Dover Area School District

Dover Area School District
Address
101 Edgeway Road
Dover
, York County, Pennsylvania, 17315
United States
District information
TypePublic
Students and staff
District mascotEagles
ColorsRed, Silver/White and Black
Other information
Websitedoversd.org

The Dover Area School District is a midsized, rural, public school district located in York County, Pennsylvania. It serves Dover Township and the Borough of Dover. According to the 2010 United States Census, the district community's population grew to 25,779 people.[1] The population of the district was 22,349 people, according to the 2000 federal census. The educational attainment levels for the Dover Area School District population (25 years old and over) were 87% high school graduates and 14.7% college graduates.[2]

According to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, 34.3% of the Dover Area School District's pupils lived at 185% or below the Federal Poverty level as shown by their eligibility for the federal free or reduced price school meal programs in 2012.[3] In 2009, the district residents’ per capita income was $20,403, while the median family income was $53,056.[1] In the Commonwealth, the median family income was $49,501[4] and the United States median family income was $49,445, in 2010.[5] In York County, the median household income was $57,494.[6] By 2013, the median household income in the United States rose to $52,100.[7]

Dover Area School District operates seven schools: Dover Area High School (9th-12th), Dover Area Intermediate School (7th-8th), Dover Area Elementary School, Leib Elementary School, North Salem Elementary School and Weigelstown Elementary School. High school students may choose to attend York County School of Technology for training in the construction and mechanical trades. The Lincoln Intermediate Unit IU12 provides the district with a wide variety of services like specialized education for disabled students and hearing, speech and visual disability services and professional development for staff and faculty.

In 2012, the Washington Township Educational Coalition filed a petition with the Court of Common Pleas of York County, Pennsylvania, to initiate the process of transferring Washington Township from the Dover Area School District to the Northern York County School District.[8][9] The petitioners cited the superior education outcomes and lower property taxes in Northern County School District as motives for the change request. Estimates project a net gain of $800,000 to $1 million over the next five years to Northern York County School District if the change were approved.[10] After initially denying the petition in March 2017,[11] the State Board of Education issued an order on March 10, 2021, transferring Washington Township to the Northern York County School District effective with the 2021-2022 school year.[12]

  1. ^ a b United States Census Bureau, American Fact Finder, 2009
  2. ^ proximityone (2014). "School District Comparative Analysis Profiles".
  3. ^ Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, Education Facts Student Poverty Concentration by LEA, 2012
  4. ^ US Census Bureau (2010). "American Fact Finder, State and County quick facts".
  5. ^ US Census Bureau (September 2011). "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010" (PDF).
  6. ^ US Census Bureau (2014). "Pennsylvania Median household income, 2006-2010 by County".
  7. ^ Michael Sauter; Alexander E.M. Hess (August 31, 2013). "America's most popular six-figure jobs". USA Today.
  8. ^ York County, Pennsylvania Prothonotary. Washington Township Education Coalition v. Dover Area School District, No. 2012-SU-003036-49. Petition filed July 17, 2012.
  9. ^ SEAN PHILIP COTTER (December 16, 2014). "Northern York residents concerned about crowded schools if Washington Twp. switches". York Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014.
  10. ^ Nikelle Snader, Northern schools consider numbers on Washington Twp. York Dispatch, December 2, 2014
  11. ^ Jan Murphy (March 9, 2017). "Washington Twp. can't leave its school district to join Northern York, state says". Pennlive.com.
  12. ^ York County, Pennsylvania Prothonotary. Washington Township Education Coalition v. Dover Area School District, No. 2012-SU-003036-49. Order filed March 19, 2021.