Dover Elementary School

My son attends kindergarten at Dover Elementary. He likes going to school because of kids of the same age group in his class. I hate the school. Academics are not challenging at all. In fact, it seems a repeat of what my son did in preschool as a 3 and 4 year old. Many of the staff is unprofessional, others seem clueless about different things. I also do not see the point of having kindergarten, or even 1st graders wear white shirts as part of the uniform. These shirts easily stain, and parents have to keep buying new ones. I will add this too..The majority of the school is mexican. It seems as though other demographics take a back seat in all matters. At any given time at the school Spanish is being spoken between staff and students. I believe this sends a wrong message to students. Not everyone speaks spanish. The school also seems very overcrowded. It is chaotic during morning drop off times, and really chaotic during evening pick up times. No order whatsoever! I had heard that Richardson had really good schools. Obviously this is not one of them. If you are considering moving to Richardson, I would advise against moving within Dover's attendance zone.
--Submitted by a parent

Our child has attended this school for several years. We have had great experiences with most of the caring teachers, however the school itself has been a huge disappointment. The communication is extremely poor, sending home notes for costume day or treats the night before, and sometimes receiving news after the date. The curriculum seems well behind its grade level and the methodology of teaching--especially math--is very primary. The class work appears to be repetitive and lacking in challenge and our son is extremely bored in this sort of learning environment. Events cater to stay-at-home parents, causing many working parents to be left out.
--Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at Dover and we love it! Academically my child has struggled for 4 years. The teachers have gone above and beyond to give my child the support she needs to succeed. She has her very first 'A' in academics this year. Before attending Dover she felt defeated but now she believes she can do it. The schools staff has always made me feel welcome. Even as I walk down the halls every staff member says Hello and/or Welcome to Dover. This is a great school for your children to attend!
--Submitted by a parent

Honestly at first we were worried about the demographics of the school pulling in a lot of children from "less desirable" neighborhoods, but our worries were appeased immediately when our son came home happy and reading better and better each day. The other students were there to learn and the classrooms were always full of energy and smiles.
--Submitted by a parent

Dover has everything a parent would hope for in an Elementary School. It has acheived an Exemplary Rating the last two years and will be named a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School in September.
--Submitted by a parent

We had high hopes because we'd heard so much good about RISD but ultimately moved to get away from this school. Our child began the year eager to learn & happy & by November was crying every day & not wanting to go. There was little or no challenge to the work & repeated conferences did not solve this. The curriculum seemed far below what we would have expected for the grade level. Our child was not adequately served at this school.
--Submitted by a parent

We have a child at Dover who is by far exceeding all of our educational expectations. We've never encountered discipline issues within the school. The Administration and Staff genuinely care about each and every student and have the absolute highest expectations from every child. The PTA is active with huge parent, community AND teacher involvement. The staff walk around with smiles on their faces. They are always rising to the occasion and challenging every student in the building. We're very happy that we decided to give Dover a try.
--Submitted by a parent

Huge dissapointment. Curriculum far behind the state we were living in previous.
--Submitted by a parent

I had a child go to this school for 3 years and another one go for 1 year. The teachers were awesome, but the discipline was very poor. The last year we were here, there was a new principal and he was making a difference.
--Submitted by a parent