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South Dover Elementary School

Q: Is South Dover Elementary School a good school?

South Dover Elementary School ranks in the bottom 5.7% of Delaware elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend South Dover Elementary School?

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

Q: 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.

Q: What schools do graduates of South Dover Elementary School attend?

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

Public Grades 1-5

100^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 106 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

South Dover Elementary School in Dover, DE, serves 577 students in grades K-4 and is part of the Capital School District. It is the largest elementary school in its immediate area, but recent state rankings show it has fallen to the 6th percentile (100th out of 106 Delaware elementary schools) for the 2025-2026 school year, a significant decline from its mid-tier ranking a decade ago.

Academically, the school faces substantial challenges. In the most recent testing year, only about 12% of 3rd graders and 12% of 4th graders were proficient in math, compared to state averages of roughly 42% and 40%, respectively. Reading proficiency tells a similar story, with 3rd grade ELA at 17.7% versus the state's 40%. The gap widens as students progress—by 5th grade, math proficiency drops to just 5%, suggesting learning gaps compound over time. Chronic absenteeism sits at 21%, better than the district average of 26.1% but still above the state's 17.1%. When compared to nearby schools, the differences are stark: W. B. Simpson Elementary School (2.56 miles away) and Major George S. Welch Elementary School (2.72 miles away) in the Caesar Rodney School District rank in the top 10 statewide, with proficiency rates 4-5 times higher. Even within the Capital district, Fairview Elementary School and Booker T. Washington Elementary School outperform South Dover by significant margins in both reading and math.

There is one notable bright spot: in 2022-2023, Hispanic students at South Dover ranked in the 48th percentile statewide with a 3-star rating—dramatically better than the school's overall performance. This suggests that certain instructional approaches can work. The school's per-student spending of $13,243 is lower than several district peers, though nearby high-performing schools show that spending alone doesn't guarantee results. For parents considering this school, it's important to understand that while the school has resources and a large student body, the current trajectory indicates systemic issues that would require significant intervention to reverse.

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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Compare South Dover Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 21st percentile in 2016 → 6th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Delaware average (16% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg26%

Delaware avg42%

100^th of 106

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 21% (2016) to bottom 6% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Capital School District

24^th of 34Capital 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
2026	7.7	100 of 106	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	9.6	67 of 69	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	4.8	98 of 98	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	6.4	74 of 75	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	8.7	94 of 98	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
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

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

African American (2026)3rd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)1st percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)<1st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies26%-25 vs state

English Language Arts19%-23 vs state

Science10%-20 vs state

Mathematics10%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Dover Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				DeSSA Science (2026)	DeSSA Social Studies (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2026)						Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)						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 (2016)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DeSSA Science 5th 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	1-5	955 South State Street	Dover	19901	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1980	577	31	18.8	61.5%	69 (12.0%)	353 (61.2%)	93 (16.1%)	4 (0.7%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (9.2%)	7.7	100^th of 106 public elementary schools	5.7%		12.5	97^th of 109 public elementary schools	11.0%	3	10.1	22.9	29.3				17.7	17.7	22.6				11.6	11.6	5.0				$18,906
East Dover Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	852 South Little Creek Road	Dover	19901	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1500	331	21	15.7	65.4%	37 (11.2%)	173 (52.3%)	83 (25.1%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.7%)								(n/a)																			$24,086
Booker T. Washington Elementary School	Public	1-5	901 Forest Street	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1900	314	31	10.1	55.3%	57 (18.2%)	195 (62.1%)	27 (8.6%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (8.9%)	22.9	81^st of 106 public elementary schools	23.6%		35.2	67^th of 109 public elementary schools	38.5%	14	20.3	24.7	38.7				25.7	29.3	31.1				21.1	41.3	24.0				$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	46.0%	73 (17.8%)	267 (65.3%)	23 (5.6%)	11 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.3%)	42.8	59^th of 106 public elementary schools	44.3%		36.9	63^rd of 109 public elementary schools	42.2%	4	13.0	22.9	38.6	53.2	35.9	22.0	65.0	32.7	32.6	57.1	27.5	45.5	67.5	22.5	10.9	44.9	27.5	38.6
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	58.7%	158 (31.2%)	222 (43.9%)	66 (13.0%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.9%)	38.9	63^rd of 106 public elementary schools	40.6%		34.4	68^th of 109 public elementary schools	37.6%	5	22.8	38.1	58.0				41.1	33.7	36.6				46.2	25.5	29.7				$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	98.9%	42 (9.5%)	305 (68.8%)	74 (16.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.5%)	22.5	82^nd of 106 public elementary schools	22.6%		29.2	74^th of 109 public elementary schools	32.1%	8	18.4	35.2	37.5	22.5	35.9	11.6	19.7	38.2	30.6	25.0	23.1	30.2	22.7	34.6				14.0
Fairview Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	700 Walker Road	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1500	287	22	13.0	58.9%	58 (20.2%)	145 (50.5%)	47 (16.4%)	4 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (11.1%)								(n/a)																			$20,508
Towne Point Elementary School	Public	1-5	629 Buckson Drive	Dover	19901	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1590	341	21	16.6	68.1%	40 (11.7%)	212 (62.2%)	57 (16.7%)	7 (2.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.7%)	17.7	85^th of 106 public elementary schools	19.8%		22.7	82^nd of 109 public elementary schools	24.8%	3	10.3	30.4					29.8	22.0	27.3				27.4	25.4	13.2				$21,995
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	38.4%	273 (58.7%)	91 (19.6%)	37 (8.0%)	18 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.7%)	91.1	8^th of 106 public elementary schools	92.5%		86.6	12^th of 109 public elementary schools	89.0%	4	58.8	59.6	82.3				56.0	67.8	74.2				59.3	65.6	63.9				$17,266
Major George S. Welch Elementary School	Public	K-5	3100 Hawthorne Drive	Dover	19901	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 674-9080	261	29	9.0	5.3%	153 (58.6%)	30 (11.5%)	32 (12.3%)	10 (3.8%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.3%)	29 (11.1%)	93.1	5^th of 106 public elementary schools	95.3%		92.6	4^th of 109 public elementary schools	96.3%	1	63.9	52.1					63.3	79.7	79.0				67.2	64.9	69.4				$22,108

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:

High : Dover High School

Is South Dover Elementary School a good school?

South Dover Elementary School ranks in the bottom 5.7% of Delaware elementary schools.

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.

How many students attend South Dover Elementary School?

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

What district is South Dover Elementary School in?

Capital School District

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Latest Delaware data All new data »

2025–26 DeSSA, SAT & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresAug 18, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 23, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 20, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 7, 2026

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.