Doolen Middle School

Posted: September 22, 2025

My 6th grade daughter was dangerously depressed when I finally pulled her out of this school! The teachers are actually pretty good, and the education would be better than other TUSD schools IF they had any control of the kids in their classes. Students in one class tipped tables over, turned off the lights, cussed at the teacher, threw the teacher's phone in the fish tank, and physically struck her. My daughter had daily panic attacks and none of the administrators were remotely concerned about that. My daughter was relentlessly bullied by her "friends" and her safety was threatened constantly. The police were called several times because the kids started calling my daughter's phone over and over and calling her names and threatening to show up at the house and beat her up. These kids are unhinged and unless you want your nice, well-behaved child to be miserable and unsafe, do NOT enroll in this school.

Posted: September 22, 2025

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Posted: October 28, 2023

Have a new 6th grader here Fall 2023 in the GATE program and participating in school wide sports. Teachers are amazing. They tell parents that they have noticed a huge turnaround at the school in the last two years since having a new principal. One even said that he might not have sent his kids there 5 years ago, bot he definitely would now. Talk to parents before you judge by stars. Our son is thriving and standards for him are high. We are very happy at Doolen.

Posted: October 28, 2023

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Posted: November 19, 2021

If you ha e special a special needs child i do not recommend sending them to this school. They do not care about the individual iep plans they want it their way or no way, most of the staff are rude and disrespectful.

Posted: November 19, 2021

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Posted: September 3, 2021

The GATE Program here is a joke. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of having 2 kids go through this program and one of them decided to transfer schools because it had gotten so bad.
I will say in the years since Ms.Unger left the program had gotten slightly better but there is still this weird air of elitism in both the GATE Teachers and the kids. Most of the GATE kids are white which shows how much educational bias there is in TUSD. It also means GATE kids of color are treated poorly.

They do not address the bullying at all and it is extremely bad at this school.

Many of the teachers act unprofessionally toward parents and students.

Teachers text in class, tell personal stories, and act like bullies making fun of people and joining in instead of redirecting and educating.

The principal is out half the time and impossible to get ahold of.
The major problem is their lack of being able to deal with bullying.

While we were there one kid brought a sharpened object to school to “cut girls with” made tiny burning balls out of pencil shavings and cement glue and threw them at girls,
A group of boys rubbed their private parts all over girls for weeks or stuck their hands down their pants and rubbed their hands on girls.

Administration was told for weeks and they did nothing. But lectured the girls about not flirting!!!!! It’s the twilight zone at Doolen, I do not recommend.

Posted: September 3, 2021

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Posted: May 6, 2020

Horrible. We lasted a little over a year and enrolled in another school.

Posted: May 6, 2020

Inconsistent homework practices between classes and teachers and no communication from teachers at all.

Posted: May 6, 2020

The teachers here are overwhelmed and burnt out. They are angry all the time and teach the kids horribly.

Posted: May 6, 2020

The school is complete chaos with not character development programs or support. Bullies and violence are rampant.

Posted: May 6, 2020

Leadership was nonexistent while we were there.

Posted: May 6, 2020

Posted: May 6, 2020

The schools literally protects the bullies. It’s as if the teachers are scared of them.

Posted: April 5, 2020

Being a GATE student, I can say this school is OK. We have uniforms and I don’t mind.

Posted: April 5, 2020

I am a GATE student and I can easily say the teachers give us too much homework.

Posted: April 5, 2020

The language teachers are amazing from my experience, but others are just OK.

Posted: April 5, 2020

The teachers recognize almost anything as disrespect.

Posted: April 5, 2020

Posted: April 5, 2020

Posted: April 5, 2020

I got equal punishment when I slapped someone lightly and he started kicking me multiple times and left bruises all over my legs.

Posted: February 13, 2020

Not very well. Next year we will put him into a better school that will understand his learning disability.

Posted: February 13, 2020

Doesn't have any homework from what we've seen.

Posted: February 13, 2020

Most are there just for paychecks, don't seem to even like their jobs.

Posted: February 13, 2020

Seems like they are not allowing boys to be boys and girls be girls. Too much emphasis on feelings,forgetting masculinity.

Posted: February 13, 2020

Never met any administration employees. Not connected to parent involvement.

Posted: February 13, 2020

My grandson is IED and I have to tell the teachers this when he has an issue. Do not attempt to counsel him, in a psychiatric position.

Posted: February 13, 2020

Too much emphasis on "bullying ." Adolescent years are where boys learn how to deal with the real world, where there's competition and bullying.

Posted: May 14, 2018

TERRIBLE!!!!! I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THIS SCHOOL!!!!!

Posted: May 14, 2018

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Posted: December 14, 2014

I am a parent of an eighth grader in Doolen GATE. If your child tests into GATE, visit some classes at Doolen. I think you will like what you see, and your child will likely enjoy their middle school experience. The GATE program is the best option within TUSD.

Posted: August 1, 2014

Sorry I meant to put 1star or not any I am the parent who just posted about my autistic child . They should be ashamed about they behavior . Do not sen your child there if they are in a SPEC . ED class

Posted: January 25, 2014

I don't have a lot of great things to say about this school. I admit my daughter can be dramatic and strange but she gets picked on by the students enough, the teachers don't have to join in. We have gone to the school on 3 separate occasions to meet with staff and they never are available or follow up. My daughter does have a few teachers she really likes and some really good friends but if we have any options she will not be returning for 7th grade.

Posted: October 7, 2013

I have problems with this school and they way the handle my child and not in a good way :( !

Posted: October 23, 2012

I have not really been impressed with the 7th or 8th gate teachers. The really do not seem to care about the students. They do not keep up on grades, the lose students work that has been turned in. They are either over worked, unorganized or they just don't care. Which is sad, because they have bright students that work hard. The 6th grade gate teachers that my child had were so much better, but they have since left the school. As for the rest of the administration, there are not much better. There is bullying going on all the time and nothing seems to be taken care of. Students get their personal belongings stolen and the school does nothing about it. We haven't moved our child out of the school because we haven't heard anything better about other schools in the district. So we have had our child study martial arts in order to protect themselves.

Posted: April 24, 2012

I have issue with this school and how they handle bullying. My child is bullied almost daily yet no one really deals with it. Even when there is physical bullying no one gets in trouble or suspended like district policy says they should. I am currently looking at removing my child before the next school year because I dont want her tortured any longer by horrible kids and a staff that just doesnt care.