South Elementary School, Dover OH

Original Research by School Decision on South Elementary School

South Elementary School serves the earliest grades, kindergarten through first grade, plus preschool, in Dover, a small Ohio city along the Tuscarawas River in the county's twin-city pair with New Philadelphia. The school draws a student body reflective of Dover's changing demographics: just over half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the population is predominantly white with a sizable Hispanic component and a small number of students of other races.

The school's enrollment is distributed across preschool, kindergarten, and first grade in roughly equal cohorts. State testing data available from 2019 covers grades three through five, which are tested under Ohio's State Tests. Across those grade levels, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint relative to other districts in Tuscarawas County. Mathematics performance is strongest in the highest tested grade, where proficiency runs solidly high; performance in grades three and four is somewhat lower but still respectable. English language arts shows more variability: third grade and fifth grade proficiency are strong, but fourth grade is notably weaker, sitting at just above the midpoint. Science proficiency in the tested grade runs in the solid range. Social studies data from an earlier year was strong.

The gaps in the data are substantial. The school serves only preschool through first grade as its official span, so most grade-level testing does not occur here; students progress to other district schools for testing grades. No information is available on the school's chronic absenteeism rate, discipline, staffing levels, or special education and English learner enrollment rates. The data on state testing therefore reflects what the school's cohort achieved in later years, not current performance in the school's own grade band.

Dover itself is a walkable small city with a compact downtown, a strong civic presence through City Park and the public library, and a rich manufacturing heritage. It is now in an active growth phase driven by a major new manufacturing plant, which is creating housing demand and a shift in the local economy. The city's housing market is significantly more affordable than both state and national benchmarks, though a recent study found the area faces a shortage of homes relative to job growth. The district recently shifted property tax allocations to fund facility upgrades across aging school buildings, which will increase property taxes modestly for homeowners over time.

For families with preschool and early-elementary-age children, South Elementary offers a community-rooted, small-school experience in a city with active civic life, walkable neighborhoods, and an improving economic outlook. The school's academic standing, measured through its county comparison, is solid. A parent considering this school may want to ask the district about current enrollment trends, classroom sizes, and the school's approach to early literacy and math, since the available state data reflects later grades and offers limited direct insight into instruction in the school's own kindergarten and first-grade classrooms.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 469%

School 69% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 585%

School 85% · district not reported

▲ 44 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 375%

School 75% · district not reported

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 459%

School 59% · district not reported

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 582%

School 82% · district not reported

▲ 17 pts above state median

Science

Grade 573%

School 73% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 486%

School 86% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · even with county median

This schoolDover City, 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-income76%Higher-income74%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income64%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income94%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income72%Higher-income70%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income62%Higher-income80%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income68%Higher-income97%29 pp gap