First State Montessori Academy

First State Montessori Academy is the sole public charter school serving grades K-8 in Wilmington, Delaware. This standout school has consistently ranked among the top 20 elementary schools in the state, with a ranking of 14 out of 109 schools for the 2024-2025 school year. The school's exceptional academic performance is evident in its students' significantly higher test scores on the Smarter Balanced Assessments and DeSSA exams compared to state averages across multiple grade levels and subject areas.

In the 2024-2025 school year, First State Montessori Academy had a 3rd-8th grade ELA proficiency rate ranging from 50% to 69.44%, compared to the state averages of 38.49% to 43.82%. The school's district, First State Montessori Academy District, is ranked 1 out of 32 districts in Delaware and is rated 5 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger. However, the data does not provide information on the school's free/reduced lunch rates, raising questions about its ability to serve students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

While First State Montessori Academy has a relatively high per-student spending of $13,194 in 2018-2019 and a student-teacher ratio of 17.8 in 2023-2024, its 20.4% chronic absenteeism rate in the same year is an area for improvement. Understanding the underlying causes of chronic absenteeism and implementing targeted interventions could help address this issue and further enhance the school's already impressive academic performance.