Denison Middle School

400 Avenue A Southeast

School District

Polk
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
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 student on February 07, 2025

Best school ever the teachers are nice the admins are Cool.
Submitted by other on December 30, 2024

This school is so bad it’s actually insane. I couldn’t go a day without worrying someone was gonna bully me, I was often bullied because of my mental illnesses that i obviously can’t control. There were fights almost daily and the teachers would usually do nothing at all to stop it. A few teachers just refuse to do their jobs and just gave us work with little to no instructions AT ALL. Students were found with weapons on them countless of times now.Overall this school is just super terrible when it comes to safety, learning, and bullying. I heavily encourage you to enroll your child/children into a different school if you could.
Submitted by parent on December 29, 2024

Horrible - nothing but bullies - staff can’t communicate.
Submitted by student on December 11, 2024

It’s a great school and so many things you can learn
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2024

My attended Denison withdrawls first weeke my was bullied during PE punch in the face the PE was no were to be find my son on hot Asphalt basketball court with briuises and cuts the never noitified about me at all . The students all think there tough and disrepect in all levels . I had other chose for home school in area Polk county has step in and fix this school a student can get really hurt in this school.
Submitted by student on March 01, 2024

this school is bad the food sucks the admin are the worse if ur white dont come to this school if u can fight
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2023

Not surprising. We moved to winter haven , FL and my son was a 7th grader. His first day at Denison middle school, a little girl walked up to my son and put scissors to his neck and told him she sits there and if he sits down she would stab him. After I spoke to the school, they suspended the girl for a few days then put her back into the same classroom. My son is homeschooled now and is struggling academically now. Last year, my son went to winter haven high school where a teacher bullied my son because he told on her for talking about sex and giggling with the students and using F words with the students. Nothing was done. We moved out of that county just two weeks ago. Zero structure. Horrible district.
Submitted by student on January 26, 2023

This school is terrible, there are so many rude and disrespectful kids. Most of the kids cuss and think they are so cool. The staff doesn't really do anything to stop it. Some of the kids bully the kids who don't do anything to them.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2023

This schools is really bad kids do not listen there are fights everyday.
Submitted by student on December 15, 2022

This school will hate you for no reason at all, there are fights 24/7. The teachers barley teach, and the students are disrespectful!!
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2022

My son has gone to this school for the past two years. Last year he was virtual though and part of this year he was homeschooled. He has only been in person for a month and I'm noticing serious issues. For one thing, he is being called fat every single day. He no longer wants to eat at school. He has never even considered his weight before. The kids run the show there. They call each other racial slurs, don't do their work, wrestle each other in the middle of class, roast each other, play on their phones, ect. I will be trying to find other options for next school year.
Submitted by other on March 28, 2021

Overwhelming lack of leadership that negatively affects the school culture. Consequences for behaviors are nonexistent; the kids know this and continue to push to find their limits.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2017

My grandson attended this school 2 years ago, before it was threatened to get shut down. He then, the next year attended an "A" school where he failed and had to be homeschooled and attend summer school to pass to the next grade. He has started this year again at Denison and has by far already received more help and attention than ever before. Its not the teachers job to make sure your child learns. Its the parents job to be proactive in communication with the teacher constantly to make sure your child learns. I hate to hear parents bashing the teachers just because they themselves cannot do what they need to be doing. Yes there are always going to be a few bad teachers but that does not affect the whole.
Submitted by student on June 15, 2017

I would rate this school as a non caring school.
Submitted by other on April 30, 2017

This school is terrible we just moved here and my daughters only been in the school since November and is bullied everyday and the school does nothing to prevent or stop these bullies from attacking our kids!! My daughter is now hating to go to school, she's always asking me questions like Mom are my clothes and shoes UGLY? Mom do I SMELL BAD? Every night she has to put on her clothes for the next day and asks me if it looks OK, cause the kids are so terrible they make her feel soooo insecure about her smell, her looks, she thinks now that she fat and she's not at all, she's got so many problems since starting at this school, I want to get her out of this school and away from these Bullies that obviously have NO ADULTS AT THERE HOMES TEACHING THEM RESPECT AND MANNERS TOWARDS OTHER KIDS!! DMS REALLY NEEDS A SERIOUS WAKE UP CALL AND STOP THE BULLYING PROBLEM NOW CAUSE IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE!!
Submitted by student on May 18, 2016

I am a student at DMS ... I love the atmosphere, the students, and especially the teachers (fav teacher Ms. Lippett). The staff and teachers want you to succeed in DMS, the students just have to take it! Yeah there are rude kids(not all) but there are rude kids at every school. I know there's a lot of hate towards the school but you really have to live the DMS life everyday for 8 hours to see that it's a wonderful school!!
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2016

My daughter attends this school..we are from the north ..we recently moved here.It has been very difficult for her to make friends as well as fit in! Alot of disrespectful kids attend here.I am debating on moving to a better school district.I think the staff do a fair job but parents have to interact with their children and get to the root of the problems they are having.I have also been told that the serves outdated food.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2012

My son attended this school briefly, teachers were kind and security very visable and helpful, prinicipal dedicated and firm, but the school is so crowded at lunchtimes that my son often had to sit on a bench and eat on his lap. Some kids look like they should be in high school, hard for a small kid to make friends at this school.
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2012

I feel that bullying should not be tolerated at anytime. And if that arises then the student should be exspelled and have to repeat the grade they are in. Plain and simple. It should not be tolerating at any level at anytime.............