ALL SCHOOL – Grades PK – Twelfth Grade
Donoho was one of the first to be dually accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). Donoho is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Alabama Association of Independent Schools (AAIS).
All members of the faculty are accredited by standards of SACS/SAIS AND teaching in field. Eighty-three percent (83%) of the faculty have earned graduate degrees.
A summer program offering more than twenty programs for adults and students of all ages provides opportunities in the arts, academic, health and recreation, and technology areas for the entire community.
Private music lessons are offered to students in grades PK4 – twelfth grade. They have the opportunity to study piano, strings, guitar, and voice with various private music teachers on campus during the school day. Students may take a lesson during PE, recess, or study hall once each week. Over thirty percent (30%) of our students participate.
A qualified guidance counselor is available and active in working with all students – grades PK3 – twelfth grade. Students enjoy a weekly character education lesson with the counselor on topics ranging from friendship to getting organized.
A state of the art technology infrastructure, strategically designed to be in support of, rather than in place of the teacher, is in place with a fiber optic backbone connecting all buildings, and T1 Internet access. The program includes wireless access at the upper and middle schools campuses.
An interactive state-of-the-art website provides information on scheduled school programs and activities. Included is a syllabus updated weekly previewing all academic assignments and scheduled activities for all students – grades pre-K3 -12th grade.
LOWER SCHOOL – Grades PK3 – Sixth Grade
PK3, PK4 and K5 programs with an academic emphasis – far beyond a daycare or playschool curriculum.
Foreign language exposure including Spanish in grades K - 4 and French in fifth and sixth grades by qualified teachers – not volunteers.
Art instruction scheduled weekly, beginning in K5, taught by a qualified art instructor – not volunteers or classroom teachers. In addition to studying major artists and the elements of art at age-appropriate levels, students get to work such diverse media, such as tempera, oil pastels, water colors, chalk, pencil, pen and ink, colored pencils, acrylics, ceramics, weaving, monoprinting, and collages.
Music instruction scheduled weekly, beginning in K5, with a qualified music teacher. – not volunteers or classroom teachers.
Technology exposure begins with our PK3 class, and formal computer science classes are taught beginning in the fourth grade. Students are able to study various areas of technology in their regular classrooms as well as through the school’s computer lab. All classrooms have filtered internet access, which students and faculty use for research and to view the school website for the most current school information.
Physical education with a curriculum that stresses lifelong fitness is scheduled daily in the Lower School with a qualified P.E. teacher – not volunteers or the classroom teacher.
Private and licensed day care service on campus is available after school hours using school facilities, thus eliminating the need of transportation to other facilities for working parents.
Achievement tests administered annually as a means of assessing the school program as well as student progress, produce mean class scores consistently ranking above the ninetieth percentile.
UPPER SCHOOL- Grades 7-12
100% of our graduates have enjoyed college acceptance to the finest colleges and universities in the country.
For the past ten years the Donoho School has had more National Merit Scholars than the total of all the other Calhoun County schools combined.
For the past five years, graduating classes have averaged:
- more than $3.4 million in merit based scholarships.
- SAT scores of:
- 636 in reading (503 national).
- 628 in math (515 national).
- 637 in writing (495 national).
- 1901 for the composite score (1513 national).
- 25.0 on the ACT (20.8 national).
All students complete a minimum of three high school years of foreign language taught by qualified and experienced instructors.
Students may enroll in advanced courses such as physiology, chemistry, physics, as well as dual enrollment and AP opportunities in all disciplines, with qualified and experienced instructors.
Intersession is a one week program of off campus career exploration, educational trips, and on-campus enrichment course options which offers students practical experiences not possible within the confines of the normal classroom situation.
Over 85% of all students participate in co-curricular programs (e.g., athletics, performing arts, visual arts, academic clubs, and service organizations).
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