Deerfield High School

Posted: September 23, 2025

This school loves to tell parents how highly rated they are, but in the end they just love to talk. They set up the building like a mini college campus causing irritation and confusion. Need a text book for a class, head to the bookstore only to pay $250 for one class, $200 for another, $160 for another all in addition to the digital text book costs that they charge. Bullying is an issue that they don't care about. Safety is simply theater where they have dogs roaming the halls looking for weapons and random searches. When students as for help from a teacher, many teachers brush the kids aside and tell them to see the tutor while they tell parents they are there for the kids. Special Ed is a joke where they dictate to parents what they will do. Admin is overpaid and underworked. Highly disappointed and do not recommend.

Posted: September 23, 2025

Posted: September 23, 2025

Posted: September 23, 2025

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Posted: April 30, 2025

We have experienced different school districts, including a private school, and this is truly the best school. This is the most engaged I have seen my kid. From the students to the teachers, I would say almost everyone is striving for their best. I especially want to highlight the fine arts department and incredible theater and film programs. My daughter is in both. I’m beyond impressed with all the productions.

Posted: April 30, 2025

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Posted: March 20, 2025

While Deerfield HS may offer a good textbook kind of education, they are also great at villainizing and othering students who do not belong to certain groups. My children were the only Palestinian American students and they were not heard or seen and if they had any concerns, they were given PC answers to move on with no real change. We had to leave the Deerfield community because unfortunately, their racism and inability to accept anyone else was the culture across Deerfield and went beyond the high school.

Posted: March 20, 2025

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Posted: December 11, 2018

Posted: December 11, 2018

Posted: December 11, 2018

Posted: December 11, 2018

My daughter has very special needs, and is developmentally 3-4 months of age. DHS, in all its wisdom, feels that it is appropriate to move my daughter from a special needs school that she has attended for 11 years (with an entire building of superior teachers and staff, as well as in-house therapists) to the DHS program that lacks in-house therapists and where her cohorts are absolutely not a match for her. The DHS school policy for observation by a parent is up to a maximum of 40 minutes, 3 times per year. To me, this is an inappropriately limited amount of time. Worst of all, the superintendents (Martindale and Yonke), and the principal, K. Anderson, refuse to return voice messages. I would like the administration, including the school board, to meet my daughter and listen to my concerns, but presently, the 2 superintendents and the principal will not communicate. If DHS would like me to be comfortable with the idea of my daughter attending the high school, this is NOT NOT NOT the way to make that happen.

Posted: August 20, 2017

All three of my children attended DHS. While each of them was quite different in learning style and personality, each was provided a solid intellectual and social foundation for higher education and personal developmental goals.

Posted: August 20, 2017

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Posted: June 7, 2016

With approximately 1600 students, DHS is the perfect size to engage the student body in sports and activities. The academics are top notch, and the teachers are dedicated and great people and role models. Deerfield is a special place to raise your kids, and DHS is the draw.

Posted: February 7, 2015

This is an outstanding school with caring teachers and a very invested community. The students at this school are motivated to learn and the staff encourages them to be independent thinkers. Students leave DHS very well prepared for their post-high school plans. Students who have disabilities receive outstanding supports from both special ed. and general ed. teachers.

Posted: January 10, 2015

Teachers here are mixed. I've had some great teachers, but some terrible ones. There's a general lack of communication at this school. Parents have no idea that their kid maybe failing a class and when they email a teacher about something sometimes they get nothing, at least that's what's happened to my parents. Another example, you don't know what's going on such as when a certain club is meeting or that club even exists. The class choices here are very limited to other schools around the area. There are a lot of prerequisites and just not as many options in general. It's a very competitive and challenging school, which can be good for some kids, but unnecessarily hard on others. It's very hard to make friends here. It's very cliquey and kids are judgmental, rude, and excluding. The way that a lot of these kids treat each other is cruel and unlike many other schools. Don't send your kids here. They will have a tough time socially and if they're not slightly above average academically-gifted, it will be hard for them academically too.

Posted: April 8, 2014

The educational opportunities are great and we love this school! There is something for everyone! Every sport or club you could imagine, approachable teachers, some longer classes that combine two subjects, etc. The reviewer that was upset about their "conservative values" did not mention that there is a large Jewish and Eastern European presence here so intolerance cannot be tolerated, sorry. That being said, The parents have not moved beyond petty one upmanship and sorority/fraternity clique behavior so I dont see how the students will. The cliques are downright abusive to some students. My daughter is smart enough to know that her college future is the important thing and this school is going to be her best bet to be prepared for that. She has a strong social conscience and thinks about real issues so the Barbie thing gets on her nerves. A girl told her she was welcome to hang out with their group because she is pretty. Yeah...

Posted: October 4, 2011

I am a student currently going through DHS and I am constantly amazed by the talented staff, strong administration, challenging classes, and impressive variety of extracurriculars and sports. Students have the opportunity to pursue almost any interest, and there's something for everyone (Student Congress, Mathletes, Cheerleading, Stage Crew, Human Rights club, Student council...) Most of the teachers are very hardworking and understanding, as is the administration. The school's only real failings are its overworked, understaffed counseling department and its somewhat old facilities.