Benjamin Caryl House · Photo: Tim Pierce · CC BY-SA 3.0Dover’s public schools outscore 97% of Massachusetts districts
On the state math tests, 75% of Dover’s students scored proficient, above the Massachusetts average (41%). The grade covers the two public school districts serving Dover, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Massachusetts, not nationally.
From Massachusetts state tests taken in spring 2022, when 97% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
Dover’s schools, in brief
Against towns with similar incomes
Among the 49 Massachusetts towns with household incomes within a quarter of Dover’s, its schools beat 86%, lower than their 97% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓
Dover runs its own schools through grade 5, then shares
Chickering (PK–5) is Dover’s own. From grade 6, students attend the Dover-Sherborn School District with Sherborn: Dover-Sherborn Regional Middle School, then Dover-Sherborn Regional High. The high school’s own results earn an A+, the highest on the path; the middle school earns an A+. See the path ↓
Above the state on both counts
Reading proficiency is 72% and math 75% across both districts in spring 2022, against 44% and 41% statewide; 95–100% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 89%. Test scores ↓
Spending and class size
Dover spends $26,028 per student and Dover-Sherborn $27,480, against $26,530 across Massachusetts (FY2024). Neither counts toward the grade. Districts ↓
Choice beyond the district
Charles River (private) and Charles River School (private) are in town. Every school ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind Dover’s grade
A+: better than 97% of Massachusetts school districts, #4 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the Massachusetts average; test scores are the stronger of the two.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Dover, with each school’s own grade.
Kindergarten in Dover
Chickering
Grades PK–5 · 492 students · 11:1 students per teacher
1st grade in Dover
Chickering
Grades PK–5 · 492 students · 11:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in Dover
Chickering
Grades PK–5 · 492 students · 11:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in Dover
Chickering
Grades PK–5 · 492 students · 11:1 students per teacher
4th grade in Dover
Chickering
Grades PK–5 · 492 students · 11:1 students per teacher
5th grade in Dover
Chickering
Grades PK–5 · 492 students · 11:1 students per teacher
6th grade in Dover
Dover-Sherborn Regional Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 471 students · 9:1 students per teacher
7th grade in Dover
Dover-Sherborn Regional Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 471 students · 9:1 students per teacher
8th grade in Dover
Dover-Sherborn Regional Middle School
Grades 6–8 · 471 students · 9:1 students per teacher
9th grade in Dover
Dover-Sherborn Regional High
Grades 9–12 · 610 students · 10:1 students per teacher
10th grade in Dover
Dover-Sherborn Regional High
Grades 9–12 · 610 students · 10:1 students per teacher
Dover runs its own schools through grade 5 (Dover School District). From grade 6, students attend the Dover-Sherborn School District, shared with Sherborn. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
Two districts serve Dover
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well above the state in reading
Dover vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Massachusetts towns that share Dover’s borders.
Every school in Dover
5 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Massachusetts’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
Questions about Dover’s schools
Are Dover’s schools good?
By Massachusetts’s own tests, yes: the public schools Dover children attend outscore 97% of Massachusetts’s school districts on tests and graduation, an A+ Schools grade, #4 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 86%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is Dover in?
Two districts: Dover School District runs grades PK–5, and Dover-Sherborn School District runs grades 6–12, shared with Sherborn.
Where do Dover kids go to high school?
Dover-Sherborn Regional High, with 610 students; its own test results earn an A+.
What is Dover’s graduation rate?
95–100% of the class of 2023 in Dover-Sherborn School District graduated in four years, against 89% across Massachusetts.
How much does Dover spend per student?
$26,028 in Dover School District and $27,480 in Dover-Sherborn School District (FY2024), against $26,530 across Massachusetts. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in Dover?
Yes: Charles River (nonsectarian, grades PK–8, 186 students) and Charles River School (nonsectarian, grades PK–8, 186 students).
Parents talk
What Dover families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near Dover → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Massachusetts. Stars are from neighbors.