Profile of Our Community School District

Who Are We? 

It’s easy to picture a school classroom 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
• 1 K-8 School
• 17 Elementary Schools
• The Creative Arts Academy of the Quad Cities
• A network of Early Childhood Learning Centers
• 1 Athletic Stadium
• 1 Operations Center
• 1 Achievement Services Center

High Quality Teachers:

• National Board Certified Teachers on staff, the most out of any Quad Cities school district
• 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

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 2,500 employees – one of the top ten employers in the Quad Cities.

Student Enrollment:

13,785 students

Student Diversity: 

(Rounded to nearest hundredth)

• 55.69% White
• 18.7% Black of African-American
• 13.92% Hispanic
• 9.7% Multi-racial
• 1.63% Asian
• 0.25% Native American
• 0.1% Pacific Islander

Computers and Technology:

• We are a 1:1 school district with over 25,000 devices serving our students and staff
• All elementary classrooms have interactive whiteboards, with many intermediate and high schools utilizing the technology
• Google Apps for Education workspaces facilitate “anytime, anywhere” learning for students

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.

Curriculum Highlights:
Elementary (K-6)

• 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 7-8)

• Individual school-based middle school programming
• Writing across the curriculum
• Multiple-year sequence in French and Spanish
• School-to-Work programming
• Gateway to Technology program builds knowledge and skills in areas including computer science, engineering, and biomedical science
• 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.
• Currently offering 15 advanced placement and 58 dual credit college courses 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
• School-to-Work programming
• Special education programming
• State-of-the-art library media centers

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
• 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 preschool partners to provide access to high-quality early learning opportunities for 4 year-olds
• Davenport Schools Foundation scholarships and enrichment activities for all students
• Afterschool 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, Career Cruising Quad Cities, 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:

• 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 Davenport Community Schools 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. Since its earliest inception, the growth and the progress of Davenport Community Schools 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 had 35 separate sites and served 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.