8335 Cascade Rd, Norden, CA 95728

Although Donner Trail has typically been one of the better schools in the district I feel that I need to leave an honest updated review. This year we permanently lost at least 10% of the school and I'm afraid the middle grades will see many empty seats next year. Unfortunately with a new principal and teacher turnover there have been many changes which haven't been positive. For example, although the academics have typically been top notch, the lower grades are not being challenged enough to keep the kids' interest. My child is very thirsty for new information, absorbs it quickly and wants to be a good student. After repeatedly asking the teacher and principal for more challenging projects which were never assigned, I eventually gave up and my child is incredibly bored to the point of losing all interest in school. I have noticed a true lack of adherence to the standard curriculum required by the district. Most of the work that is coming home for my child is from Teachers Pay Teachers which in my opinion creates gaps in knowledge and does not stimulate critical thinking. There is no formal advanced math pathway, GATE is virtually non-existent and to be honest, my child watches more movies at school than at home. The STEAM, music and other enrichment classes have lost their dedicated classroom which in my opinion has caused a steep decline in overall substance. Now that there is a TK program the littles are integrated into everyday life at DTE. This sounds great but this really means that at recess when the TK kids are trying to play with the 11 year olds, the older kids end up babysitting. The playground is tiny and has now been restricted even more in area by the principal. Recess is TK-5 all competing for space, the bigger kids can't be on the play equipment because it's reserved for littles, and the playground hasn't had any upgrades in at least 6 years. Realistically if you're coming from Truckee it's an hour bus ride each way as the bus goes all the way through Serene Lakes and Soda Springs now. I am sad to leave this review as DTE was a truly special place. However, the changes that have taken place need to be acknowledged for those who are researching where to educate their child.