Dane County Transition School cultivates and nurtures the individual talents of high school students deemed substantially “at risk” through uniquely customized educational curricula that promote social, emotional, academic, and vocational skills development and growth.  As a result of DCTS efforts and interventions, students transform their personal lives, replacing formerly assigned “at risk” status with an “at promise” designation, while fully meeting all required state standards for earning a high school diploma and building the critical foundations for future success.

Judy, Principal

"It has always been my dream to create a school that provides quality education for all students. DCTS is a dream come true. I have always been an advocate for children; DCTS is an institution of learning that caters to the learning needs of each and every one of our students. The success of the students and programs is due to the true partnerships developed with the teachers, students, families, the students’ home districts, and the community. I feel truly blessed that I get to go to work everyday to a job that I love. And everyday, as a principal, I get to watch lives change. Who could ask for more? The students and staff are the best!"

"I get to love kids for a living and develop real relationships with them where I am both a teacher and a student. I am allowed to create curriculum so diverse and at the same time spontaneous that learning often takes place at many different levels at the same time. Meeting young people where they are at, respecting them and growing with them is difficult but life is for living. I live and grow on my job daily, with the staff, the students and the broader community we interact with. Day in, day out we learn and live with the challenges that present themselves to us."

"I am very fortunate to be able to teach at DCTS. It's truly a team-teaching situation, and it's a unique, alternative approach to education. Having worked in other educational settings and other careers since I first worked at DCTS in 1992, I feel more strongly than ever that working with these students is one of the most meaningful jobs a person can do."

I enjoy working with the students on service learning projects and teaching science through hands-on activities. DCTS is a school where a teacher can teach the way students want to learn.

"One of my many joys as a teacher at DCTS is aiding and abetting students as they grow into maturity, tenaciously working to transform themselves from the designation of "at-risk" to "at promise."

"Working with unique and diverse learners at DCTS offers constant challenges and rewards as we work together learning and growing as individuals and as a community."