Desert Ridge Jr. High School

We had to remove student due to bullying and violence. Concerns over safety fall upon deaf ears and denial.

My child with special needs is finally getting the support he needs here. He is in the ASD program and has a Case Manager. He has some really difficult behaviors and they have a Case Manager. I often see school counselors, security and front desk staff cheerfully greeting him and he has friends here. My son is a difficult child to deal with- he can get verbally abusive and out of control, so that's saying alot. I think the principal tries hard to do her best with all the students including special needs- I think he has given her a real challenge at times with his behaviors, but God bless her, she tries to be fair and patient. I give this school six stars for caring and trying with our teens. I was especially touched by how hard Ms. Done, Mr. Vandenburg the counselor and My son's Spice 2 aides all work to help the kids. They actually believe in my child!

DRJH is a great school and a great environment. There seems to be a good balance between teaching personal educational responsibility and remembering that although this is junior high, they are still kids.My only complaint is that the sports teams seem to be based on the coach's personal relationship with some kids or parents, and not necessarily talen. Sports shouldn't be political in junior high!

We loved having our kids at DRJHS. The principal is professional, approachable, and does an amazing job. She holds monthly site council meetings to talk to parents about school activities and programs, and she is available to answer any questions that parents have. (If you're a DRJHS parent, you should go to the site council meetings!) We really appreciated the advisory period every day when students can get extra help in a specific subject area, make up missing assignments, or participate in enrichment activities. We had some great teachers! We really liked the canned food drive, fundraisers for charities, and other activities that taught our kids important lessons outside of classroom instruction. There are good reasons why DRJHS is known as the "giving school." They taught the kids important life lessons and made it fun. We had great experiences at DRJHS!