Kearny Digital Media & Design School

Posted: November 19, 2025

This is NOT a review for DMD in particular. This is a general review for Kearny Educational Complex based on feedback from former and current students. Kearny has 4 small schools. 8th graders are funnelled into specific pathways depending on the small school. This can be a lot of pressure for students since most of them don't know what they want to have as a career yet. If they want to transfer to another small school, you have to have good grades AND the small school you're transferring to has to have space. If there's no space, you're stuck in the small school you're in. Each small school has one counselor. It's really hard to find information on events and updates as each small school operate separately. Their schedule and transcript can be very confusing. Students can take class at a different small school. If you need to retake a class, you need to make sure that the class name is the exact same or the new grade won't replace the old grade. They provide quarter and semester grades. Some 10th, few 11th, most of 12th graders have free period. Most 12th graders graduate a semester early but they highly "encourage" you to enroll to Mesa College for your spring semester of your senior year. If you attend SCC, you can take the most college classes compared to the other small schools who only take a couple or none. There's only one recurring AP class which is AP Computer Science Principles. BST has great internship opportunities for those who wants to be in healthcare. There's also the CNA and EMT programs offered if student has the capacity to do it. BST counselor is not as helpful when you're a senior. EID & SCC counselors will help you look over your college app if you take the initiative to see them. I'm not sure about DMD counselor. EID is project heavy and ideal if student want to make things. EID does not offer a lot of college classes. The principal is very strict and protective of the new building. Students cannot be in the be in the new building unless they have class. There is a study lounge area with tables but students cannot use it. If student is not paying attention, they can get a Spanish class even though they already took the LOTE and completed the requirement. As a parent, please pay attention because it's a waste of time for student, when they could've been taking a more useful class. Imin is great! Not ideal for transfers because you'll get behind. Students see the same people in their classes for most of 4 years.

Posted: November 19, 2025

Posted: November 19, 2025

Posted: November 19, 2025

Posted: November 19, 2025

Posted: November 19, 2025

Posted: November 19, 2025

Posted: November 19, 2025

Posted: March 15, 2019

Posted: March 15, 2019

Horrible. It offers two honors classes, so students applying to good colleges can't compete unless they have a super high SAT score, because of the lack of rigor. When you complain or file a legitimate grievance, they blacklist you and take it out on your child including not nominating them for scholarships, not completing forms for college applications, etc. They are absolutely horrible. The teachers are decent. The principal is the worst I've ever seen. She cares more about herself and how she looks than the students. I had a student with a 4.0 that was denied admission by several colleges just because the school never submitted the documents needed, in spite of being request months in advance. If you want your child to go to college, don't go here. The student that said they had a 4.5 - that is a lie - with only the 2 honors courses, a 4.5 GPA is absolutely impossible.

Posted: March 15, 2019

Posted: March 15, 2019

Posted: March 15, 2019

Posted: March 15, 2019

Posted: March 15, 2019

Posted: March 30, 2013

Kearny, with it's focused "schools" might make a good charter school, but it's not a charter school. We moved into the area in summer and were told this was the school she MUST attend if not using school choice (which closed in April, so we really had no choice) From the GreatSchools info, we thought this would be a good school. Then we moved here. You see, when one moves here right before senior year (this being a school with military housing in its district) and the first thing one gets told is "You likely won't graduate since you haven't been here for the full four years." it gets a little disheartening. Not graduate because your military family moved from out of state? When we asked if she could take a math class offered at the "Internation Business" school, we were told that "That's not really done." Then, my daughter sat for about a month in front of a blank computer waiting for the password for an iHigh class. When she finally got on, it was 11th grade English, which she already had credit for! We gave up by October, actually broke our lease and moved to get our daughter out of that school, as the district pretty much left that (or not graduate?) as our only option.

Posted: May 19, 2011

Let's be honest! The fact of the matter is that this is a bottom tier school district. It is easy to win awards and be recognized when even an average performance in most school districts is top performing in this one. This is a perfect example of how schools across the country are lowering their standards and requirements for graduation in order to accomodate those students who have no personal drive to succeed, boost grad rates, and mislead state and national agencies as to their actual progress. Stellar "4.5" students are graduating w/o being able to spell a simple word like PRINCIPAL...a word that most students here should be very familiar with. Should have kept the "2.0" at least it was more realistic. There is a reason that greatschools is not posting ACT and SAT scores and the state test scores it does post shows an 8% rating in subjects like geometry even when the state average is an embarassing 14%, well below the national average. CA consistently ranks 30 out of 50 states in education with little fluctuation and that is taking into account the more affluent districts that exist in Cali.

Posted: February 7, 2011

I'm surprised to see any poor ratings for the school of Digital Media and Design. This is an excellent school and it has won all kinds of awards. The staff cares so much about the students, far more than any of the schools I went to as a child. This school is a model for how to fix our public schools; it has gone from being a program improvement school to one of the best public schools in San Diego. DMD is a caring environment with rigorous, demanding courses that I think really prepares kids for college.