Academy Street Elementary School, Dover NJ

Original Research by School Decision on Academy Street Elementary School

Academy Street Elementary School serves the town of Dover in Morris County, offering prekindergarten through sixth grade in a regular public school setting. The school is one of several elementary buildings in the Dover Public School District, and its profile reflects the broader district’s recent challenges with academic performance.

Dover itself is a densely populated small town with a compact grid of streets and a commercial downtown along Blackwell Street. The town has a long industrial history and a high proportion of Hispanic or Latino residents as well as a substantial foreign-born population. Housing is a mix of single-family homes and multi-family units, and the town is served by NJ Transit rail to New York City, which positions it partly as a commuter hub. The school buildings, including Academy Street Elementary, are embedded within neighborhoods rather than on isolated campuses. The town has seen population growth in recent years and describes itself as undergoing development and revitalization, including improvements to its historic business district.

Academy Street’s student body is notably diverse. A large majority of students identify as Hispanic, with smaller shares identifying as white, Black, Asian, or two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Data on English learner and special education enrollment was not available in the source material, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

On the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments, proficiency rates across tested subjects and grades were low in the most recent reporting year. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranged from a small share in third grade to a modest share in fourth grade, with fifth and sixth grade also showing small shares reaching the proficiency threshold. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: third grade saw a very small share of proficient students, while fourth, fifth, and sixth grade each showed a small to modest share meeting the bar. Science results for fifth grade were also low. When compared to other districts in Morris County, Academy Street’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quartile, which is a clear signal that academic attainment here is below the county norm.

State testing data for preschool and kindergarten is not applicable, as those grades are not tested. The grade levels that are tested—third through sixth—all show results well below what is typical for the county and state. The district-level trend, as publicly reported, shows that math and reading proficiency in the Dover Public School District has declined over several years. A parent looking at Academy Street’s results should be aware that the school is part of a district that has been grappling with falling test scores generally.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Information on discipline, attendance, chronic absenteeism, and staffing levels was not available in the source data. A family considering Academy Street may want to ask the district or school office about these areas, as they affect the day-to-day learning environment.

For a family weighing this school, the peer environment is one where most students come from Hispanic backgrounds and a large share of families face economic challenges. The academic pathway, based on current testing data, shows low proficiency rates that merit close attention. The housing context in Dover is a renter-heavy market with a mix of older homes and ongoing redevelopment, and the town’s train access to New York City is a practical feature for commuting families. This school may fit a family that values a neighborhood-based elementary experience in a diverse, walkable town and is prepared to engage actively with the school and district on academic support, given the performance data.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 35%

School 5% · District 17% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 62 pts below county median

Grade 421%

School 21% · District 27% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 19% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 51 pts below county median

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 26% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 34%

School 4% · District 12% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 56 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 30% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 48 pts below county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 33% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 36% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 51 pts below county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 13% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

This schoolDover Public School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income5%Higher-income0%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income22%Higher-income15%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income5%Higher-income8%4 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income13%Higher-income23%10 pp gap