Garrison School

Garrison School is a primary school of reasonably sized scale in Dover, New Hampshire, operated by Dover School District, educateing 353 students in grades K through 4. That puts it 42% bigger than the typical public school in New Hampshire, which averages around 249 students.

Dover School District comprises 5 schools with combined enrollment of 3,498 students; Garrison School is among them.

Demographically, Garrison School records that the student body is overwhelmingly White (84%); the rest looks like 6% multiracial, 5% Hispanic, 4% Asian.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Garrison School has 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.2:1. The state averages around 11.0:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 14% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Strafford County (around 26%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Garrison School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 54.2%, the actual is 57.0%, a residual of +2.8 points.

In the area at large, community-level numbers for Strafford County indicate median household income runs about $88,570, 39% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. Garrison School is one of 39 public schools in Strafford County (combined enrollment of about 13,978 students).

The closest other public school is Dover Senior High School, roughly 1.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Garrison School at 4th of 7; the average score across the group is 53.5%.

The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.

Five-year trend. Garrison School's enrollment has decreased 20% since 2018, when it stood at 441 (now 353). The White share of enrollment edged down from 89% to 84% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 15.5:1 in 2018 to 12.2:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Garrison School community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.