Best Public Schools in Woodside, DE

Woodside, Delaware, is served by a single high school, POLYTECH High School, which is part of the POLYTECH School District and educates students in grades 9 through 12.

For parents considering this area, POLYTECH High School stands out for its exceptional student engagement and retention. The school boasts a 98% graduation rate, which is nearly 10 points above the state average, and a dropout rate of just 1.9%, less than half the state's 3.9%. Chronic absenteeism is also a strength at 11.3%, compared to the state's 17.1%. Academically, the school shows a mixed picture. It performs above the state average in 11th-grade English Language Arts (48.38% proficient vs. 44.02%) and the SAT Essay (46.81% vs. 43.01%). A standout anomaly is 9th-grade science, where 71.43% of students are proficient, nearly double the state average of 37.61%. However, this success does not carry into 10th grade, where only 18.09% are proficient in science, well below the state's 23.90%. Mathematics remains a critical weakness, with only 12.66% of 11th graders proficient on the SAT, down from 16.97% the previous year and below the state's 18.16%.

Year-over-year trends reveal some areas of concern. Social Studies proficiency dropped sharply from 29.15% to 20.13%, falling below the state average. ELA scores also declined by 8.45 points, though the Essay score improved by 9.17 points. The school's state ranking has moved from 13th to 20th, though this is partly due to more schools being ranked. With a student-teacher ratio of 15.3:1 and per-student spending of $16,759, the school delivers strong graduation outcomes but faces clear challenges in math and 10th-grade science. Parents should note that while the school excels at keeping students engaged and graduating, they may want to investigate the curriculum alignment in science and the persistent math proficiency gap.