Discovery Charter School

4021 Teale Avenue

School District

Santa Clara County Office Of Education
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

charter

School Map for Santa Clara County Office Of Education 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 October 20, 2023

we are new family to this school, we can so lucky that we are able to attend DCS.teachers are super NICE and care about student and also their families.At this school, they have many activates for parents to get to know about their children.my girl was very happy and learned a lot.i would recommend DCS to everyone.and BTW they have ten field trip during the school year. is that cool?
Submitted by student on September 19, 2023

The teachers and staff pay a lot of attention to the students to ensure they have an optimal learning experience. The curriculum (especially for AP students) is quite ahead compared to schools in the area. One unique thing with Discovery students I have categorically seen is their confidence in speaking to others, most students gain that trait from presenting to their classes about topics they've researched and have a vested interest in. Great school!
Submitted by student on February 05, 2023

I am am 8th grader at DCS. my journey through many schools has been up and down, and I started at DCS this school year for my eighth grade. I have dealt with bullying and mean kids at many other schools, but Discovery has very little/none of that. I have never been in a social situation where I felt someone was directly being mean to me, or picking on/bullying me. The community is incredibly supportive. I love my teachers, and I am close with like everyone in my class. I have come from a string of really bad schools, but finding DCS was a saving grace. TLC (the learning center) is really great. I go to counseling and get extra help in math tutoring there, and it is really amazing. They really look at the whole child, not just the student. I feel incredibly supported and loved at DCS. teachers are very helpful when a student is struggling in a subject…they are lenient about due dates which is great for a student like me who struggles with punctuality. I feel that I have learned more in my time at DCS (academically and emotionally) than I have at any other school in my life. I struggle with anxiety, which is the reason for many of my school changes. but my teacher is very understanding, and will let me leave the class to go on a walk or wear noise cancelling headphones in class or listen to music to help. it’s reallllyyyy helpful. I could not recommend this school enough. it has truly saved my life!!! thanks DCS!!
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2022

It’s a parent participation and project based school, with a strong emphasis on building a community. It’s certainly not for everyone but we have had a wonderful experience. We are in our second year at DCS. The staff and teachers focus on developing the whole child. Kids don’t sit in school day after day filling out worksheets. They are taught to think and listen and they are happy. Kinder and 1st graders get 10 field trips per year, and 2nd thru 8th get 8. But, 5th graders go to a science camp for a week and 8th graders go to Yosemite. This school is successful because of the dedicated parents who show up and support the teachers/school/classroom.
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2021

My 3 year experience has been up and down. They promote an independent learning structure but leaves little room for independence. IMO, the teachers are only prepared for "model students ". If your child is temperamental or has some unusual characteristics they are clueless on what to do. The teachers and administrators care more about each other than the students.
Submitted by parent on July 30, 2020

I really hope they amend their volunteer policy to allow for more diversity. The school is located in a neighborhood with a high Latino population but the school is predominantly White/Asian. Many Latino and/or low income families can’t afford to have one parent work for free part time at their child’s school. And no school receiving public funds should require this of parents. I hope they make some major shifts in order to become an anti-racist school.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2020

This has been such a wonderful experience for us! Their focus on character, identity, socio-emotional learning, and project based learning has really helped my child thrive.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2019

Although I have been frustrated with the administration, the teachers are excellent, hardworking and passionate. This is currently the best fit for my children. I am hopeful the administration details will be resolved.
Submitted by parent on February 26, 2019

Great experience, my child is happy and loved the school
Submitted by parent on February 26, 2019

The school was great a few years ago but has lost its objective under the new supervisor. She is money minded and if she thinks a child needs resources then she will bully and threaten you till you quit the school
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2017

Overall, I am really disappointed with my experience at Discovery. We waited so long to get accepted. After sitting in the orientation meeting, listening to Dale, I had such high expectations. Myself and my child were eager to attend/participate, but, as time went on, it became apparent that leadership wasn't in the best of health and therefore many things suffered. It suffers to the extent that I would not reccommend others to attend, which is sad. We are grateful that we don't have to spend another year there. We leave thankful for the learning curves because they helped me to be a better parent and my daughter to be a better student, but, it's sad that it ends negatively.
Submitted by other on May 22, 2016

New teacher to DCS this year ... a new teacher to teaching for 7th graders. Surely a tough year for her but my son had a great experience and likes and respects her a lot.
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2015

If you can handle parent participation this is an excellent school, creating the most well rounded students. We love the focus on emotional and social development while achieving the highest academic standards.
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2014

We have been in DCS for more than 5 years now and the direction that the Campus at DCS I is taking makes us glad we are leaving. What was once was a vibrant and passionate school has turned into a bureaucracy under the complete lack of leadership of Dale Jones and Debby Perry. The "executive director" appears ready to close the middle school and focus on the elementary (K-5) which has allowed him to functionally abandon the middle school students and their teachers. We have been forced to pay for outside tutoring in order to make up fo rthe math deficits our kids have suffered at this school. While DCS is a developmental school, it is no longer hitting the basics. Very sad to see.
Submitted by parent on March 18, 2014

We have been at DCS for 6 years, my daughter went from 3rd grade to 8th Grade. There are times when I have been concerned about the academics, it looked like she wasn't learning and homework was minimal even through Middle School. I knew my daughter had grown to be self confident, could advocate for herself and loved going to school each day, but worried about how she would be in a big public high school. The first year is nearly over and she is doing incredibly well! She has a 4.0 GPA and has loved playing team sports year round. She summed it up with "I didn't just learn random stuff at Discovery, I learned how to learn, how to ask questions and to find answers myself". Academics are not traditional at Discovery, and kids are expected to learn to the best of their ability, not to a level that someone else decides is good enough. Graduating students (from all that I've heard) go on to great success in High School both socially and academically, with or without tutors. (We couldn't afford tutors and didn't need to with any of my three children through their Discovery education). Discovery isn't for every child unless you are looking for something more than a test score.
Submitted by parent on December 05, 2013

I moved my daughter, Kinder to another shcool... My decision was right... My daughter is very happy and enjoys a new school.. She said that it is really school.. Discovery school has lots of fun things, but I have to tell you something... School has no responsiblity of academic standard !! Which means most of kids have tutors, tutors, tutors in order to follow CA academic goal.. Therefore, API was good... That score doesn't belong to teacher's effort, but parents.. Parents do everything....!!!
Submitted by parent on December 05, 2013

I am proud of our school. We have been here since its inception, understanding the philosphy of the school. It is light on homework, but the upside is that it has given us the time to have piano lessons, dance class, swim team, and other activities without feeling stressed. The school's API scores have always been in the 900's . we do not do outside academic classes. My eighth grader is taking geometry.
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2013

There is no homework, no textbook and no reward. Teachers and staffs are nice. Parents are working hard. Kids are all happy. The only problem is that teachers don't teach. They just assign projects to students and let students to figure it out by themselves. Students can't learn basic knowledge from the teachers. And they can't even get correct answers from the teachers. This is the philosophy of this school. If you don't agree with the philosophy, it is not a right school for you.
Submitted by other on November 14, 2013

Worst school ever, principal and teachers bully the kids and there is nothing done to stop It, the worst part is the principal suspended me for getting punched in the face!
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2013

This review is for Discovery 2, which opened in August, 2013. First, let me say that Discovery's philosophy, particularly as espoused by Dale Jones, is incredibly appealing. Students are welcomed and accepted for who they are and parents and educators alike are introduced to the Positive Discipline philosophy that has been the cornerstone of Parent Participation schools. The principal, Lori King, is dynamic and committed. The teachers are excited, though perhaps a little overwhelmed by the chaos of a brand new school. This is to be expected. It is difficult to fairly critique a school campus that is so new, particularly when the educators and the parents are passionately working to build the community. I applaud them. That said, many of the challenges that come with the founding of the school have been compounded by the short lead time and overall haste to establish a second campus to meet the demands of parents who wanted 'Discovery too.'. These growing pains have been challenging, challenging enough that my husband and I question our leap of faith daily. My child is happy and loves the freedom and the lack of overarching structure. We're waiting and seeing.