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Dover, New Jersey - 5 schools
An equity score of 52/100 ranks Dover Public School District #280 of 587 districts in New Jersey (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $21,538 per pupil, Dover Public School District ranks #506 of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending (New Jersey districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,603
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$21,538
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dover Public School District operates 5 public schools serving 3,603 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New Jersey. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Morris County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $21,538 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 649 New Jersey districts by per-pupil spending. See how New Jersey compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 23.8% local, 62.6% state, and 13.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 52/100, ranked #280 of 587 in New Jersey against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (18 AP courses district-wide), a 437.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 17.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 91.7% Hispanic or Latino, 3.7% White, 3.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Dover Middle School, with a diversity index of 21.0/100.
Its largest campus is Dover High School, enrolling 1,167 students (36% of the district's total enrollment).
Dover High School accounts for 32.4% of all Dover Public School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Dover Public School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Dover Public School District school enrollment varies 2.8× across entities
Dover Public School District school enrollment ranges from 411 students (lowest) to 1,167 students (highest), a spread of 756 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Dover Public School District student-counselor ratio is 438:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Dover Public School District chronic absenteeism rate is 17.0% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Dover Public School District is typically wider than the Dover Public School District-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Dover Public School District?
Dover Public School District has 5 schools, including 1 high, 2 combined, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,603 students.
How much does Dover Public School District spend per student?
Dover Public School District spends $21,538 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #280 in New Jersey.
What is the demographic composition of Dover Public School District?
Dover Public School District students are 91.7% Hispanic or Latino, 3.7% White, 3.2% African American, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dover Public School District?
Dover Public School District has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #280 out of 587 districts in New Jersey.