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South Dover Elementary School

Public Grades K-4

97^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 109 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

South Dover Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 606 students in grades K-4 in the Capital School District in Dover, Delaware. The school has faced significant challenges in recent years, declining from a 3-star rating in 2016-2017 to a 1-star rating in the most recent years.

South Dover Elementary has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.4% to 30.5% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools like Fairview Elementary and Towne Point Elementary. The school also lags behind the state and district averages in academic proficiency across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 22.79% of 3rd graders and 19.39% of 4th graders proficient in English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 38.72% and 41.51%, respectively.

The school's performance challenges extend to its diverse student population, as South Dover Elementary ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Delaware elementary schools for African American, White, and low-socioeconomic status students. While Hispanic students perform relatively better, they still lag behind state averages. These equity concerns, combined with the school's declining performance over time and its lower outcomes compared to nearby schools, indicate the need for a comprehensive, data-driven approach to school improvement at South Dover Elementary.

577

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,906

Per pupil spending ?

61.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

955 South State Street
Dover, DE 19901-4177

(302) 672-1980

District: Capital School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

61.2%

Hispanic:

16.1%

White:

12.0%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2015 → 11th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Delaware average (19% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg27%

Delaware avg40%

97^th of 109

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 34 pts since 2015

From bottom 45% (2015) to bottom 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Capital School District

24^th of 32Capital School District among Delaware districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	12.5	97 of 109	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	98 of 106	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	83 of 103	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	89 of 104	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	77 of 95	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	76 of 105	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.0	57 of 85	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.5	42 of 86	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	27.7	68 of 86	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	45.0	59 of 108	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.0	67 of 91	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	49.5	52 of 90	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	26.7	73 of 91	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	64 of 68	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.6	60 of 62	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	57 of 60	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.3	58 of 60	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.9	53 of 72	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	8.1	95 of 97	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	93 of 97	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	83 of 89	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.8	89 of 90	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.0	69 of 99	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2023	49.9	22 of 42	47.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.9	15 of 36	58.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	69 of 70	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.9	64 of 66	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	57 of 66	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	55 of 62	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.7	71 of 92	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	8.6	95 of 97	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.0	94 of 97	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	87 of 89	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	72 of 90	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	81 of 99	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2023	14.5	65 of 70	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	39.3	58 of 82	29.3%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2023)48th percentile+28 vs school

White (2023)7th percentile-12 vs school

African American (2025)6th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)2nd percentile-9 vs school

Male (2025)2nd percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts21%-19 vs state

Social Studies19%-16 vs state

Mathematics18%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Dover Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				DeSSA Science (2025)		DeSSA Social Studies (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)						Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)						Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DeSSA Science 5th Grade	DeSSA Science 8th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 4th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 5th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 6th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 7th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
South Dover Elementary School	Public	K-4	955 South State Street	Dover	19901	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1980	577	31	18.8		69 (12.0%)	353 (61.2%)	93 (16.1%)	4 (0.7%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (9.2%)	12.5	97^th of 109 public elementary schools	11.0%		11.7	98^th of 106 public elementary schools	7.5%	1			18.8					22.8	19.4					19.1	16.2					$18,906
East Dover Elementary School	Public	K-4	852 South Little Creek Road	Dover	19901	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1500	331	21	15.7		37 (11.2%)	173 (52.3%)	83 (25.1%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.7%)	10.3	101^st of 109 public elementary schools	7.3%		20.6	84^th of 106 public elementary schools	20.8%	17			14.3					19.7	24.2					14.5	14.1					$24,086
Booker T. Washington Elementary School	Public	K-4	901 Forest Street	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1900	314	31	10.1		57 (18.2%)	195 (62.1%)	27 (8.6%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (8.9%)	35.2	67^th of 109 public elementary schools	38.5%		44.8	55^th of 106 public elementary schools	48.1%	12			26.4					32.5	41.6					31.0	32.5					$34,688
Campus Community School	Public, Charter	K-8	350 Pear Street	Dover	19904	Kent County	Campus Community School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 736-0403	409	20	20.4		73 (17.8%)	267 (65.3%)	23 (5.6%)	11 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.3%)	36.9	63^rd of 109 public elementary schools	42.2%		37.8	62^nd of 106 public elementary schools	41.5%	1	22.9	15.9	17.8	53.2	36.2	57.8	23.8	37.2	37.0	56.3	31.9	45.7	52.3	39.5	23.9	25.0	17.0	28.3	45.5
W. Reily Brown Elementary School	Public	1-5	360 Webbs Lane	Dover	19904	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 697-2101	506	37	13.6		158 (31.2%)	222 (43.9%)	66 (13.0%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.9%)	34.4	68^th of 109 public elementary schools	37.6%		31	73^rd of 106 public elementary schools	31.1%	5	34.3		28.4	52.0				26.5	32.0	38.5				25.5	28.6	25.0				$18,320
Academy Of Dover Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	104 Saulsbury Road	Dover	19904	Kent County	Academy of Dover Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 674-0684	443	29	15.2		42 (9.5%)	305 (68.8%)	74 (16.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.5%)	29.2	74^th of 109 public elementary schools	32.1%		33.8	69^th of 106 public elementary schools	34.9%	5	11.9		29.6	26.8	29.3	34.1		39.0	25.5	32.6	31.7	32.6	33.3	40.7	32.7		14.6	15.2
Fairview Elementary School	Public	K-4	700 Walker Road	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1500	287	22	13.0		58 (20.2%)	145 (50.5%)	47 (16.4%)	4 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (11.1%)	42.7	56^th of 109 public elementary schools	48.6%		30.5	74^th of 106 public elementary schools	30.2%	18			44.4					27.6	41.7					36.2	33.3					$20,508
Towne Point Elementary School	Public	K-4	629 Buckson Drive	Dover	19901	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1590	341	21	16.6		40 (11.7%)	212 (62.2%)	57 (16.7%)	7 (2.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.7%)	22.7	82^nd of 109 public elementary schools	24.8%		32.9	71^st of 106 public elementary schools	33.0%	11			25.8					20.3	30.4					29.2	26.1					$21,995
Kent Elementary Intensive Learning Center	Public	3	5 Old North Road	Camden	19934	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 697-3504	1	6	.1		1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
W. B. Simpson Elementary School	Public	1-5	5 Old North Road	Camden	19934	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 697-3207	465	31	15.0		273 (58.7%)	91 (19.6%)	37 (8.0%)	18 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.7%)	86.6	12^th of 109 public elementary schools	89.0%		66.4	28^th of 106 public elementary schools	73.6%	16	47.4		64.6	71.0				58.6	76.0	54.7				58.0	70.8	44.1				$17,266

Frequently Asked Questions about South Dover Elementary School

What schools do graduates of South Dover Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Dover Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : William Henry Middle School
High : Dover High School

How many students attend South Dover Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 577 students attended South Dover Elementary School.

Is South Dover Elementary School a good school?

South Dover Elementary School ranks in the bottom 11.0% of Delaware elementary schools.

What district is South Dover Elementary School in?

Capital School District

What is the racial makeup of South Dover Elementary School?

Students at South Dover Elementary School are 61% African American, 16% Hispanic, 12% White, 9% Two or more races.

Rate South Dover Elementary School!

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DEDelaware Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Dover, DE

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Delaware Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.