Our District
Welcome to Deer Valley Unified School District! Our vision is graduating lifelong learners who will successfully compete, lead, and positively impact the world. Our mission is to provide extraordinary educational opportunities to every learner.
It’s time for next year’s Kindergarten students to get enrolled before the seats fill up. Enrollment for our free All-Day Kindergarten programs can be found on our website at www.dvusd.org/kinder. The certified teachers are in tune with the latest research on child development, and are ready for your student to excel with The Deer Valley Way. The students receive music, art, and physical education classes every day along with their core subjects as they prepare for First grade. DVUSD offers programs for gifted, special needs, and before-and-after school care options in a safe and welcoming environment. The age requirement for Kindergarten is that students must be five years old by August 31, 2025. If your student is four but will be five years old between September 1 to December 31, 2025, you can apply for “early entry” testing – to learn more, go to www.dvusd.org/earlyentry. DVUSD starts the early entry registration testing in February, so if you are interested in this option, get your registration in soon. If you want to go to a different DVUSD school other than your home school, you will need to follow the Open Enrollment process and wait for an opening. The process can be found at www.dvusd.org/openenrollment. The next Kindergarten Preview Night will be at your favorite DVUSD school on March 5th or 6th; check with each school for specifics or visit www.dvusd.org/kinderevents.
The necessary documents for enrollment into Kindergarten are: current shot records, birth certificate, some form of adult identification, and proof of residency within your DVUSD school boundary. The proof of residency could be anything that identifies your specific location such as: a utility bill, rent receipt, lease agreement, or house payment – anything official with the physical address. Maricopa County will have all of the necessary immunization requirements and locations.
Feel free to contact your neighborhood DVUSD school to learn more about the programs near you. The registration process for any of our 42 DVUSD schools is found at www.dvusd.org/register-for-school. In Arizona there are many options for students, but none better than DVUSD. The data, grades, and awards speak for themselves – no one has the range of options, excellence, and opportunities to excel like DVUSD.
To learn more about the DVUSD Difference go to www.dvusd.org/difference. Dr. Finch can be reached at
superintendent@dvusd.org ties to every learner.
Message from Dr. Finch
The DVUSD Difference The Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) is closing in on another banner year as we slide down the hill towards the finish line of another great school year. As we secured the most “A” Rated schools in our district’s “A” rated history last year, we also achieved over 70 individual and team State titles in fine arts, academics, and athletics. I said it was going to be “impossible to top those numbers” last year, but I also said that the year before… and the year before that! Each year the #extraordinary achievements of our staff and students continue to climb. To view a summary of the awards go to our website www.dvusd.org/extraordinary. You won’t believe it until you view the impressive list for yourself.
Beyond the Classroom: Having Fun in Athletics and the Arts
Excellence in the classroom is a primary goal of DVUSD. However, it is not the only goal of our district, as we realize there is more to a child's educational experience than homework and tests. While many private and charter schools mandate 2-3 hours of homework per night for each student as they teach to the test, DVUSD encourages students to sharpen their leadership skills and problem-solving skills while enhancing their social skills and feelings of self-worth through extracurricular activities.
Studies show when a child participates in extracurricular activities, those students tend to have higher grades, better test scores, and more positive educational experiences in general. The positive effects of these activities extend beyond the classroom, as these students also have opportunities to develop personal interests and discover their strengths and weaknesses, which is especially important during the adolescent stage of self-exploration.
Studies also show common trends in the causal effects of the types of activities students participate in. Students who participate in academic clubs build leadership skills, whereas students who participate in athletic clubs develop problem-solving skills. Students who contribute time performing in the arts record higher levels of positive self-development and greater engagement in the school environment. Participation in both academic and athletic activities results in higher levels of self-worth. Increasing students’ levels of self-worth creates a feeling of connection to their learning environment, which enhances their motivation to grow academically and personally.
DVUSD Visual and Performing Arts
The foundation of DVUSD's dedication to the arts begins in kindergarten with visual arts and music. As a child matures, more opportunities for learning and performing outside the classroom become available with band and choir in the middle school years, followed by theatre and dance in high school. Visual arts are offered from kindergarten through 12th grade.
DVUSD's arts programs are guided by the Arizona Department of Education's Arts Standards, and each year dozens of DVUSD high school seniors earn the Arizona State Seal of Arts Proficiency. Many DVUSD arts programs finish in the top of regional, state, and national competitions.
DVUSD Athletics
DVUSD's athletics foundation also starts in kindergarten with regular periods of recess and physical education, which meet the Arizona Department of Education's standards for K-12 physical education. Beginning in middle school, opportunities for individual and team sports participation become available to all students, with more team and individual opportunities at the high school level. Athletes are recognized each school year at the district's Pursuing Victory with Honor awards ceremony, and the district proudly shares the accomplishments of our state champions in both individual and team titles.
