Ella J. Fitzgerald Middle School

Posted: August 22, 2026

Posted: August 22, 2026

Posted: August 22, 2026

Posted: August 22, 2026

Posted: August 22, 2026

Posted: August 22, 2026

Posted: August 22, 2026

I was a student here in the early 2010s back when it was called Dozier Middle School. When I attended, the students often disrupted the class. Teachers tried their best, but it wasn't enough. Discipline was a joke, too. So, I would forget the little things. Anyway, I chewed gum. In English class, we were not supposed to chew gum. Remember! I forget the little things. Very often I would get in trouble and sit in silent lunch for not spitting out my gum. This made me hate English class. I would purposely try to poison myself to avoid going to school. You can see where this is going, right? Yeah, my grades slipped, and I became an average student. Aside from students being disruptive, there would be a lot of fights, too.

Anyway, here I am pushing 30. I started college last year. I gain confidence in my abilities. I wish I never went here. Do not take credit for my education.

Posted: June 2, 2026

Posted: June 2, 2026

Posted: June 2, 2026

Posted: June 2, 2026

Posted: June 2, 2026

Posted: June 2, 2026

Posted: June 2, 2026

Posted: June 2, 2026

This is my son's first year at this school. He has been bullied constantly and blamed for saying things that he did not say. Majority of the faculty in charge of the school for his grade don't care about the students. He came home today telling me he was in the assistant principal office and was sent to ISS. I never received a call today or any about his behavior or actions. He also stated he was told to just not come back to school. Wow that really shows how much they care about their students. But I do have to say some of his teachers and counselor actually listening to him and give him a chance to explain. Worst school I have ever sent me kids to.

Posted: February 16, 2023

Posted: February 16, 2023

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Posted: February 16, 2023

Posted: February 16, 2023

Posted: February 16, 2023

Posted: February 16, 2023

This school doesn’t communicate at all. Your kid could be in danger and they wouldn’t tell you. There’s fights every day, there’s teachers tackling kids to break up the fights, there’s lockdowns and your kid won’t get out of school on time and you won’t know why. You also won’t get an explanation after the fact either. No apology. This school just doesn’t care. We went and talked to the assistant principal and he’s totally uncaring, and said, “middle school kids are annoying”. Nice. Coming from admin. Can’t even pretend to enjoy his job.

Posted: March 12, 2018

NO! The kids who are bullied are the ones who get in trouble once they can't take it any more and take matters into their own hands. Schools love their anti-bullying campaigns,;however, it's all to cover their bases. This school is chaos.

Posted: March 12, 2018

Silent lunch is the punishment used and the children have no clear guidance regarding attendance to this punishment.

Posted: March 12, 2018

Posted: March 12, 2018

Parents are not notified of their children's behavior until it's way out of hand. I think there needs to be better and more regular communication from the school to parents.

Posted: March 12, 2018

I don't think so. My son is has learning difficulties. They really push medication rather than working to overcome. Narcotics are not the answer to every learning difficulty.

Posted: March 12, 2018

This school is to be avoided if at all possible. I have 3 children who have gone through Newport News Public Schools. Dozier is the absolute worst. Classrooms are chaotic. Children are disrespectful. The teachers are overwhelmed and under-qualified. Good grief! Even their awards ceremonies are poorly organized and never run on time.

Posted: March 12, 2018

My son wasn't completing all of his homework for more than a month. I was not notified until post report card conferences. It seems like it would have been more effective to let me know while there was time to do something about it.

Posted: October 11, 2016

Moving from Pa to Va, my daughter's homeroom and math teacher (same man) proceeded to call my child slow in front of both of us on back to school night. He told her that Pa is very behind in curriculum and that she was in the "slower" math class so she could learn and play "catch up". My daughter was in AP math prior to moving here. For him to say something like that was mind blowing. Then today, my daughter was over sexualized and sent home for wearing leggings under a long shirt (almost knee length T). She was pulled from class as to not distract the other students (the boys as the admin lady told me on the phone) and had to wait for me to bring her a change of clothes. I will not let this one go. I am not okay with how they just laid out an example for my child that her education is worth less than a males because she is distracting them by being a female in class.

Posted: October 11, 2016

Posted: October 11, 2016

This school just told all of the boys in my daughter's class that their education was more important than my daughter's by removing her from class and calling her a distraction because she was wearing leggings!

Posted: October 11, 2016

I do not see how referring to my child and her math class (because she transferred from a collage level math in Pa to this particular class in Va) as "slow" and "behind" in front of her or myself in any way, is an effective teacher.

Posted: October 7, 2013

The Teachers at J.M. Dozier are outstanding. They are very interested in the children learning and they make it very interesting in the subjects that they know are needed for the child to succeed. I do not have very much contact with the Principal but the Teachers are on top of assisting the parents in matters that are necessary to solve any issues and concerns. Special Recognition to to Mrs. Marmon, 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher. She really makes History come alive!

Posted: December 8, 2012

I really didn't like this school. Most of my teachers were INSANE. My 6th Grade math teacher was constantly rolling her eyes and making me feel bad about myself. My PE teacher was okay, but he creeped me out a bit. Oh, and if you have a child who is the following: Sensitive, Good, Well behaved, Likes animal, or Nieve, this school probably isn't for them, because I'm all of those, and I have been mistreated ever since I came to that school. And also note, we aren't aloud to carry book bags or go to our lockers during the day. I also hate the security guards. All except for one, treat us like we are delinquents, and, I'm in the sixth grade and we are "worse" than seventh and eighth graders combined. We aren't aloud to go to the bathroom, or read, or aloud recess, we can't talk in the lunch line or we get suspended, and we get the stupidest substitutes! Once, my English teacher was gone and we were reading a story called, The Princess and the tin box in a school text book. At the end, the princess didn't pick the tin box and the teacher was all "Why would you think she'd pick the box?" And we said "IT'S IN THE TITLE!" She was like "Oh." I think I've made my point.