Leila Davis Elementary School

2630 Landmark Drive

School District

Pinellas
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

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 December 13, 2022

Davis is a GREAT community/neighborhood school. The parents are so involved and the PTA is amazing - arranging many family events all year round. Mr. Durst is effective as a Principal and truly cares about the kids. The majority of the teachers are amazing - with a few exceptions, but this is true anywhere. The Gifted Program and teachers are top notch. My child LOVES going to school, which makes me happy. The FOCUS portal is so helpful in keeping up with grades. I highly recommend this school and encourage all parents to volunteer and get involved. It helps you, your kids and the school.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2022

Leila Davis Elementary has very many positive qualities.Overall, my kids were very happy. They enjoyed going to school and never felt unsafe. This was very important, and mostly outweighed my concerns. And one of the biggest strengths of Davis is that the parent community is very tight-knit- there are many classroom volunteers, and parents and grandparents are very social with each other. The PTA planned lots of fun afterschool events for families. You do not have to worry about this school being cold or austere- Davis is a genuinely warm community for students, and students appeaer genuinely happy and comfotable.As far as academics, the teachers all follow the curriculum set by Pinellas County Schools, so I don't feel it's fair to criticize the school for the curriculum. All teachers were dedicated to helping students learn and grow.My biggest concerns were always a lack of communication from teachers and administration and an emphasis on test scores. It was at times rare to have a teacher or administrator respond to emails, or be proactive in reaching out with information. In talking with other parents, I know that I was not the only one frustrated with this. Even simple emails, i.e., what time is this event, would sometimes never be answered. Serious emails were not responded to on occasion. We did have one teacher who was very responsive and communicated often and well. Monthly school newsletters would sometimes be published late, after an event was over, with the information for that event. The best source for information was a parent Facebook page, where the lack of information from leadership was occasionally discussed. However, if you as a parent do not want to be bothered with teacher emails or newsletters, Davis is a good fit for you, and some parents prefer this.As far as test scores, the school administration is very focused on end-of-the-year test scores. Starting in December every year, you will start to hear that all students are just shy of certain testing targets, and students need to spend an increased amount of time on apps such as Dreambox and I-Station, in order to score well at the end of the year. The focus always was on the test scores, not learning itself. And education apps, not direct teaching to close the gaps. It may be just semantics, but I was uncomfortable that the goal was an explicit test score, and not a well-rounded education.
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2022

It was a wonderful experience! The teachers were amazing! The staff amazing!
Submitted by parent on December 11, 2018

This is a school with a strong sense of community and high parent involvement and very active PTA. It has dedicated teachers and support team. The new administrative assistant at the front desk is so sweet. The principal and Asst. Principal are dedicated and warm to the children. The school nurse is great. They have the BEST car line EVER, thanks to the gym teacher who runs that thing like it's the last quarter of the Super Bowl in a tied game. They have a solid gifted program that picks a new theme every year and invokes critical thinking and creativity along with an emphasis on social awareness. We are very happy with our school.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2018

The school is very unprofessional, teachers don't care much about their students, and the school is not ready if the teacher leaves the job. They do not challenge kids
Submitted by parent on December 26, 2017

Love the school and administration. Awesome experience. My only complaint is that the school work is too simple. I wish my kids were challenged more. But holy cow, great community feel and overall great place to be.
Submitted by parent on July 05, 2017

Mrs. McDonald was a fantastic teacher and extremely patient, caring, structured, and effective. One can't ask for a better teacher! I've heard great things about all of the Kindergarten teachers as well and the PK3 teacher was very nice and helpful the few times I saw her. I do think they need to step up security though and ID everyone as well as check the student's record to be sure someone is rightfully picking up a child. I personally think all schools should have metal detectors also. Lack of security is scary nowadays.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2015

Excellent teachers that really care about the children. Very clean school. Lots of creativity in the school & classroom. My child loves to go to school! I'm very satisfied with the education that my child is receiving.
Submitted by parent on July 17, 2014

My daughter is entering into first grade and I love love love Leila Davis. The teachers and staff are amazing. The teachers really show an interest in their students and connect with them. Everyone at the school is friendly and it is clear that the students are their first priority.
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2013

Davis has an amazing team of caring teachers and a wonderful administration. I have two children in Leila and we love the community feel! It is a public school GEM!!
Submitted by parent on October 22, 2013

Teachers are very nurturing, care for their students and challenge them to do their best. Could not be happier with this school.
Submitted by other on March 20, 2012

Pretty good school, good teachers and all day gifted. I get a good education there, but some of the teachers are a little jerkish. Sometimes the G.P teachers seem a little unorganized/unprepared, and their Quiz Bowl system is unfair, it's still fun and we learn some amazing things at G.P. The only problem is lunch. Lunch should be a time to enjoy your lunch and talk with friends after a long day of work, but the staff is full of lunch moms who are angry because they don't get paid and force the students to not talk, and if you even cough while the lights are off you are sent to the 'wall' (a bunch of desks lined up against the wall that serves as a punishment to misbehaving kids). Also if you owe money for over three days or something they give you moldy cheese sandwiches, which is kinda fair if you don't replenish your lunch money account.
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2011

I have three children who currently attend Davis. It is a wonderful school with dedicated and passionate teachers. The parent involvement is excellent as well. I am happy to have my children attend Davis, and am very satisfied with the education they are receiving there.