Summary:
The Dover School District is home to a single high school, Dover High School, which serves 375 students in grades 9 through 12 in a small Arkansas community.
Dover High School presents a mixed picture of performance. On the positive side, the school boasts an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 4.3:1, which allows for significant individualized attention. It also has a strong graduation rate of 94.1% and a low dropout rate of 1.6%. Academically, the school shows a notable strength in science, with 9th graders achieving an 82.4% proficiency rate in Biology, well above the state average of 72.2%. However, the school faces a critical challenge in mathematics, with an overall Algebra proficiency rate of just 14%, compared to the state average of 36.9%. This stark contrast between strong science performance and weak math performance is the school's most significant academic issue. The school's state ranking has also been volatile, dropping from a 4-star rating (72nd percentile) in 2024-2025 to a 2-star rating (48th percentile) in 2025-2026, a decline largely driven by the drop in math scores.
A particularly interesting finding is the performance gap between 9th and 10th graders in the 2025-2026 school year. In Geometry, 9th graders scored 68% proficient compared to just 9.7% for 10th graders, and in Biology, 9th graders scored 82.4% proficient versus 34.8% for 10th graders. This suggests that the current 9th-grade cohort is exceptionally strong, or that advanced students take these tests earlier, leaving a less prepared group to test in 10th grade. Overall, while Dover High School benefits from small class sizes and a strong science program, it must urgently address its math curriculum to ensure consistent academic success for all students.
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