The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in Math. The lowest is 42% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Dover Elementary
Dover Elementary is a regular public school serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Stewart County, Tennessee. The school is located in the town of Dover, the county seat, a small community situated on the Cumberland River with a compact historic center. Dover is car-dependent, and its largest industries are accommodation and food services, retail trade, and educational services, which reflects its role as a regional hub and gateway to nearby recreational and historical areas such as Fort Donelson National Battlefield and Land Between the Lakes. The town has experienced steady population growth over the past decade, and property values have seen modest increases. Home values in the area are lower than both the state and national benchmarks, consistent with the rural setting.
The school itself serves an enrollment that is overwhelmingly white, with very small numbers of Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Information on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of economic and academic support services offered. As an elementary school, Dover Elementary does not report a graduation rate, nor does it offer the advanced coursework or career pathways typical of high schools.
State test results from the most recent year show that in math, just over half of students tested scored at the proficient level or above on the TNReady assessment. In English language arts, the proficiency rate was below half, and in science it was also below half. Participation rates were high. A social studies result from several years ago is not comparable due to assessment changes, so it provides no clear picture of current performance in that subject. Because the Stewart County school district is the only district in the county, there is no basis for comparing Dover Elementary’s academic results against neighboring districts within Stewart County. A parent looking for a reference point would need to look at schools in adjacent counties or statewide averages, which are not provided here. The overall proficiency picture suggests that a significant share of students are not meeting the state’s proficiency benchmarks, particularly in ELA and science, and a family may want to discuss with the school how they identify and support students who are below that level.
The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It is part of the Stewart County district, and the district brief did not surface any recent policy, budget, or leadership changes that would affect day-to-day operations. The school’s grade span and the lack of a comparison set mean that its performance stands alone in the available data; there is no neighborhood relative to lean on.
For a family considering Dover, the school offers a setting that matches the small-town, rural character of the community. The student body is not diverse by race, and the socioeconomic data is missing, so a family should verify whether the school’s demographics and support programs meet their expectations. The academic results are a mixed picture, with math slightly stronger than ELA and science. Because the school serves only elementary grades, a family with older children would need to look at the district’s middle and high school options separately. Dover itself provides access to outdoor recreation and a quiet, compact downtown, but daily life is car-dependent and commuting patterns reflect that. The narrative here is of a straightforward elementary school in a stable, growing rural county seat, with academic outcomes that a parent should investigate further by talking directly to school staff about curriculum, intervention strategies, and the full range of student needs not captured in the available data.
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