Dover Public School District

The Dover Public School District consists of 5 schools, including 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school, serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district faces several challenges, including significant achievement gaps, consistently low performance, and high rates of poverty and chronic absenteeism.

Among the standout schools in the district, East Dover Elementary School has the highest performance on state assessments, with 60.6% of 5th graders proficient or better in ELA and 41.2% proficient or better in math. In contrast, Dover Middle School outperforms the other schools in the district, particularly in math, with 84.1% of 8th graders proficient or better in Algebra I.

The district as a whole struggles with low academic performance, with most schools performing well below state averages on state assessments. This is particularly evident at Dover High School, where only 32.7% of 9th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 49.9%. The high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients across the district, ranging from 51.45% to 64.56%, suggest a correlation between socioeconomic status and student achievement. Additionally, the district faces concerns over high chronic absenteeism rates, which may be contributing to the low academic performance.