ok going to some things people do and wear is CRAZY. the staff and some food are a win but some things just are a MESS! (again nothing about the staff they are nice.) boys sag which is weird and girls are wearing stuff that some HIGH SCHOOL girls do not wear. but I do not want a uniform, nuh-uh. but here are some teachers that are HIGH LITE! 1) Mr. Rielan. he is an awesome music teacher that find good pieces. I went to jazz and was great. my trumpet was broken though, but he is a great teacher. 2) Mr. S. Mr.S is the journalism teacher and english. I have him for english and he is a goat. he is also the owner of the BEST popcorn ever. W popcorn king. also is a student favorite and is nice. cannot forget about the BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR. 3) Mr.Q. he is the only math and social studies teacher who is great and also runs that big event. room 120 and is really funny. 4) Mrs. Reardon. Mrs reardon is a really good tech teacher and is also nice. she does fun projects and will accept late work. get your work done for Friday free time! tech tool box is fun and over all is really good. read more

I'm absolutely disgusted with this school! My child attended both years! His fifth grade year was okay teachers were very communicative and cared about my child's education. 6th grade year was an absolute mess. Beside one or two teachers I was very disappointed in how some of them handled situations. I hardly had any communication with any of his teachers regardless how many times I reached out to find out assignments or any thing regarding my child's education! Also your child will not be able to attend any dances or have a chance at extra "special events" if they have an I in any class. I think it's absolutely ridiculous and separates the "good kids from the bad kids!" This is how my child felt! You do not treat children this way and exclude them from events with their friends. Middle school is hard enough. I will not name the teachers names but I've had to help my child with certain classes because the teacher refused to help let alone teach them! Some homework that was brought home was not discussed in class, and lots of assignments making my child feel overwhelmed. It was a constant fight every night because my child was mentally drained! I have read reviews about Dana and heard by a number of people who have attended there or had their child go there that this place is a mess! I also agree! I'm so glad to be almost done with this school! I can't count how many times my child came home upset from that school and because of its TEACHERS! Good luck if your child has to go here. I would really recommend going somewhere else if you have the means! read more

My daughter said the bathroom are not clean and she say it was very nasty. There's always toilet paper on the floor.

Hi, just left Dana Female, 4.0 gpa the Main problem: it's a public school. I've been to others in the district, this one by far has the most teachers passionate about student learning. unfortunately, the state of California gives a low budget to public schools. many amazing programs have consequently been shut down. also, the curriculum, no matter fast or slow your child learns, will not be right. to make matters worse, your dealing with fith and sixth graders. at this age, kids suck. such programs such as the art program and IEP program are underfunded. Still, most teachers deeply care about student learning. some things in the ratings talk about dress code, there practically isn't a dress cod. The worst of the teachers are gone (except for Mr. Cirina) and it's a great choice for thriving students. If your child has a learning disabilit, please leave San Diego, or even the state of california. I can not stress enough that the district is the problem, not the school. There are good teachers now. I can't say that it's all underfunding. It's not that the staff don't care about bullying, they just don't take the right courses of action. the councilors Don't understand human emotion. Some of the teachers are bad at teaching, I'm gonna say it. Ms. Melik is hard to follow. She is really nice but a little confrontational and passive aggressive. i feel bad about some students' experience. My sister was bullied but through the exp of staff, it got a lot better. I wish everyone could sa6 the same. The school is understaffed and about 1/5 of the staff should retire. once again, this is majorly because of lack of funding. The electives now are in a nutshell: tech, music, asb, journalism. Go for anything accept journalism. Mr. S (journalism teacher) once said "I know kids and kids are selfish" he then proceeded to bribe our class with candy. Mrs O'Hern (ASB teacher) is a strict English teacher but worships ASB. Mr Rylan (music teacher) is loved by all. The tech teachers are very supportive of their students. The students suck. They hate learning, they hate the LGBTQ community, they hate other races, and a lot of them have stuff going on that they take out on children. Once again, the understaffing of this school means they only handle about 1/20 cases. It's not that they don't care. I interviewed the staff, each one of them was dealing with many, many students being bullied. I'm sorry your child didn't get the help they needed. The kids suck, the staff are unequiped to help. Bullying is a real problem. There is a flip side. I didn't need to learn at this school so I had fun. Great group of friends, severe lack of bullying (Despite being openly lesibian and Jewish), and honestly just trying to figure out the "changes" happening (sorry that's kind if personal). california sucks at teaching, that's not the schools fault. I learned everything online. To be fair though, some teachers are great at teaching and make the student experience enjoyabl. They manage To teach us with textbooks old enough to be a primary source. Middle school, no matter what, will not be enjoyable for your child. I'm sorry but kids this age suck, and there's not much staff can really do. Dana middle will try to compensate by overpunishing what they can prove, but it's not enough. There isn't a single middle school in America without bullying. I was called ugly maybe 4,000 times? If you want to completely protect your child, I suggest homeschooling. Sorry for the rant, my point is, for a public middle school in California, this school managed to run decently. PLease give this school a shot, and if your child hates it, send them to high tech (kids are worse, education is more interesting. But if your child hates thought the kids were snoby at Dana...) read more

Dana middle school is the worst my daughter has been here for a year and I told her "it will get better" but it did not the science teacher acts like they are babies. There are also two lunch periods to them and know my kid can't even sit with her friends. I do not recommend this school worst middle school even thought of fire the principal come on. read more

Worst school ever NEVER a I mean NEVER alert your kid go. While you're in the bathroom which is dirty and old. There will be kids that come in bang the stall door and stare at you while you poop. This is not a safe school at all. The staff and teachers over react don't teach anything and treat the students like baby's. i got a lunch detention for getting assaulted. And then I defended my self and got a detention. This school is terrible, don't even get me started with the lunch, it's like card board. Your child will get bullied. And the principle will get mad at you for no reason. Don't EVER go here. read more

Amazing teachers and great electives. It was such a great experience for my kid. She comes home everyday with something great to say. 100% recommend. read more

Worst school ever! Don't send your kids here! Especially if they have an IEP. They treated my son as if he was faking his diagnosis. Too tough on students at this age. read more

It's not the best school the math teacher talks to fast I don't think the daughter can't even understand the math that she's talking about I don't recommend this is school and there is a lot of cussing for my attention my kid got death threaded by one of her classmates and this Science teacher miss Melick treats the kids like babys? The dance is the worst my kid got a suspension and she can't even go and her friend has three detentions and she can't even go So she obviously cried And also in recess the kids don't have that much people looking after them so many people have ran away The art teacher is really rude And the food made my kid so sick I don't think kids would be happy here read more

Not a good school! The teachers are mean and useless. One time my kid came home CRYING. They have the DUMBEST dress code. girls are only allowed to wear skirts that go down to their knees. news flash they dont make skirts that long. and many of my children's friends have agreed that they have gotten yelled at for something dumb. at first i thought they were being dramatic. but i think the teachers find it fun to get the kids in trouble. many of those kids are bullies. or just annoying. my kids had trouble making friends. you should avoid going here love Alex J read more

I wouldn't even give this school one star... It has been an awful experience for my child. Constantly bullied and when reached out to staff minimal response. My child has been struggling in classes I get a letter sent home but no help from school, no help from staff to set him up on a plan to help him with the classes he's struggling in. No diversity and when my son was being called racial name there's was no real help.. This school doesn't even celebrate or teach about black history month and with my son being of two races I would have liked him to experience and be educated on the subject. A school full of privileged children who have no home values. read more

Dana is a amazing middle school. The first week of Dana it was hard for me to find all of my classes I started Dana In August 29/ 2022. I am in 5th grade. Have a good day. read more

Great neighborhood school! I have two girls that attended Dana Middle School with wonderful experiences. The Principal and Vice Principal as well as the teachers want the kids to succeed. Being involved as a parent is just as important. The great thing about Dana is that the kids learn independence while being protected. This gets them ready for the real world. I feel confident that my girls are getting the education and experiences to set them up for success. read more

My experience is that my 5th grade child got mostly A's with all of her completed work. I was quite involved in helping her during the virtual school year. However, due to missed assignments that I was not aware of, she received a C in Math and an F in a literature class. In spite of an all virtual curriculum via web apps and YouTube Videos for four 3 hour days, teachers here would rather fail students than notify parents of a problem. I am not sure why we pay the teachers here when a subscription to online apps would have been equivalent. read more

My daughter went to school there and it was awesome. They really challenged her and she was taking classes that were only available to me at University setting. She was doing 3-d printing along with many other advanced activities. They had social activities such as movie night, fairs, etc. Very cool. Was before COVID days but was nice. My youngest will be starting there in about a week and we are hoping it is still the same as it was a few years ago. Teachers were very caring, organized, and were not afraid to challenge the students. I thank them for that because otherwise, not much learning takes place. I am shocked at the number of low ratings here on Yelp. Maybe some kids are not able to step up to this kind of accountability. My youngest for example will be coming from Ocean Beach Elementary, which is a nice school, great teachers, highly rated, but very laid back, no homework to speak of, so his transition to Dana might be a bit tough. This is the "Big League" compared to OBE. Also several elementary schools feed into Dana so it may be overwhelming to some. read more

This school is great for any kids but some teachers can be a bit hard. But this school treats everyone as a family. The staffs are good at their job and the principal makes sure to hire the best people. We many fun things around the school campus and that's from chess club to school dances. read more

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My children both loved this school! The seminar teachers are awesome and my daughter adores her math teacher so much. The school really cares about the students and it's been a nice transition between Elementary school and junior high. read more

All that's really needed to say is I can't wait to have my son transferred to a different school

The last child I had enrolled here failed and got kicked out his name was Jack Baron, the guardians i chose for him didn't do very well when i was away they clearly failed at taking care of him. read more

This is absolutely the worst school we have EVER had to deal with, and that's having dealt with two older children who were lucky enough to have NOT attended Dana. If you have any type of problem going on with your child, it will get ignored without so much as a return phone call...for at least a week, if at all. They sweep everything under the rug and turn it around on the students. The time my daughter wasted there was only a year, but a year totally worthless. They have low expectations and many of the teachers SHOULD have retired years ago...but then again, why would they when they can keep teaching with little regard for the students and continue to collect a paycheck...they are simply "burned out" and should be replaced. We have yet to discover what the principal's function is beyond constantly being in "meetings" or directing traffic out front with a walkie-talkie?? Most of the parents I have spoken with throughout the year are equally disappointed but feel they have little choice as to where else their children can attend school (in this so called affluent) area. The bus loads of "limited English speaking" kids from who knows where have literally taken over the school and presented a "bully" type mentality. If you have any other option, do not send your child to Dana. There are other schools a little further out that will provide your child with a quality education and caring teachers to make that experience a positive one for the rest of their learning years!!! read more

We had an amazing experience at this school! Both my children have excelled! I have nothing but great things to say! The teachers are committed to the success of each child we have always received great support when we needed it. Principal Irwin is always accessible and ready with a resolution to any problems that are brought to him. This is a great school! read more

Two years of wasted time. The special education program is taught by a teacher who sets such low expectations for the students they make no progress. Many of the teachers on campus refused to allow students with special needs to participate in their programs. The music program was a prime example at the time and the instructor was less than tolerant. If students are participating now, its likely the result of a parent complaint and the unwilling participation of the teacher. Getting the students to participate was a huge fight. The principal of the school allows this to occur and encourages it. Many of the teachers, especially those with programs that would have great benefit for special needs children simply refuse to have them participate. Parents have little recourse as school administrators can isolate and cause problems for the students of parents who complain read more