Davenport Community Schools seeks feedback on Hazard Mitigation Plan via a public survey.
For information on the Central High School pool and auditorium construction planning process, including minutes of public forums, click here.

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  • About Us

    • Profile of Our District

    WHO ARE WE?

    It’s easy to picture a school classroom as filled with students and led by a dedicated teacher, but we’re much more than that. We are a learning community comprised of involved parents, agency and business partners, volunteers, and caring citizens who, together with our students and staff, make Davenport Community Schools a district of distinction.

    DAVENPORT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE

    Communities Served: We serve the communities of Blue Grass, Buffalo, Davenport, and Walcott. This total land area covers 109 square miles.

    Facilities

    • 4 High Schools
    • 4 Intermediate Schools
    • 2 K-8 Schools
    • 17 Elementary Schools
    • 4 Early Childhood Learning Centers
    • 1 Athletic Stadium
    • 1 Operations Center
    • 1 Achievement Services Center

    Budget: A highly trained staff of financial experts maintains a budget of over $200 million to ensure the effective use of funds. Accolades include the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association and the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for the Association of School Business Officials International.

    Economic Impact: Over 2200 employees – second largest employer in Davenport and seventh largest in Quad Cities

    Student Enrollment (preschool-12th grade) – 15,841 students (October 1,2012 – Official Enrollment Count Day)

    Student Diversity

    • 59% White
    • 18.7% Black of African-American
    • 12.1% Hispanic
    • 7.7% Multi-racial
    • 2% Asian
    • 0.4% American Indian or Alaskan Native
    • 0.1% Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

    High Quality Teachers

    • A highly structured mentoring program pairs new teachers with an experienced teacher as mentor for two years. At the end of this intensive coaching and portfolio review process, new teachers receive their standard teaching license.
    • All teachers receive ongoing coaching and professional development by a staff of Curriculum & Instruction Specialists and other experts from around the nation
    • Weekly “collaborative time” allows teachers to engage in professional issues and plan for student needs

    Professional Employees’ Credentials

    • Bachelors’ Degrees – 100%
    • Masters’ Degrees – 54.4%
    • Specialist or Doctorate Degrees – 1.7%

    Guidelines for Elementary Class Sizes

    • Kindergarten through first grade – 20 students
    • Second grade – 21 students
    • Third grade – 22 students
    • Fourth through fifth grade – 26 students

    Student/Teacher Ratio

    • Elementary – 20.5 to 1
    • Secondary – 14.5 to 1

    Computers and Technology

    • Average of 1 computer to each 1.8 students
    • 450 of our classrooms have SMART boards
    • Professional Learning Information Services staff ensure effective use of advanced technologies from student information systems to classroom computers and interactive whiteboards

    Operations and Facility Maintenance

    • Recognized as environmental leader receiving Governor’s Iowa Environmental Excellence Award, Iowa Recycling Award, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year
    • Facilities upgrades of nearly $130 million over the past 12 years, earning the Association of School Business Officials International Facilities Masters Award

     

    Food Service: Highly trained nutrition experts serve every building in the school district. Each day nearly 20,000 meals are served to students in over 30 locations. Summer meal sites across the community serve an additional 35,000 meals annually.

    Free and Reduced Priced Meals: 63% free and reduced meal status

    ACT (American College Testing) Entrance Exam: Average composite scores consistently above national norms among district’s college-bound high school students

    Curriculum Highlights

    Elementary (K-Grade 5)

    • Preschool opportunities
    • Concept Based Brain Compatible (CBBC)/”Brain Friendly” Classrooms
    • Skills for Life initiative
    • Emphasis on reading proficiency in primary grades
    • Balanced Literacy approach
    • Special, visiting artists programs
    • Vocal music performance opportunities
    • Instrumental music program beginning in 4th grade
    • Departmental instruction in 4th and 5th grade in art, mathematics, music, physical education, science, and social studies
    • Special education programming
    • Talented and gifted programming
    • State-of-the-art library media centers – the first library media centers in elementary schools in Iowa and west of the Mississippi River

    Intermediate (Grades 6-8)

    • Individual school-based middle school programming
    • Writing across the curriculum
    • Multiple-year sequence in French and Spanish
    • School-to-Work programming
    • Individual student lessons in instrumental music
    • Special education programming
    • Talented and gifted programming
    • State-of-the-art library media centers

    High Schools (Grades 9 – 12)

    • All high schools have Talented And Gifted teachers who support the unique learning needs of our gifted students. No other district in the area has this strong of a TAG program presence.
    • Over forty advanced placement and dual credit college courses are offered at our high schools
    • High quality fine arts, extracurricular and athletic programs
    • Nationally-recognized “Project Lead the Way“ engineering program
    • Award-winning ProStart culinary arts program
    • Junior ROTC programs, numerous school and community clubs, and service learning opportunities
    • Options within required course areas
    • Foreign language offerings in French, Spanish, German, and some Latin & Greek
    • School-to-Work programming
    • Special education programming
    • State-of-the-art library media centers

    Employee Top Awards

    • Iowa Teacher of the Year
    • Iowa Principal of the Year
    • Iowa Central Office Administrator of the Year
    • North High School science teacher Laura McCreery is the recipient of the 2011-2012 National Association of Biology Teachers Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for the state of Iowa.
    • North High School teacher receives Excellence in Science Teaching Award for earth science from the Iowa Academy of Science.
    • Williams Intermediate School teacher receives Excellence in Science Teaching Award from the Iowa Academy of Science

    Program & School Top Awards

    • Iowa FINE – First in the Nation in Education – Awards
    • U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award
    • Iowa Diversity Award
    • American Association of School Administrators Leadership for Learning Award
    • American School Board Journal Magna Award
    • American Red Cross National School and Community Award for Youth in Health and Safety
    • Certificates of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association and Association of School Business Officials
    • National Association of Partners in Education Outstanding Partner Awards
    • National School Public Relations Association Communications Awards
    • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Green Lights School System Partner of the Year

    Student Top Awards (Just A Few Recent Ones!)

    • West High School student Andrew Wiese has been named a 2012 National Merit Scholar
    • 3 students from Davenport Community Schools represented the state of Iowa at the 2012 National History Day Competition. Only 16 students from the entire state of Iowa qualified to attend this competition.
    • The Central High School Talented & Gifted History Team took 1st place at the Eastern Iowa History Bowl and Bee
    • North High School student Alisha Jones is the 2012 State champion in the girls 400 meter dash
    • North High School students Pauline Wyatt, Krystal Pollard, Tamika Tucker, & Alisha Jones are 2012 State champions in the 800 meter sprint medley relay
    • Jasmine Butler, Shaianne Thomas, Tadaisha Thornton, & Allanah McCorkle, Central High School – State champions in the 4×200 meter relay
    • North High School student Jerry Westerfield is the 2012 State Champion long jumper (Jerry’s jump of 24’01” tied the 4A meet record)
    • West High School Cheerleaders took 1st in State
    • Davenport North boys bowling team won the MAC tournament and returned to state tournament as defending 2A state champions
    • William’s Intermediate Robotics Team took first place at the First LEGO League Regional Competition
    • The Davenport Central Blackhawk newspaper placed 1st in the Iowa State Press Association Sweepstakes photography competition and 3rd in state graphics competition
    • Two West High School students were selected as 2012 Iowa Legislative Pages
    • A Central High School senior was one of only 15 Iowa students selected to serve on the Learning Council, a new state advisory group that meets with Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass and others to give input on key issues that impact Iowa students and schools.
    • A West High School student was one of three students in the state of Iowa to be invited to iJAG’s National Student Leadership Conference in Washington D.C.
    • The West High School Speech & Debate Team qualified for the national tournament to be held in Indianapolis
    • A North High School Marine Corps JROTC cadet placed 6th in national target shooting competition at Marine Corps Service National Championship

    Transportation Services: Free district bus transportation provided to students when the district from their homes to schools exceeds the following:

    • Elementary School – 1.5 miles
    • Intermediate School – 2 miles
    • High School – 3 miles

    Parents as our Partners

    • Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) enlists fathers to volunteer at their child’s school by interacting with students before & after school, during lunch, and in classrooms
    • Parent engagement, PTA and PTO opportunities at all of our schools
    • Online Parent Portal and other communication tools ensure families have regular contact with classroom teachers
    • Title I Parent Involvement activities engage parents as volunteers and education supporters
    • Staffed Community Schools Resource Center offers agency information and referrals for parents
    • Home School Assistance Program offers academic and enrichment supports for families choosing to home school their child

    Collaboration with Community Leaders and Agency Partners

    • Leading a network of over 20 preschool partners to provide access to high-quality early learning opportunities for all of Davenport’s 4 year-olds
    • Davenport Schools Foundation scholarships and Great Minds enrichment activities for all students
    • After-school and summer program expertise in partnership with ISU Extension, Davenport Parks and Recreation, YMCA and others
    • Free CitiBus service on all City of Davenport transit routes 7 days a week
    • Agency-led community-to-classroom program partnerships with ISU Extension, Jr. Achievement, Figge Art Museum, Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates, and more
    • Learning Supports partners from the youth development and faith communities provide academic and social supports for students and families
    • Postsecondary collaborations prepare students and families for life after graduation

    Safe and Supportive Schools

    • Comprehensive Guidance Program with school counselors accredited by the American School Counselors Association and the Military Child Education Coalition
    • Olweus Bullying Prevention Program integration in all schools
    • Specialized Dropout Prevention & Learning Supports staff
    • Outreach and collaboration among emergency responders, civic leaders, and neighborhood groups to ensure safety and security in school facilities and on school grounds

     

    History of Davenport Community Schools

    The mission of the Davenport Community School District is to enhance each student’s abilities by providing a quality education enriched by our diverse community.

    The Independent School District of Davenport was founded in 1858 for the purpose of educating the youth of the Davenport community. Curriculum was developed to program the community’s first high school and a Training School for Teachers, both founded in that year. By the turn of the 20th century, enrollment had risen with 50 students graduating in the year 1901. In 1915, the Training School for Teachers closed and the district focused resources on expansion of the curriculum for younger children. In 1917, three intermediate schools were built, and in 1939, six elementary schools were constructed for a total of eleven elementaries. Since its earliest inception, the growth and the progress of the Davenport Community School District has paralleled that of the community it serves. In 1959, the Independent School District of Davenport merged with Davenport Township and Rockingham Township School Districts. With the addition of Walcott in 1965 and Blue Grass, Buffalo and Linwood Schools in 1966, the district grew to form the current Davenport Community School District. At the turn of the 21st century, the district has 35 separate sites and serves nearly 16,000 youth in the communities of Blue Grass, Buffalo, Davenport and Walcott, making it the third largest school district in Iowa.

    Programming in our elementary, intermediate and senior high schools is unique to the youth served. Elementary schools have a strong, hands-on learning program to encourage curiosity and independent discovery. Intermediate schools approach each student understanding the affect of adolescence on student learning styles. Our senior high schools offer an array of learning choices for students who have a variety of lifetime goals.

    This award-winning school district has received national accolades for its staff, including an Iowa Teacher of the Year, Iowa Principal of the Year, Iowa Central Office Administrator of the Year, Iowa Administrator of the Year and two national Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award winners. The district’s programming is also groundbreaking, with fifteen schools and programs having received Iowa’s First in the Nation in Education (FINE) Award and one of the elementary schools recognized as a national Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The district has also been recognized by the American School Board Journal for its exemplary reading instructional programming.