Davis Elementary School

5214 DUVAL RD

School District

Austin Independent
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:12
Type

public

School Map for Austin Independent School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on May 25, 2024

Davis is a gem of a school with wonderful leadership and great, kind students. After spending time at a private school before Davis, I have been quite impressed with our entire experience! Professional, kind, and committed teachers, support staff, vice principals, and principal!
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2024

This school doesn’t communicate or respect parent’s opinions at all.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2024

It was a wonderful time at Davis School. Thank you.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2024

We've been at Davis for two years now and love it. The only qualms I have with it are the location (it's off of a busy road) and understaffing. Both feel like larger issues than campus related though so I don't necessarily fault Davis. I feel fortunate to be zoned to such a quality and diverse campus for my kids.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2024

Davis has been a wonderful learning environment for my children these past seven years. The teachers are invested in the kids and it is a very nurturing school that keeps learning fresh and fun. Even teachers from other schools tell us that Davis doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. The school is diverse with a strong PTA that is very supportive of the teachers and staff. We love it!
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2024

Davis has been an excellent environment for our boys to thrive socially, emotionally and academically. The parent community and engagement is strong, the teachers make learning unique and special and I feel my kids are learning academic skills and core competencies in addition to social/emotional values through the Davis Way program. The administration and staff is incredible and the PTA has inspired a true community feel at our school. Fun events like Dolphinfest, Ocean Olympics (Field Day), Culture Fair, Veteran's programming, Book Fair and the adult-only auction and other fun buy in events make school memorable and allow my kids to create incredible memories. Highly recommend Davis!
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2024

My student has been bullied by another student for her entire year at Davis. She’s had instances being bullied since she started in 2nd grade, and not enough is done to ensure her safety at school. I understand the staff is doing what they can without completely expelling the other student, unfortunately it isn’t enough and is greatly impacting her emotional health. The bullying is known within a group of students, and the staff has been aware for the years these students have been at Davis. My students mental and emotional health has been greatly impacted, she has lost interest in her school work and cries every day about going to school. She doesn’t care about learning and finds no interest in any subject. A lot of the time, she feels punished by teachers and staff, because she now has certain restrictions to keep her away from the other student. It’s gotten so bad we are now in therapy and considering moving so we can change schools, which is unfortunate for the friendships she has developed.
Submitted by parent on June 19, 2023

Davis Elementary is a great school full of caring teachers and staff. My child attended Davis from Pre-K through 5th grade and she was well prepared for 6th grade.
Submitted by other on May 31, 2023

We’ve been at Davis for 4 years and highly recommend this school and community. The school administration and teachers have been very supportive of my child’s learning. Parents are also welcoming.
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2023

Great school l, great teachers, all good i am very very happy
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2023

My heart sings every time I visit my kids at Davis Elementary. The school hums with the positive energy coming from the teachers and students. Davis has a wonderfully supportive community of parents, teachers, students, administration, and support staff.
Submitted by other on May 24, 2023

Very good I was a student here for seven years and let me just say it is amazing supporting staff great playground they have it all.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2023

We love Davis! My daughter is in PK4 right now and I am so thankful we opted for the pre-k year. She’s grown so much. I’ve been very impressed with the staff, as well as parent involvement. It’s truly an incredible community.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2021

Completely baffled at how anyone has had a positive experience at this school. It is essentially a day care, only I'd feel much more comfortable and safe with my child at a day care. We are now at a school that is not within the AISD network, and it's amazing! I honestly don't know how parents can consider this school as acceptable. My child is so happy now, and he is thriving educationally.
Submitted by parent on May 12, 2021

The principal, staff, and PTA here are amazing! They have always made our family feel welcome. From pre-K to fifth grade the teachers are deeply caring and committed to each child's education. I volunteer at the school fairly often and have gotten to know a lot of the parents, teachers, and staff. It is a very kind and supportive community. Davis also has a high emphasis on Social Emotional Learning which will serve these children well as adults...Where was that when I was a kid? This is also one of the few schools in Austin to have a heavy emphasis on project based learning and other schools in the area appear to be following suit. This rating by Great Schools is a little baffling from a parent's perspective...
Submitted by parent on March 25, 2021

It looks like the GreatSchools.org rating is based on test scores, which for Texas schools is the STAAR test. This is also what the Texas Education Agency uses to rate schools. Davis takes test scores seriously but test prep is not the only thing they focus on. There is a big focus on Social Emotional Learning including self-management, relationship skills, and executive function. They do this with lessons by the guidance counselor to the kids, staff training in Responsive Classroom Strategies, morning meetings, a peace area in each classroom, and more. Davis also has a big focus on Project Based Learning which they do in every grade level. I hear a lot about "voice and choice" for PBL which lets the kids give input on their project. One of the tools they use for PBL is a software program called Project Lead the Way Launch which has pre-designed curriculum focusing on science, engineering, and computer programming. I'm not sure how many other schools in Austin ISD do this but I think it's a very small number and it sounds like those Davis teachers who are certified to train others may be training other teachers in the district. This is a real feather in the cap for Davis. Also, Davis applied to be an Innovation Zone school a few years ago and they were accepted into the program that only a handful of other Austin ISD schools are in. And that allows them more flexibility and autonomy to do things like change the report card to be more standards based which has in turn has shifted the instructional practices in a more standards-based direction. Davis (as part of the Anderson Vertical Team) also has the Creative Learning Initiative resources and the Foreign Language Experience program and gets additional professional development days as part of the "District of Innovation". The Davis PTA helps pay for a science lab coordinator (among other positions) who is a great asset to the school, and a rarity from what I hear. My fourth grade daughter has loved all of her teachers and loves the counselor and has enjoyed her time at the school so far! My one wish is that I could have done something about the cafeteria being too loud. Maybe you, dear reader, can help with that! Please volunteer to photocopy for teachers, run a Math Pentathlon group, shelve books in the library, prep art materials for the art teachers, help maintain the website, or help with community-building school events. Volunteering is also a great way to meet other parents.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2021

I cannot say enough good things about Davis Elementary. The teachers and staff are amazing and have gone above-and-beyond to make the 2020-2021 school year the best it could be. Mrs. Daniels is one of the hardest working humans I know and has worked tirelessly to navigate her team and Davis students through this pandemic. The low rating on this site in no way reflects our experience as Davis Dolphins and is an insult to the incredible staff! We love Davis Elementary!
Submitted by parent on September 18, 2019

I was shocked to discover this school has a C rating. We came here three years ago to escape the stress of a "high performing" school and have found this school, the teachers and the administration to be far better in just about every way. Our three children are happy instead of stressed out, come home inquisitive and eager to learn more instead of exhausted and beat down, and have much healthier relationships with their friends. I am newish to Texas and we didn't do the strange emphasis on the star back home but if that is what is used to determine school ratings, maybe there should be a better system. We love Davis and the PTA and the teachers and Mrs. Morley and the principal and the friendly kitchen staff and the amazing special ed aides who have helped one of my three feel "normal" for the first time in his life. This rating is undeserved.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2019

Excellent. My family would rate our experience as a 10/10. Our children have loved being students there. Their teachers have been kind and caring. Administrators listen to parent concerns and make every attempt to address them. Parents are involved and volunteer regularly making it feel like a true community school.
Submitted by parent on June 01, 2018

Awful. All negative experiences and behaviors get swept under the rug.