Dothan City Schools' Enrollment Up for 5th Consecutive Year Enrollment for the Dothan City Schools for the 2009-2010 school year is 9,177, an increase of 92 students over the previous school year. This is the 5th consecutive year of growth in the school system and represents a growth of 485 students during that period. As has been typical for the last few years, the growth was concentrated at the elementary grades where there was an increase of 133 students. During the past five years, elementary schools have grown by 679 students, the equivalent of one and one-half elementary schools. Middle school enrollment this year is down by one student compared to last year and high school enrollment is down by 40 students. These numbers also represent the trend of the last few years.
The school zone shifts initiated this year have resulted in Northview High replacing Dothan High as the largest school with an enrollment of 1,315 to Dothan's 1,178. Middle schools range from 563 at Honeysuckle to 454 at Carver. The largest elementary school is Hidden Lake at 591. Faine is the smallest at 354.
The official attendance for all school districts in Alabama is measured during the 20 school days following Labor Day (September 8-October 5 this year). It is an average of enrollment on each of those 20 days. The state calculations also reveal that the poverty rate in the Dothan City Schools is 60.97%, as measured by the number of children qualifying for free or reduced meals. The average daily attendance during the period was 94.14%. All schools except the high schools exceeded 95% attendance.
For complete details, please go to our enrollment data. Dothan Schools Show Improvement in Test Scores - All Schools Make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)  Shouts of jubilation were heard in the halls of Dothan City Schools Central Office as school officials received the system's 2009 state assessment results - all of the city's public schools met student achievement standards set by the federal government for the 2008-09 school year. These highly anticipated reports revealed performance gains at the high school level, thus allowing the two high schools to join the system's middle and elementary schools on the state's list of schools which made AYP.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is measured based on math and reading test scores, as well as participation and graduation rates, among other things. These tests were administered to students in the spring of this year. The assessments used to determine AYP for No Child Left Behind requirements for 2009-2010 were the Alabama Reading and Math Test, the reading and mathematics subject-area tests of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam and the reading and mathematics subject-area tests of the Alabama Alternate Assessment.
Superintendent Sam Nichols expressed great pride in the results and applauded not only Dothan City's students and their teachers, but also all those who play a supporting role in the community.
"These results are a testament to hard-working students, committed teachers, concerned parents, and a supportive community. Our relentless focus on academic achievement is paying off, and we remain committed to providing a quality education for our students." Dr. Nichols emphasized.
High Schools
Particularly welcomed were the results for the city's two high schools, Dothan High and Northview. Both schools were challenged this year with their AYP status - Year 4 of School Improvement.
The high schools' efforts to improve student performance is paying off with better academic results and increased participation, offering evidence that numerous improvement initiatives have been successful.
With both schools making the state's list this year for having shown Adequate Yearly Progress, teachers and students can return to school this year with renewed spirits and increased resolve to continue this upward trend. Favorable results on this year's tests earned Delay status for the high schools and will allow continuation of improvement measures which yielded these positive outcomes. By continuing to implement applicable interventions, both schools will aggressively seek to gain Not in School Improvement status after next year.
Director of Secondary Curriculum Services Allyson Morgan attributes the success at the high school level to the variety of strategies employed, including disaggregation of test data which allowed the system to target marginal students for intensive test preparation.
Additionally, student engagement and instructional practices were observed regularly to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. Instructional staff received intensive professional development through training and coaching efforts. Providing the framework for these practices is the High Schools That Work improvement initiative adopted by both schools.
Specific intervention strategies reported by Julie Turner, School Instructional Specialist, include emphasis on literacy skills, tutoring sessions, pre-test review blitz in all core academic areas, frequent parental contacts, and community outreach efforts such as the graduation summit at local churches. Mrs. Turner especially applauds the teachers and students for their hard work this year stating that 100% of the credit goes to them. She challenges them to maintain the momentum achieved thus far and repeat the effort in the upcoming school year.
Middle School and Elementary School
Results for testing at these grade spans show an overall upward trend with stable scores and a slight narrowing of several achievement gaps. The four middle schools and eleven elementary schools met all AYP targets for the current year and are on track to meet the goal of all students proficient by the year 2014.
Susan Loftin, Direction of Elementary Curriculum Services, is encouraged with the steady and significant improvements in test scores with all schools meeting 100% of their goals.
"The expanded educational opportunities, increased teaching effectiveness, and curriculum innovations we have experienced in the last few years promise continued growth in our students' skills and knowledge. This positive direction is a validation of our efforts to improve student achievement," Mrs. Loftin stated.
Next Steps
Disaggregated assessment results by grade and subject area are available on this website (see links on the right). School officials plan to analyze this data and look for trends which will drive further refinement of instructional strategies and programs.
Additional information can be found on the Alabama State Department of Education's web site. 
| Two Elementary Schools Awarded VH1 Music Grants  Students at Faine and Grandview Elementary Schools will be reaping the benefits this fall of a visionary moment in the life of a New York businessman who saw the need for music programs in public schools. As a recipient of VH1 Save the Music Foundation funding, each school will receive $30,000 in grant funds which will be used to equip a keyboarding lab at each school and provide training in implementation of the labs to the full-time music teachers at the schools.
The VH1 Save The Music Foundation was founded in 1997 as a public affairs initiative of the VH1 network. The Foundation's core mission is to restore instrumental music education programs, ensuring that every child has access to a complete education that includes the benefits of music instruction. Recognizing that music education is not only important for its intrinsic value, the founders also recognized that it enhances students' critical thinking skills and their ability to work together as a team. They are more engaged in school and less likely to drop out; and they do significantly better in all of their academic endeavors.
Upon seeing the facts about the benefits of music education in a young person's life, VH1 started the foundation which has proudly restored over 1,600 instrumental music programs in more than 100 cities nationwide, putting instruments into the hands of 1.2 million children. The Foundation is able to make grants to music education programs because of the generous support from its corporate sponsors, foundations, individuals, celebrities, and performers.
Grandview and Faine Elementary Schools join two other Dothan schools -Cloverdale and Landmark - as recipients of VH1 funds ensuring that almost 800 more Dothan City Schools' students will receive enhanced music education opportunities in the upcoming school year. Additionally, both elementary magnet schools - Heard and Montana - have keyboarding labs which provide weekly music instruction to their students.
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Código de Vestuario de Uniformes STI Home Gives Parents Access to Student Information at Home  Parents can access important information about their children directly from their computer, anytime, anywhere. Parents and students can view grades, class schedules, attendance records, discipline reports, homework assignments, activity announcements and notes from teachers. Call your school today to find out how you can access STI Home. A login name and password are required; a small annual fee is charged to offset the cost of the software. This service is currently available for Northview High, Dothan High, Girard Middle, Beverlye Magnet, Cloverdale Elementary, Carver Magnet, Honeysuckle Middle, and coming soon for all other K-12 schools.
Databoards  Dothan City Schools focuses on continuous planning and using data for improvement by conducting ongoing targeted data analysis that identifies gaps in expectations and opportunities as well as achievement for all subgroups. We have established an accountability mechanism and data system that supports quality learning and graduation for all.
Parca System Report 2009
Parca Schools Report 2009
ARMT 2004-2008
ARMT Accountability Report 2008-09
High School Accountability Report 2008-09 
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