Doolen Middle School

2400 North Country Club Road

School District

Tucson Unified District
Grade

6-8
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 October 28, 2023

Have a new 6th grader here Fall 2023 in the GATE program and participating in school wide sports. Teachers are amazing. They tell parents that they have noticed a huge turnaround at the school in the last two years since having a new principal. One even said that he might not have sent his kids there 5 years ago, bot he definitely would now. Talk to parents before you judge by stars. Our son is thriving and standards for him are high. We are very happy at Doolen.
Submitted by other on November 19, 2021

If you ha e special a special needs child i do not recommend sending them to this school. They do not care about the individual iep plans they want it their way or no way, most of the staff are rude and disrespectful.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2021

The GATE Program here is a joke. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of having 2 kids go through this program and one of them decided to transfer schools because it had gotten so bad. I will say in the years since Ms.Unger left the program had gotten slightly better but there is still this weird air of elitism in both the GATE Teachers and the kids. Most of the GATE kids are white which shows how much educational bias there is in TUSD. It also means GATE kids of color are treated poorly. They do not address the bullying at all and it is extremely bad at this school. Many of the teachers act unprofessionally toward parents and students. Teachers text in class, tell personal stories, and act like bullies making fun of people and joining in instead of redirecting and educating. The principal is out half the time and impossible to get ahold of.The major problem is their lack of being able to deal with bullying. While we were there one kid brought a sharpened object to school to “cut girls with” made tiny burning balls out of pencil shavings and cement glue and threw them at girls, A group of boys rubbed their private parts all over girls for weeks or stuck their hands down their pants and rubbed their hands on girls. Administration was told for weeks and they did nothing. But lectured the girls about not flirting!!!!! It’s the twilight zone at Doolen, I do not recommend.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2020

Horrible. We lasted a little over a year and enrolled in another school.
Submitted by student on April 05, 2020

Being a GATE student, I can say this school is OK. We have uniforms and I don’t mind.
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2020

Not very well. Next year we will put him into a better school that will understand his learning disability.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2018

TERRIBLE!!!!! I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THIS SCHOOL!!!!!
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2014

I am a parent of an eighth grader in Doolen GATE. If your child tests into GATE, visit some classes at Doolen. I think you will like what you see, and your child will likely enjoy their middle school experience. The GATE program is the best option within TUSD.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2014

Sorry I meant to put 1star or not any I am the parent who just posted about my autistic child . They should be ashamed about they behavior . Do not sen your child there if they are in a SPEC . ED class
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2014

I don't have a lot of great things to say about this school. I admit my daughter can be dramatic and strange but she gets picked on by the students enough, the teachers don't have to join in. We have gone to the school on 3 separate occasions to meet with staff and they never are available or follow up. My daughter does have a few teachers she really likes and some really good friends but if we have any options she will not be returning for 7th grade.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2013

I have problems with this school and they way the handle my child and not in a good way :( !
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2012

I have not really been impressed with the 7th or 8th gate teachers. The really do not seem to care about the students. They do not keep up on grades, the lose students work that has been turned in. They are either over worked, unorganized or they just don't care. Which is sad, because they have bright students that work hard. The 6th grade gate teachers that my child had were so much better, but they have since left the school. As for the rest of the administration, there are not much better. There is bullying going on all the time and nothing seems to be taken care of. Students get their personal belongings stolen and the school does nothing about it. We haven't moved our child out of the school because we haven't heard anything better about other schools in the district. So we have had our child study martial arts in order to protect themselves.
Submitted by parent on April 25, 2012

I have issue with this school and how they handle bullying. My child is bullied almost daily yet no one really deals with it. Even when there is physical bullying no one gets in trouble or suspended like district policy says they should. I am currently looking at removing my child before the next school year because I dont want her tortured any longer by horrible kids and a staff that just doesnt care.