Duval Charter School At Southside in Jacksonville

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	6/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking data from Florida Department of Education, and using 2025 Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking data from Florida Department of Education.
Student Growth	9/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Florida Department of Education.

Posted: January 30, 2026

Id like to share my experience for any parent who doesnt have a drivers license and needs to attend a meeting at the school. I went with my valid passport as identification, but I was turned away because of a "background check requirement that apparently only accepts a drivers license.

This feels discriminatory toward parents who, for various reasons, do not have licenses but still have legitimate identification. Its both frustrating and embarrassing to be denied entry when were just trying to be involved in our childrens education.

I hope the school reconsiders these overly restrictive policies so that all parentsregardless of what type of valid ID they havecan participate equally in school matters.

Would you like me to make it sound more formal (for something like a letter to the superintendent) or more casual (for a public review post)?

Posted: January 29, 2026

Worst school ever dont go here teachers are terrible and the teachers say bad language .

Posted: October 21, 2025

One of the worst private schools my child has attended. They are very money oriented, and I'd say they would want to nickel and die me for everything.But instead of nickel and dimes, it's more like dollar bills. You end up being late to pick up your child because of jacksonville's traffic.Due to overpopulation, they will charge you late pickup fees. Which highly disgusts me even though they have a after school program.
And there's always somebody there, so they're really not understanding the current situations and have no remorse. It's all about a dollar. They get all this funding and all this money flows through the school.But when their a c units go down, they cannot fix them for months. There was a time they rewarded the kids with ramen noodles, add a pizza party ramen noodles. The uniforms are excessively expensive and if they give you the wrong size, or you get the wrong size it will only reimburse you for half the cost of the shirt, pants or whatever regardless if it was not used. Your child has a field trip and you pay for the field trip and it comes time that the child is not eligible to go because of let's say attendance, grades etc you will have to pull an arm. And a leg to get it. Refunded, back to you. It's more like they would want to keep the money instead. Do you wanna put your child in a school that cares more about money instead of your child won't be an education then this is the school for you! I have numerous friends They had children attending the school in the pool of mouth. For some of these reasons
And also to include bullying let the teachers do nothing about.

Posted: September 19, 2025

The teaching is good, but some teachers need to learn how to be respectful to certain students. The reason why i said that is because some students have a certain type of disability that teachers clearly don't understand, the school also lies about stuff the stuff being the "Gym" that was announced and said confidently that we were getting in 2023. It is 2025, a whole 2 years about the gym lie you can tell that the outside is unkept the basketball court lines are fading away and you expect parents to raise money for stuff they didn't send it for. Some of the teachers need to either be fired or get a certain type of yelled out by the administration/parents, the safety needs to be upgraded only because 1 police officer can't stop 5 guys from hurting students 2-3 officers 1 being at the front office one being in the skybox and maybe one just to switch in with one of them. Overall rating is a 3 stars out of 5 if you want your kid to become lazy or catches attitude every time they get told right send them here.

Posted: August 19, 2025

This school was a terrible experience for my child. He was retained in his grade, and I wasnt even notified until two months after the school year had already ended. Throughout the year, they constantly made accusations against him. They are absolutely not prepared to work with children with ADHD or any other condition, if your child is not perfect, this is not the place for you. The principal is a complete disaster and the Dean is even worse. Sadly, my son ended up very emotionally affected by this school.

Posted: June 6, 2025

I am so grateful to be part of the Duval Charter Southside School community! From the moment we joined, we felt the strong sense of family and pride that truly makes this school special. The Arts & Sciences programs here are outstandingmy child has flourished creatively with hands-on projects in classes while also diving deep into exciting science experiments. The teachers are passionate and supportive, always encouraging students to explore and express themselves.

We love how the school celebrates student achievements through events and showcases, and the family events are a fund way for our family to share our pride and connect with others. The communitys energy is contagious, and the schools commitment to fostering both academic excellence and creativity is clear.

If youre looking for a school that values both arts and sciences and truly builds a strong, supportive family atmosphere, DCSS is the place to be. Were proud to be #StingrayStrong!

Posted: May 12, 2025

He tenido una experiencia positiva en Duval Charter School at Southside. En general, los estudiantes parecen entusiasmados con lo que están aprendiendo, lo que es un indicador clave de un entorno de aprendizaje efectivo. Los maestros son respetuosos y se esfuerzan por motivar a sus estudiantes, brindando un apoyo constante en su proceso educativo.
En cuanto al apoyo socioemocional, la escuela se esfuerza por cuidar la salud mental y el bienestar emocional de los estudiantes, aunque siempre hay espacio para mejorar en este aspecto. Además, la educación especial es una prioridad, y la escuela trabaja para atender las necesidades de los estudiantes con discapacidades, lo que es fundamental para garantizar que todos los estudiantes tengan la oportunidad de prosperar.
La seguridad en la escuela es notable, ya que se proporciona un ambiente libre de violencia y discriminación, lo que contribuye a un espacio de aprendizaje positivo. También es importante mencionar que la participación de las familias es valorada, aunque puede mejorarse aún más para integrar a los padres como agentes activos en el aprendizaje de sus hijos.
Recomendaría Duval Charter School at Southside porque, en general, ofrece un enfoque sólido en la educación, apoya a los estudiantes en sus diversas necesidades y promueve un ambiente seguro y respetuoso.

Posted: May 1, 2025

This school is the WORST SCHOOL EVER. The staff is TOXIC as well as the Ms Sauer she just thinks us spending our parents money needs to go to "Lego Club" or "Bracelet Club" and decorations that aren't even worth buying. She gets mad at the students like ALL OF THE STUDENTS ARE THE PROBLEM. She needs to give it to the janitors who are constantly working their butts off just for 49 dollars or something like that, this school used to be so good but now its just the school with only 1 star.

And by the way, the "we are a A school sign needs to change to a F school sign"

Posted: January 23, 2025

My student has been a dedicated student at this school since the fifth grade, consistently maintaining an AB grade point average. However, I am deeply concerned about the current state of the school, particularly the facultys behavior and lack of accountability.

The students at this school feel unsafe, and the facultys actions have created a toxic environment. Several head faculty members have been forced to leave or resign due to the inappropriate behavior. In my opinion, the principal, Ms. Sauer, is the root cause of this problem. The school was much better before she became the principal.

It is terrifying to think that my child could be wrongfully targeted or punished at school, and the faculty not be held accountable for their actions. While I have had positive experiences with most of the teachers, it is disheartening to see the schools decline as I had envisioned.

My child is a good student, but he is not perfect. The teachers have been known to complain about the head faculty on multiple occasions, which further underscores the issues at hand. As a result, I have made the difficult decision to remove my child from this school and seek a safer learning environment for them.

Posted: December 5, 2024

Terrible!!! Ms Sauer is TOXIC along with her staff!! NO HELP AT ALL FOR CHILDREN WITH IEPS OR 504 plans. Targeted my child and singled her out on multiple occasions including going through her phone without permission. My child received a referral for texting me , her mother in the girls bathroom that she didnt feel good. Please do not send your child here!!!

Posted: June 5, 2024

My Sons basketball got took at dismissal just because he accidentally dropped it, and it got popped later the next day. (The person who took it also threw it outside.)

Posted: April 23, 2024

Excellent A plus school that out performs most others. My children are thriving here. Naysayers posting reviews are parents of severe behavior issue kids and this is not the local public neighborhood school which is out of control. This school has caring teachers who love kids and are excellent.

Posted: March 11, 2024

This school primarily uses iPads for method of teaching with no set curriculum from the teacher. The teachers struggle to teach children as they rely solely on the iPad and simply fill in the gaps without directly meeting a children at their level of learning methods. The school is inadequate, attempting to receive high test scores without teaching the children necessary skills to effectively take these tests. The disconnect between classroom work and test material is large enough for children to have passing grades, but not move forward because the test is not similar at all. This school like many others, is a facility of control not learning. Teachers and faculty members use their position to control children in a desperate manner-not allowing full communication between the parents and children when matters of educational concerns, bullying, racism and sexual harassment of the children occur. Special needs are completely ignored as resources are scarce, but in my experience, simply from teachers unwilling to be more involved and compassionate to children with developmental delays deeming the responsibility as discrimination against the other children.

Posted: January 18, 2024

This school is a decent school, the one thing I want them to stop is the racism, I couldn't even explain how much of that there I hear.

Posted: August 20, 2023

My child attended this school for two years and it was awful. Bullying is a serious issue that gets brushed under the rug by administration. They claim to have zero tolerance but thats just not the case unless the bullying turns physical. We switched schools this year and it was the best decision we ever made. My daughters mental health is so much better and shes actually enjoying middle school.

Posted: August 17, 2023

Very excited with the changes we have seen over the last four years. The school is performing at higher levels and my children love attending. It seems only those with an ax to grind are posting reviews, but a fully enrolled school with active waiting list and an A rating from the State of Florida says a lot. Keep up the great work DCSS teachers and staff. We love being a Stingray Family

Posted: August 17, 2023

I recommend this school because they go through well education. They take time to teach the students and they do better by having full dedication with a awesome basketball team.

Posted: April 12, 2023

Do not send your kids to this school! Especially if they have issues with anxiety or depression. My daughter is having severe issues, has been bullied and nothing is getting done. I called the dean of students, sent emails to the principal and she never had the decency to reply. No one talked to my daughter about her issues. Her school provided I-pad is not working and goin on 3 weeks now she was not issued a replacement or a loaner. Every day she comes home complaining of how the kids bully each other and nothing happens. Her math teacher is not qualified to be a math teacher, she is actually a PE teacher. All the kids in her class are having a hard time in math. Several parents complained and nothing got done. Every parent I talk to is having the same issues. I am so glad we got accepted into another school next year. And she has been going there since kindergarten, what a shame. Ms. Sauer really destroyed the school. All the good teachers left because she is horrible as a principal. The school is a revolving door, they cannot keep staff or teachers. Tells you a lot...

Posted: March 20, 2023

Ever since my child has been at the school (7 years) its just gotten worse the teachers write you up for silly little things. There are fights and nobody does anything about them until the other person hits back.. teachers leaving for maternity or just in general but while they are gone the substitute teachers do nothing they are disrespectful and some even are racist... but this school does inform parents when there child is doing well or doing bad. But I still think there is some lack of communication. Overall I would not go to this school if your child is sensitives or you just want your kid to have better learning.

Posted: September 6, 2022

Too much bullying involved at this school , not enough consequences behind it, its almost as if they support the bullying. No one writes the incidents down on paper for documentation for parents . Teachers only report negative things to the parents nothing positive. Over it ..

Posted: October 25, 2021

This school is turning into a complete mess. It is VERY disorganized and for about a year now the teachers have been dropping like flies. Both of my children have had SEVERAL teachers suddenly and without warning quit. I have never seen anything like it. I used to like this school a lot but I am going to start exploring other options for next year.

Posted: October 25, 2021

Posted: October 18, 2021

This school is awesome! I love the communication you get as a parent weekly with the news letter. Teachers & staff are amazing! So many clubs and sports offered! Organized & always helpful! Thanks for being GREAT!!

Posted: October 4, 2021

Great school. My child is always happy to go to school. His teacher, Ms Henderson is helpful and makes learning fun for him. What I like most is how the teachers and staff welcome the kids every morning with a smile on their faces during the car pool.

Posted: October 4, 2021

This is my daughters first year in a charter school as a 6th grader and Im relieved she likes her school, friends, and teachers. She is proud to be a stingray! As a parent I feel comfortable that my daughter is in a safe school environment where she can learn and grow. Were looking forward to the future.

Posted: October 4, 2021

My son attends this school and he really loves it! The curriculum is great, the teachers are amazing, and the family's experience has been nothing short of Wonderful! I and my family would definitely recommend this school to anybody who's looking for a great place for their child to learn and grow!

Posted: October 4, 2021

We are off to a great start to this school year... my boy is new to school, but he feels at home. Every day he talks to us about how much fun he has in his classes, he does not get tired of having to do homework since there are few. He LOVES this after school program where he plays with his friends. In addition, to have the Hoop Dreams Program which he loves. The teachers are very accessible as is the administration.

Posted: October 4, 2021

Great school, great staff, great teachers !!

Posted: October 4, 2021

This is a big school, with 1300+ students, yet classes are relatively small. Teachers are on top of things, and my child likes going there. The school has a very transparent approach to school-home communication, as a parent you have access to a wealth of information regarding your child in a secure way. As a parent I've gotten prompt responses from staff. There are a lot of after school clubs your child can join, and homework is not overwhelming.

Posted: October 4, 2021

The School Administration at DCSS is Amazing! They constantly keep Parents and Students informed of what is are going on at the school via email, text, or social media. I also appreciate how much the school has evolved now offering more extracurricular activities, such as, sports and various clubs for the kids. They truly care about their students!

Posted: October 4, 2021

No school is perfect as nothing in life is. But I love DCSS. My 2 kids been at this school since kinder and are now in 6th and 7th grade. The teachers are awesome and really focus on the Children and teaching them. I really like that the teachers gets the parents involve and keep them informed of their children progress.

Posted: October 4, 2021

Posted: September 1, 2019

No school is perfect and parents need to remember this about any school. Looking at other comments and test scores, it is unfortunate that demographics do play a big role in outcomes. I am a strong believer that what is learned and enforced at home carries over academically. If students attend school, do their required work and put effort into learning, each and every student has the ability to excel. It doesn't matter what school a child goes to if they don't have the support at home and don't want to learn they will not test well. End of story. The teachers can't do it for the student. A HUGE plus at this school is no bussing of students. Parents at least have to make an effort to get their students to the school.

Posted: September 5, 2018

excelent great other parents speaking should try Southside middle and see how no one does nothing about bulling kids so please keep to your self

Posted: September 5, 2018

Posted: May 29, 2018

Kids not testing well because they're not learning.

Posted: May 29, 2018

Calls to principal have been ignored. No communication. No response to concerns.

Posted: May 29, 2018

Terrible experience. Regret decision having child attend a Duval Charter school.

Posted: May 29, 2018

There is very little homework. Only carryover from worksheet from class.

Posted: May 29, 2018

Teachers are not teaching effectively. Degrade students. Don't prepare them for high school.

Posted: May 29, 2018

Some teachers have degrated the students. Shut them down.

Posted: March 13, 2018

I love this school. Transferring my kids there was one of the best parenting decisions I've made. My children have more than excelled there.

Posted: July 29, 2017

Amazing! this school is a very good school

Posted: February 9, 2016

The kids in the school use their hands on each other too much. I do not feel that the children get disciplined enough for this behavior. Also, I had an experience with the dean of the school, she is too young to be in this position and has a terrible attitude problem. My child is in a different school now and is so much happier. The quality of teachers in his new school are soooo much better! Glad my child no longer goes there!

Posted: February 9, 2016

Posted: November 21, 2015

We are in our second year here. There are good and bad things like at every school. The curriculum is very demanding, more than your regular public schools. Which means way more homework for my first grader. But he loves it there! The staff is very helpful, most of the teachers are top notch, they want parent involvement as much as possible and they are rigorous with security. Yes it takes forever to pick up your kid, yes you have to commit to volunteer hours, yes their before/after care isn't cheap, and you have to buy expensive uniforms but knowing my son is happy, making straight A's and can speak more Spanish at 7 then I can makes me feel good about him going there. And by the way, this school isn't even near our house, it's a good 30+ mins in traffic but it's worth it!

Posted: October 21, 2015

We love this school! We transferred our child from a STEM charter school to this school and we are so happy we did. The principal - Ms. Doty is very hands-on and very approachable. The school security is awesome - one of the reasons we pulled our child from the other school. The parents are very active in PTC. It is run like a private school were the parents involvement is a must. You are required to volunteer hours which we very much appreciate and agree with. Our son loves his teacher and he loves going to school! His teacher is very organized and communicates really well with the parents. The curriculum, although they follow Duval's, are far more advanced than what we've experienced from the other school. We see our son's timely progress updates through PowerSchool and Class Dojo. We also appreciate that everyone we met or have talked to in school are very friendly and cares about the students well being! No regrets in transferring our son to this school!

Posted: October 21, 2015

Posted: August 27, 2015

Great school, I am very happy with last year progress of the school. School is very organized and disciplined.

Posted: May 26, 2015

Great school! Great teachers! Happy child! Competitive curriculum! My younger child will be going to the same school!

Posted: May 26, 2015

Posted: May 18, 2015

Great school! Parents feel welcome. Kids are treated w respect. Parent communication is strong as well.

Posted: April 26, 2015

I'm not at all impressed with this school. There are some teachers really could care less about the well-being of your child. As a parent, you make every effort to show that you are actively involved in your child's education and you still get very little cooperation from some of these teachers. The school administrators are not much better as they are very selective in how they hand out punishment. If your child is physically attacked by another student, the best punishment that child may get is a warning even though Duval County Schools claims to have a zero tolerance policy against bullying . And when you try to address the situation, the school principal may ignore your email as he did in our case. To say that justice was not served is an understatement The dean, well I can't say enough good things about her (note sarcasm) and her ability to selectively hand out punishment I absolutely hate that school. I really look forward to the end of the school year.

Posted: August 19, 2014

Horrible.Not at all welcoming.Lives up to the Duval Country reputation as worst schools in the state of Florida. They claim they have over 10 years experience in opening Charter Schools and yet when a new school is opened its the same or even worse. Takes an hour and half to pick up your kid in KG/1st grade. Who takes 1st graders for PE right after they eat lunch at 12:00 noon when the heat is at it peak ? Teachers and Principal have ZERO common sense . Principal has no leadership or control over the situation, neither does he know anything. He always point to the lady who tries to fumble the answer and confuse you even more. Most of the teachers have less than a year or no experience teaching. There was no teacher present for 1st day of KG to welcome students to the classroom.20 students in a classrom and the room size is smaller than most of the bathrooms in typical midsize Jacksonville homes.Today you can pick up your child, the next you cannot and again you can. MR Principal and Dean show some leadership.I even heard that they couldnt find a KG student who they accidently took over to afterschool.Big mistake of putting my Kid in here.Other parents please share your experience

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	Highland Glen	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Jacksonville	FL	5.3 mi
2	Wolf Creek Townhomes	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Jacksonville	FL	5.7 mi
3	The Reserve at Wynnfield Lakes	Apartment Complex	Jacksonville	FL	6 mi
4	Waterleaf	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Jacksonville	FL	7.4 mi
5	Kernan Forest	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Jacksonville	FL	8.6 mi
6	Jacksonville Beaches	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Jacksonville Beach	FL	9.8 mi
7	Reed Island	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Jacksonville	FL	9.9 mi
8	Bartram Springs	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Jacksonville	FL	10.1 mi
9	Sea Oats Apartments	Apartment Complex	Atlantic Beach	FL	10.3 mi
10	Eagle Harbor	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Jacksonville	FL	11.1 mi
11	Waterford at Orange Park	Apartment Complex	Orange Park	FL	11.3 mi
12	Durbin Crossing	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Saint Johns	FL	14 mi
13	Spencers Plantation	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Orange Park	FL	14.6 mi
14	Fleming Island Plantation	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Orange Park	FL	14.7 mi
15	Lighthouse at Fleming Island	Apartment Complex	Fleming Island	FL	14.8 mi
16	Oakleaf Plantation	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Orange Park	FL	16.7 mi

#	Name	City	State	Distance
1	Sandalwood	Jacksonville	FL	6 mi
2	San Marco	Jacksonville	FL	6.9 mi
3	Mandarin	Jacksonville	FL	7.4 mi
4	Riverside	Jacksonville	FL	8.7 mi
5	Avondale	Jacksonville	FL	9.6 mi
6	Jacksonville Beaches	Jacksonville Beach	FL	9.9 mi
7	Orange Park	Orange Park	FL	10.4 mi
8	Atlantic Beach	Atlantic Beach	FL	11.1 mi
9	Fleming Island	Orange Park	FL	13.9 mi

Base	Distance
Jacksonville NAS	7.8 mi.
Coast Guard Mayport	12.1 mi.
Mayport Naval Station	12.5 mi.
Cecil Field	19.5 mi.
Camp Blanding	32 mi.
Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base	37.7 mi.

Duval Charter School At Southside

Jacksonville, FL 32256

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Duval Charter School At Southside

Jacksonville, FL 32256

School Ratings

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