Brandywine School District

The Brandywine School District in Delaware serves approximately 15 schools, including eight elementary schools (K-5), three middle schools (6-8), three high schools (9-12), and one alternative school (K-12), and is ranked 9th out of 34 districts in the state with a 4-star rating.

For parents, the standout elementary school is Hanby Elementary School, which ranks 13th out of 106 elementary schools and has improved its ranking for three straight years. It has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the district (8.1%) and proficiency rates in ELA and math that are often 15-25 points above the district average. At the other end, Harlan (David W.) Elementary School faces the biggest challenges, ranking 96th out of 106 with proficiency rates often below 20%, despite having the highest per-student spending ($20,957) and the lowest student-teacher ratio (9.4:1). Among middle schools, duPont (Pierre S.) Middle School leads the pack, ranking 20th out of 59, with particular strength in 6th-grade ELA (50.78%) and 8th-grade math (36.6%). For high schools, Concord High School is the top performer, ranking 6th out of 41, with an exceptional 76.61% SAT Essay proficiency rate and a dropout rate of just 0.7%. In contrast, Brandywine High School has seen a dramatic decline, dropping from 10th to 23rd in ranking, and has the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at 25.7%.

Several patterns emerge from the data. First, attendance is strongly linked to performance: the top schools (Hanby, Concord) have the lowest absenteeism, while struggling schools (Brandywine HS, Mount Pleasant High School, Maple Lane Elementary, Harlan) have the highest. Second, there is a consistent "middle school slide" in math, with proficiency dropping from 6th to 8th grade across all three middle schools, including Springer Middle School and Talley Middle School. Third, performance can vary widely within a single school by grade level—for example, Claymont Elementary School excels in 4th and 5th grade ELA (58-68%) but drops to 32.85% in 3rd grade. Finally, the spending paradox at Harlan shows that more money and smaller classes don't automatically translate to better outcomes, suggesting the need for targeted interventions beyond general funding.