Dougherty Valley High School

10550 Albion Road

School District

San Ramon Valley Unified
Grade

9-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:25
Type

public

School Map for San Ramon Valley Unified 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 September 15, 2023

Academically competitive school. Students need to be self motivated to learn and work very hard to succeed. Those who don't typically don't have enough motivation to put in those extra hard work needed. This is a public school after all, teacher resources are limited like all other public schools, so if you need that extra attention, private school would be a better choice. Plenty of AP courses are being offered but again, self motivation and being resourceful is very important.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2023

The staff here does not support students. When students aren’t grasping what’s needed the teachers don’t communicate with the student to ensure they are learning. The counselors don’t help. Minorities in this school are neglected.
Submitted by teacher on March 22, 2023

This is a comprehensive high school that caters to many different learning styles. Since it is a big school there are many course offerings with different levels of difficulty. There are lots of clubs for students to take part in and the athletic program is quite strong in most sports. Most students are respectful and motivated, so it is a pleasant school for nice kids to thrive.
Submitted by student on February 17, 2022

Amazing school, just everything is great. If your kid is willing to reach out for help and is ready to put effort and take time to reach out to teachers and have them explain concepts when confused, then this school is great for that. Many students lack this and complain that the teachers are not doing enough which is simply false in most cases. Has some of the best PE facilities and equipment in the bay area and SRVUSD, and students get to try new sports OR can choose from a variety of different sport options. Overall it is a good school with some competition, so grab any opportunity you can get, otherwise you will regret it as everyone wants the #1 spot. Can add some pressure on the student but that comes with the competition and with a good highschool experience. Community is also amazing and the school offers countless clubs to choose from; from leadership clubs to medical clubs, it is all included!
Submitted by teacher on April 28, 2020

I taught there and the kids are wonderful. The problem is in Administration and Departments where bullies dominate. The kids are more mature than adults. They really are terrific. But sadly, new teachers may want to avoid coming here. A positive experience in many ways but you will be bullied and taken for granted. All that glitters in ranking is not gold.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2019

Suprised at DVHS this school. The teachers here do not support students. Do not send your child here.
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2017

This school is overcrowded, unsafe and your student will not get the course selections they want unless they are enrolled in this school district during the Spring of prior year when course selections are offered. Between Spring and Fall, innumerable new admissions happen in this over crowded school, whom the school cannot support yet will admit and your student will simply bear the brunt of dealing with courses they never wanted, bad teachers whom none of the elites wanted, PE class that is meant for the useless bunch who did not fit in any others where actual instructions happen. Such a PE class that follows no curriculum and allows free play, using defective school equipment, without supervision and without safety instructions has caused my son a head injury concussion, and disabled him. The school assumed NO Responsibility, completely faking all reports, covering up facts and coaching all witnesses. This school is the worst nightmare for any parent. Do not get carried away by the great ratings about this school. New comers to the school are at a distinct disadvantage. Stay out if you are considering moving to the area and letting your high schoolers in this risky school.
Submitted by student on February 14, 2017

There is a lot of room for improvement and I hope they take initiative and listen to the advice of the students who actually attend the school, instead of relying on the teachers to tell what happens in our heads.
Submitted by student on January 09, 2017

I love this school, it has made me a much smarter student and hopefully I will be able to succeed in college as well.
Submitted by student on December 05, 2016

This school does not care about how a student lives his/her life they inly care that you do your homework and get high grades.
Submitted by student on October 20, 2015

Dougherty is a bad school because these teachers don't teach much. Most classes are boring and teachers give you a ton of homework. If you are that kid who slacks off in school and is irresponsible, Dougherty isn't going to teach you anything. Your problem will build up and get worse and you will get really stressed out. Don't go to Dougherty!
Submitted by student on June 08, 2015

Okay, parents will say Dougherty is great and all, even the state will say that, its hell. Ask any kid at Dougherty and they will tell you how much they despise this school almost any kid. If you struggle at learning, or slack off in school, yeah Dougherty will make you learn and is great for you, if you are an overachiever its hell. Very few teachers actually teach at our school, the only reason we have 'high' scores is because all the kids take classes outside of school, skip grade levels of math and science, and self-study because they don't want to fail. To top it off, the air at our school is overly competitive, every one uses each other, and is like 80% asian, meaning of course we have high test scores, all my friends parents had them doing 8th grade math in 4th grade through Kumon. AP classes? Don't make me laugh. The AP classes at Dougherty are just a big excuse for teachers to not teach, give out assignments and say they are 'preparing us for college', please, if thats preparation for college, I honestly should just homeschool until I go to college, I'll waste less of my time, and be just as prepared. Bad sleeping habits are encouraged, I mean among my friends which are just about all the overachiever kids, we brag about how late we go to bed, its a sign of IDK, to be able to pull an all nighter, your looked down upon if you go to bed early. They encourage over scheduling yourself, your expected to take 4-5 AP/honors classes average out of a 7 periods max by junior year, a sport, an instrument, piano on the side, three different clubs AT LEAST, and have a leadership position in at least one of them, and thats just the minimum, thats average. Don't send your kids here, its a very bad idea.Sincerely,A suffering Dougherty student
Submitted by student on August 26, 2014

awfully SMALL campus, students are forced into tiny halls and classrooms, multiple teachers share a single classroom, inadequate one-on-one time, most students rely on themselves rather than the teachers to get things done. administration is unprofessional and discriminatory. campus security is strict on the kids and punishes them if they do not follow the complicated sign in/out procedures but I've seen plenty of people (adults) walk into campus without being questioned. There are also many (4+) large back doors and fences unlocked during school hours. They don't provide enough food, many students starve because the lines are too long = food sells OUT within 20 minutes. Parking lot exists are often blocked on purpose by admins, expect to take 45 min to pick up your kid from school. DV academics only seem "good" because 90% of students are asians who spend lots of money and time to study outside of classes. as a college kid, I am prohibited from visiting the campus at ALL, but either way I'm never going back.
Submitted by student on January 27, 2014

believe it, in my first year my items had gotten stolen and the office didn't do anything. the office will notice a problem and take care of it by making it worse. its THE STUDENTS that make this schools rating what it is, teachers are probably the most unproductive people only anding out paper work with no explanation, your 4 years will only be about getting paper tossed at you and your best friend will be your computer because teachers won't be a very good source like they use to. the school needs more time to become a monte vista or a cal high, but other than that, don't fall for the ratings fall for the facts. there is no diversity what so ever unless your blind. don't believe the parents that only look at the end end results of there kids. this is a report FROM one of those kids, your better off actually LEARNING than researching half the time at another school. the only up side is that its a new campus.
Submitted by student on October 06, 2013

As part of the first class to attend all four years at Dougherty, I can honestly say that there is nowhere else I would have rather gone. Hearing from friends at other schools in the district about how theirs were out-of-control with people skipping school and generally lacking a sense of pride in their grades, Dougherty really is the best public high school for miles around. What the first two years lacked in spirit, I am told the the current student body is making up for! There weren't cliques or bullies like the media often tells us, and the diversity was like nowhere else. It has been said that Dougherty focuses too much on grades and not enough on, well, anything else, and I would have to disagree with that. As a student who struggled with learning disabilities, I thought making a 3.0 was only a dream, but somehow, the Dougherty staff did it. They make you take an interest in yourself and your own learning, helping out in any way they can. I'm going to a fantastic college, one of the top 100 in the country because of this school. Dougherty is the best place for a student to receive and outstanding education and the tools to make something of herself and become someone great.
Submitted by parent on February 20, 2013

My daughter graduated 2012 and now attends Saint Mary's College of California. She recieved a FULL scholorship. I am so glad all 3 of my girls attend this school. The academics is second to none in the Bay Area. At last years graduation ceremony the statistic was a 99.8% graduation rate with 92% of the graduating seniors attending a 4yr university going into fall 2012.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2012

My son graduated June 2011 and is now attending UCLA. We were very pleased with the quality education that he received at Dougherty Valley HS. He was well prepared academically to handle his college coursework. I have been a home owner in SRVSD and my children have attended school with the district since 1995. Due to recent divorce and sale of family home I have been renting for 6months during transition. I am finding that there are many in same situation that are currently renting temporarily. I spend many hours voluteering at my yougest sons school, etc. People don't be so quick to judge. I did the same and am now renting one of the units temporarily that I complained about as they were being built in order to keep my youngest in this school district. Because of my older childrens great experiences in SRVSD, I am looking to purchase new home here so that he can finish school here as well.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2012

We need to get more staff as the student population has doubled. As a property owner around the school and my son attended the school when it first open about 5 years ago. I love the first principal. She was superfast in responding to my email. I even received a personal a call from her within 10 minutes. Super hardworking principal who did the pioneer work in getting the school started on solid foundation. However, at that time the school has around 1,000 students or less. It is now 2,200 plus students as there are more rental units and new housing around. The property owners pay a lot of money on the property taxes and contribute to the schools with volunteer time and donation money. I know for sure the rentals are less inclined to do so in both time and money. Too bad the county is messing a good thing we got going in San Ramon as the county is the one who approved the 300 plus rental unit near the high school. Anyway, I still believe the new administration will continue to find ways to keep up the good academics. Sports are great too. The kids are well occupied with activities.
Submitted by student on September 11, 2012

The academics are a big part of DV, because we were pushed to try. But that was helpful to me now. You can't just slip through the cracks and be successful in life. You need to push yourselves and the teachers did a good job at generally pushing us but not overloading us. The spirit has increased a lot in the last few years, and I loved going to the games and seeing teachers and their families supporting the wildcats along with us all. Most of the students are very proud to be Wildcats. I found that students at DV aren't as stereotypically cliquey like in other high schools. People are just genuinely friendly. There were several days when I would see someone sitting by themselves and I would or a random student would go introduce themselves and try to make a new friend. That's just how it is at Dougherty. You go out of your way to make others feel safe and welcome. As for the teachers, I was able to become very close with multiple teachers who really influenced me and made a very big difference in my life because of how much they actually cared about me. The only problem I found, was sometimes the admin is a bit dramatic over pointless things. And the tardy sweeps were dumb.
Submitted by parent on September 05, 2012

Hi Guys my daughter is a senior and the inefficiency of the counselor continues in past 2 years we had 4 counselors changed by the school for her.The first change was when they made change to the people under R could no longer be under the said counselor apparently they could not do this for incoming freshmen they had to do so for the entire school so my daughter who was a junior finds out the counselor who promised her letter of recommendation for college will no longer be doing so.She refused saying the new counselor who does not know her will be writing the letter.In comes counselor #2 she stays for couple of month than goes on maternity leave than comes the replacement who is also expecting,so she leaves too after few months.So I have given up on getting any help from these helpers of the kids and hired outside counselor so my daughter will have some decent advise when she applies for college this year.I wish this school will hire at least one senior counselor who could be the head counselor and teach rest of them through example how things should be run ,and keep the kids interest at heart .