aren't aware it is a very expensive school and without Mrs. Jackson's help there is no way that I would be here fulfilling my dream to become a teacher because she helped me find the scholarships that paid for EVERY bit of my costs. THANKS Mrs. Jackson!!! ~Tabitha Wood
—Submitted by Tabitha Wood, a former student

I took my duaghter out of SDHS and put her in a private school, because her GPA had dropped from 4.0 to 2.8 in her junior year. When I put her in the private school she graduated six months early with a 4.5 GPA. I felt that my concerns as a parent were not only dissmissed but resented by the administration. I would not recommend this high school to anyone who cares about their child's education and well-being.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has a terrible reputation and has, in the past, deserved it. My son graduated in 2004 and my daughter will graduate in 2006. Overall, I have been pretty happy with this school, but it is certainly the kind of place that you get out what you put in. If the parents stay involved and the kids are motivated, there is much South-Doyle has to offer. The choral programs are among the best in the state and there are some fine educators on the staff. Ultimately, your experience will be what you make it. There doesn't seem to be much effort put into motivating or rehabilitating poor performers
—Submitted by a parent

I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone It is a horrible school because half of the teachers don't care about their students or anything.And the pricipals don't care what the students do.
—Submitted by a parent

I now attend SDHS and I feel that it is a great school. If you don't get the classes you want you have plenty of time to change them. You can drop and add classes almost for the first 2 months of school...possibly more. I thinks its a great school and I would recommend it to anyone.
—Submitted by a student

I finished S-D with a 4.0, yet I wouldn't recomend the place ever. AP and honors students rarely can take all the classes they need/desire because of the poor scheduling. Three of the classes I wanted to take (AP States, wind ensemble, and Bible History were all offered the same period.
—Submitted by a former student