USAG Italy  Education

Accreditation

DoDEA is a worldwide school system located in 15 foreign countries. The educational program and curriculum provided are accredited by Cognia

Number of Schools

Vicenza has DoDEA Schools: one elementary, one middle and one high school. Both the elementary and middle schools are located on the Villaggio housing site and the high school will be relocating to a new building on Villaggio with an expected completion date of Fall 23/24.

Bus Service

The DoDEA Student Transportation Office (STO) in Vicenza provides daily school bus transportation for students who live in the established commuting area. There are no fees charged to families for this service. The STO also provides transportation for all school-approved trips.

Meals

The AAFES School Meal Program provides lunch to K-12 students offering a USDA tray lunch and an a-la-carte serving line. The regular lunch follows USDA guidelines and is approved by an AAFES staff dietitian, and the a-la-carte offers individual items, each at full price. Lunches are prepaid with two account options offered. The School Meal Program provides free and reduced-price meals for students who qualify under Federal Guidelines.

Vicenza high school also has an open campus during lunchtime for 9th-12th graders. Students may eat lunch at one of the local eateries on-post.

Standardized Test Scores

Standardized test scores are available through the DoDEA Data Center:

• Vicenza Elementary School Test Scores
• Vicenza Middle
• High School Test Scores

Grading System

The grading system for the High School including standard and weighted grade points is as follows:

Graduation Requirements

Following are graduation requirements for Vicenza High School:

Before and After School Programs

Vicenza Elementary and Middle Schools offer a variety of after-school activities that are published in the newsletter and vary from year to year. 

High school offers a variety of sports and clubs that can be found in student/parent handbook.

Special Education

DoDEA offers a range of services for children with disabilities, including pre-school, special education in both schools, and speech therapy. See Special Needs topic for more information.

Home Schooling

The CYS School Liaison Officer can provide support and resources to parents who choose this option for their children.

Sure-Start Program

DoDea' Sure-Start is a free, full-day pre-school for 4 year olds (on or before September 1st) with priority given to children of sponsors ranking E1-E-4, but anyone is welcome to apply.  Contact the Vicenza Elementary school to begin the application process.

Entrance Requirements

Age requirements for the DODDS schools are:

• Sure Start and Pre-Kindergarten Programs, a child must be 4 years of age by September 1.
• Kindergarten Programs, a child must be 5 years of age by September 1.
• First Grade, a child must be 6 years of age by September 1. 

Registration

Documents required by DoDEA (check the DoDEA websites for complete registration instructions.  Links are in the DoD School contact information.)

• birth certificate or passport
• updated immunization records with a Certification of Immunization
• previous school transcripts, including final report card
• Valid ID card of parent
• sponsor's PCS Orders including travel authorization for the family; (Certificate of Eligibility required if children's names are not listed on PCS orders; proof of Local Quarters Allowance (LQA)) for DoD Civilian personnel
• Student's Social Security Number
• Emergency contact information (different from sponsor)

Enrollment

Vicenza Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools provide a quality education for approximately 1200 children of United States military and civilian personnel on official overseas assignments in Vicenza. Dependents of appropriated fund (APF) full time, local-hire employees and NAF full-time, local-hire employees have equal enrollment priority. The number of space-available, tuition-free spaces fluctuates by school and grade each year, depending upon space-required, tuition-free and space-available, tuition-paying enrollments. There are no guarantees of tuition-free enrollment for space-available students from year-to-year.

Pupil/teacher Ratio

The pupil teacher ratio for the elementary school, Grades K-3, is approximately 18 students per classroom teacher and 4-5 with 23 regular classroom teachers, a support staff of 22 and a total enrollment of approximately 629 students. 

The pupil teacher ratio for the high schools, Grades 9-12, is no more than 24 students per classroom teacher with approximately 318 students, 33 classroom teachers and five specialists.

College Bound Seniors

Graduating classes for the past three to four years have averaged in the mid 70's. The percentage of seniors planning to attend college has averaged 65 to 70% in that same time period.

Livorno has one DoDEA school that houses the elementary and the middle school. High school options include enrollment in the International School of Florence (ISF), the Canadian International School (CIS), virtual school and homeschool options. The elementary and middle schools are located on the main installation. Other educational possibilities include attendance at a local Italian school or homeschooling. LE/MS is a Level 0 school with multigrade classes and a smaller teacher ration than explained above. 

• Livorno Elementary and Middle School (DoDEA)

Vicenza Elementary and Middle Schools are located in the Villagio housing complex. VES also offers a Sure Start Preschool program for 4 year olds who meet the eligibility requirements. Vicenza High School is located on Caserma Ederle with the construction of a new high school anticipated in the fall of 23/24\. Transportation is available to students living in Villaggio housing area and is also available for students living within the boundaries of the school commuting zone.

• Vicenza Schools (DoDEA)

Many adult education opportunities are available through the Vicenza Education Center on Caserma Ederle.

Central Texas College, University of Maryland Global Campus, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Italian Pre-schools

Italian Asilo pre-schools for children ages 3-5 operate through the school year and are open to American children. A listing of asilos is available through CYS Central Registration.

Italian Schools

Although the DoDEA schools on Caserma Ederle are provided for use by the Vicenza Military Community, it is possible for dependent youth to attend elementary, middle and/or high schools on the local economy. Italian academic standards are high and require a high level of fluency in the Italian language. Enrollment in an Italian school requires a certain level of commitment on the part of the student. Parents opting to use local Italian schools are responsible for independently enrolling and communicating with the school.