Enrollment
356
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Dover, PA
Dover Area El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Dover Area El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420768007448
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dover Area El Sch earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #3 of 4
- elementary schools in Dover · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.8:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 46.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Dover Area El Sch has class sizes larger than 73% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dover Area El Sch ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Dover, PA.
School address
District: Dover Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420768007448 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dover Area El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dover Area El Sch
Dover Area El Sch is a mid-sized elementary school in Dover, Pennsylvania, enrolling 356 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 46.3% lands close to the Pennsylvania typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 356 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 530 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #163.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and Hispanic or Latino (14%) (diversity index 41/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Dover's elementary schools, it stands alongside North Salem El Sch (384 students): Dover Area El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.8:1 vs 13.7:1).
Dover Area Sd also operates Dover Area Hs (979 students) and Dover Area Ms (735 students) alongside Dover Area El Sch.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Dover Area El Sch compares
Dover Area El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▲ 9% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.3% | ▼ 20% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 356 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
356
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 73% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,112
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 75.3%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
Two or More 5.9%
African American 3.7%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 75.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.8, Dover Area El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dover Area Sd, which includes Dover Area El Sch.
$17,112
Per student
-5%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.6%
State 38.1%
Federal 8.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Dover Area El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover Area Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dover Area Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| North Salem El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Leib El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Weigelstown El Sch | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dover Area El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 979
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 735
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 372
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 323
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools in Dover
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~356 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dover Area El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Dover Area El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Dover Area Sd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Dover Area El Sch
How many students attend Dover Area El Sch?
Dover Area El Sch has 356 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Dover, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dover Area El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Dover Area El Sch is 14.8:1, which is 9% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dover Area El Sch?
46.3% of students at Dover Area El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dover Area El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Dover Area El Sch is White at 75.3% of enrollment, in Dover, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dover Area El Sch?
Dover Area El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Dover Area El Sch rank among elementary schools in Dover?
By Resource Investment Index, Dover Area El Sch ranks #3 of 4 elementary schools in Dover, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Dover on the city page.
Is Dover Area El Sch a good school?
Dover Area El Sch earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Pennsylvania schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Dover Area Sd?
Besides Dover Area El Sch, Dover Area Sd also operates Dover Area Hs (979 students), Dover Area Ms (735 students), and North Salem El Sch (384 students). See the Dover Area Sd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.