Schools Make Dover-Sherborn Proud and a Great Place to Live

The list of accolades for the Dover-Sherborn school system would make any citizen of our towns proud. The latest, , makes those of us who live here smile at the thought of our home values going up. And everyone looking for a good place to buy their next home takes a closer look at our towns because they care about their kids getting a great education. After all, that’s what many of us did when we moved here.

“A lot of people come to Sherborn for the schools instead of sending their kids to private school” says Jeanne Ward, a seasoned agent at Century 21 Commonwealth Properties.

The Boston Magazine rankings show that our public schools are among the best in the state by a lot of measures, including student-teacher ratio, graduation rates, number of Advanced Placement classes, as well as the highest scores on standardized tests. According to one of several local parent-supported school organizations, Dover-Sherborn Education Fund, the school system regularly gets recognititon, such as:

• Dover Sherborn is “the top performing public high school in New England" -Neighborhood Scout

• Dover Sherborn is “among the very top in the state for 2011 MCAS performance”

• Dover Sherborn is “on the AP Achievement District Honor Roll for 2011 out of only 388 districts nationwide”

• Dover Sherborn is “consistently among the top 5% of all public high schools nationwide" -Newsweek

What makes the schools so good are the things they do with the tremendous support they receive from the two communities they serve. Teachers want to work here because they know they will have the resources they need to become great teachers. They regularly come in early and stay late to make the most of their time with our kids. And they are regularly offered professional development opportunities so they can excel at what they do best.

Each school also has a large and vibrant group of parents who lend their support with time and money. Parents want their kids to have the opportunities they didn’t have, especially when it comes to enriching the already good curriculum.

So the next time you tell someone where you live, they may already have a favorable opinion about our towns and their schools. Thanks for that opinion should go to an engaged and dedicated faculty and administration, outstanding students and families, and two communities who believe in the importance of both.