Testimonials

Discovery Impact Testimonials

There is not much I can say about Discovery Charter School aside from it being the best school I ever attended. This wonderful K-8 school prepared me for high school and beyond. I was there, during its inception, as a sixth grader, and it was the best decision of my life. I entered a community that loved me for me, encouraged me to do my best, and helped me anyway they could. I became friends with students and staff that I still commune with to this day, for they all shaped who I am now. As I continue my second year of college I frequently look back to my middle school days with fondness that many of my friends cannot. It is because of this that anyone who experiences DCS is gifted with the tools to succeed and be happy with life. I absolutely adore DCS and visit whenever I get the chance.

We have been here at DCS for 6 years. My daughter went from 3rd grade to 8th grade. There were times when I was concerned about the academics –it looked like she wasn’t learning and homework was minimal even through middle school. I knew my daughter had grown to be self confident, could advocate for herself, and loved going to school each day, but worried about how she would be in a big public high school. The first year is nearly over and she is doing incredibly well! She has a 4.0 GPA and has loved playing team sports year round. She summed it up with “I didn’t just learn random stuff at Discovery. I learned how to learn, ask questions, and to find answers myself.” Academics are not traditional at Discovery and kids are expected to learn to the best of their ability – not to a level someone else decides is good enough. Graduating students (from all that I’ve heard ) go on to great success in high school both socially and academically with or without tutors. (We couldn’t afford tutors and didn’t need to with any of my three children through their Discovery education.) Discovery isn’t for every child unless you are looking for something more than a test score.

Parent 2013

I'll try and keep this short, but may fail. My son was at DCS from grades 4-8. We are in the Palo Alto School District. I chose to drive him down to San Jose each day so that he could be a part of DCS, a community that we felt welcomed into and where he thrived. He is now in his 3rd year at a top performing high school in Palo Alto. The reason I am writing is that my son has often stated that he feels better prepared for high school (and college) than many of the students at his shcool (including many top students) due to his education at DCS. My son is doing very well - so if you wonder if your child can get a "good enough" education at DCS to compete at an academic high school, from our experience, the answer is yes. He values the emphasis on exploration, expression and writing, among others. Learning as a motivation itself was nurtured. It took a little bit to learn the routine of the tests and assignments in high school, but it was well worth forming such a solid foundation at DCS first. Each child is different, each has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, DCS was an excellent fit for my son - it allowed him to soar with his strengths and gently worked on the key weaknesses in appropriate, developmental ways. Your mileage may vary, but for us, the mileage to DCS each and every day was well worth it.

Yours in the DCS spirit!

DCS alums have had great success in high school. We chose the DCS program many years ago precisely because we felt the developmental approach would best prepare our two boys for success farther down the road. We have an 8th grader who started at DCS in 1st grade and a 10th grader at Mitty who started in 3rd grade. Because they were able to work at the pace and work level that suited their developmental level they've been able to grow into confident, high achieving students. The purpose of elementary and middle school is to prepare our kids for future academic success by laying a strong foundation. Based upon the evidence we've seen with DCS graduates it appears that DCS solidly meets this goal.