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Kuumba Academy Charter School

Public, Charter Grades K-8

93^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 107 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

Kuumba Academy Charter School is a K-8 charter school in Wilmington, DE, serving 594 students as its own charter district. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of Delaware elementary schools, currently earning 1 star and ranking 93rd out of 106 schools statewide.

Academic proficiency at Kuumba Academy trails state averages significantly across most subjects and grade levels. For example, only 12.28% of 3rd graders met ELA standards versus the state average of 40.05%, and just 10.17% of 5th graders were proficient in math compared to 34.88% statewide. The contrast with First State Montessori Academy, located just 0.15 miles away, is striking—that school ranks in the 81st percentile with 4 stars, and its 3rd grade ELA proficiency (60.76%) is nearly five times higher than Kuumba's. Kuumba does outperform Edison (Thomas A.) Charter School (ranked 105th) and is competitive with East Side Charter School in several recent metrics. Social Studies appears to be a relative strength—4th graders exceeded the state average in 2024-2025—and the school maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.2:1.

There are some positive trends worth noting. Chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically, dropping from 42.5% in 2020-2021 to 17.1% in 2024-2025, now matching the state average and far better than nearby Warner Elementary School (39.5%) or Shortlidge (Evan G.) Academy (36.3%). However, performance varies widely by grade level and year, with significant swings that suggest inconsistent instructional quality. A persistent gender gap exists, with female students outperforming males by a wide margin. Spending per student ($14,625) is lower than nearby traditional public schools like The Bayard School ($22,651) but higher than some charter peers. While the school faces real challenges, its attendance improvements and relative strength in Social Studies offer potential foundations to build upon.

594

Students ?

13.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

60.6%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

1200 North French Street
Wilmington, DE 19801

(302) 472-6450

District: Kuumba Academy Charter School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

90.4%

Hispanic:

4.9%

Two or more races:

3.4%

See top rated Delaware elementary schools

Compare Kuumba Academy Charter School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Delaware average (20% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school20%

District avg20%

Delaware avg40%

Elementary school

93^rd of 107

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 7 pts since 2019

From bottom 20% (2019) to bottom 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

58^th of 60

Delaware public middle schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 29 pts since 2019

From bottom 33% (2019) to bottom 3% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

32^nd of 34Kuumba Academy Charter School among Delaware districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	12.5	93 of 107	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.7	83 of 109	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	90 of 106	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.5	94 of 103	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	90 of 104	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.3	88 of 95	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.5	84 of 105	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	38.3	71 of 108	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	20.0	60 of 70	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.0	47 of 68	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.9	51 of 62	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.4	55 of 60	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.4	46 of 60	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.4	21 of 22	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.2	46 of 72	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	14.6	84 of 98	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.7	61 of 97	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.0	70 of 97	27.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	65 of 90	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.5	75 of 99	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	66 of 75	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.5	46 of 70	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.8	60 of 66	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	65 of 66	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	32.8	45 of 62	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.7	68 of 92	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	13.0	90 of 98	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.3	89 of 97	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.7	95 of 97	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	76 of 90	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.2	84 of 99	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	8.3	58 of 60	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.8	51 of 59	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	38 of 54	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.7	36 of 53	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.5	34 of 51	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.0	35 of 47	25.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.6	35 of 52	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	14.3	44 of 46	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	24.2	40 of 49	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	50.5	18 of 42	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.8	15 of 43	65.1%	★★★★☆
2022	61.3	12 of 41	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	50.3	9 of 20	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.1	11 of 44	75.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	42 of 55	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.2	32 of 50	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.8	28 of 50	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.0	36 of 49	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	36.7	29 of 48	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.8	12 of 39	69.2%	★★★★☆
2023	60.0	9 of 40	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	66.3	7 of 38	81.6%	★★★★☆
2021	65.0	5 of 19	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	63.8	11 of 41	73.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	15.6	48 of 55	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.4	34 of 50	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	31 of 50	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.2	32 of 49	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Female (2026)14th percentile~ school

African American (2026)14th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)12th percentile~ school

Male (2026)8th percentile-5 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)40th percentile+26 vs school

Female (2025)24th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)13th percentile~ school

African American (2026)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies27%-23 vs state

English Language Arts20%-22 vs state

Science17%-6 vs state

Mathematics9%-26 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Wednesday, June 22, 2011

This was our first year attending Kuumba Academy. My son took part of their kindergarten program and it was a success. When my son first entered Kuumba he did not know the basics, reading, writing, spelling or simple math. By the end of the school year my son became top of his class for math, excellent reader, speller and can write basic sentences as well as comprehend his readings. The dedication from the staff and the work that we did at home made his experience an excellent one. Kindergarten is the breaking point for kids to find out if they like or not school and I am happy to say my son loves it. Having Spanish as the school language program is a plus. Doors of opportunities are endless when you are bilingual. Close Quote

Schools Near Kuumba Academy Charter School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				DeSSA Science (2026)		DeSSA Social Studies (2026)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2026)						Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)						Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DeSSA Science 5th Grade	DeSSA Science 8th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 4th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 5th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 6th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 7th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
Kuumba Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	1200 North French Street	Wilmington	19801	New Castle County	Kuumba Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 472-6450	594	45	13.2	60.6%	2 (0.3%)	537 (90.4%)	29 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.4%)	12.5	93^rd of 107 public elementary schools	13.1%		22.7	83^rd of 109 public elementary schools	23.9%	10	17.0		25.4	44.1	20.3	22.6	18.4	12.3	21.9	32.2	12.7	14.8	24.5			10.2	7.9
First State Montessori Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	Null	Wilmington	19801	New Castle County	First State Montessori Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 576-1500	657	34	19.3	11.9%	447 (68.0%)	120 (18.3%)	14 (2.1%)	13 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (9.3%)	80.7	20^th of 107 public elementary schools	81.3%		84.8	14^th of 109 public elementary schools	87.2%	6	40.8	30.4	48.6	81.3	78.5	70.6	48.2	60.8	65.8	68.4	76.9	67.7	55.4	49.4	49.3	36.8	47.7	41.2	30.4
Stubbs Early Education Center	Public	PK-K	1100 North Pine Street	Wilmington	19801	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 429-4175	148	15	9.8	69.6%	1 (0.7%)	132 (89.2%)	8 (5.4%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.4%)								(n/a)
Shortlidge (Evan G.) Academy	Public	K-2	100 West 18th Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	Red Clay Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 651-2710	340	33	10.3	66.2%	21 (6.2%)	265 (77.9%)	46 (13.5%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)								(n/a)																				$34,712
Maurice Pritchett Senior Academy	Public	1-8	600 E. 7th Street	Wilmington	19801	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(302) 429-4102	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	4	105^th of 107 public elementary schools	1.9%					(n/a)			7.4	24.2	18.0	15.1	9.6	11.7			9.1		19.1
Edison (Thomas A.) Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	2200 North Locust Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	Edison (Thomas A.) Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 778-1101	557	36	15.4	75.4%	6 (1.1%)	537 (96.4%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.3%)	3.6	106^th of 107 public elementary schools	0.9%		5.1	106^th of 109 public elementary schools	2.8%				9.2	9.4	14.8	35.6	14.0				12.9	17.0	19.2	8.2	7.4			11.9
Lewis (William C.) Dual Language Elementary School	Public	K-5	920 North Van Buren Street	Wilmington	19806	New Castle County	Red Clay Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 651-2695	347	29	11.9	55.0%	36 (10.4%)	118 (34.0%)	186 (53.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.2%)	11.8	95^th of 107 public elementary schools	11.2%		20.4	87^th of 109 public elementary schools	20.2%	8	13.3		24.5	47.7					15.0	31.1				10.0	8.3					$30,769
Warner Elementary School	Public	3-5	801 West 18th Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	Red Clay Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 651-2740	395	40	9.8	62.3%	34 (8.6%)	307 (77.7%)	47 (11.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.0%)	2.5	107^th of 107 public elementary schools	0.0%		5.2	105^th of 109 public elementary schools	3.7%	2			9.3	19.4					6.0	12.7				5.6	6.0	4.5				$31,966
East Side Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	3000 North Claymont Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	East Side Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(302) 762-5834	434	42	10.3	68.9%	7 (1.6%)	409 (94.2%)	12 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	10.6	98^th of 107 public elementary schools	8.4%		22	84^th of 109 public elementary schools	22.9%	14	16.0	10.2		28.3	25.0	46.4	39.1	8.5	12.1	26.0	22.7	37.9	40.8	10.5	14.3	20.4	20.5	21.1	20.4
Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School	Public	K-5	3601 Jefferson Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	Brandywine School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 762-7156	322	34	9.4	49.1%	24 (7.5%)	248 (77.0%)	29 (9.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.3%)	11.7	96^th of 107 public elementary schools	10.3%		15.2	92^nd of 109 public elementary schools	15.6%	4	12.5		13.8	42.6				17.9	16.1	32.7				14.7	16.1	21.4				$37,837

Frequently Asked Questions about Kuumba Academy Charter School

How many students attend Kuumba Academy Charter School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 594 students attended Kuumba Academy Charter School.

Is Kuumba Academy Charter School a good school?

Kuumba Academy Charter School ranks in the bottom 13.1% of Delaware elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Kuumba Academy Charter School?

Students at Kuumba Academy Charter School are 90% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

What district is Kuumba Academy Charter School in?

Kuumba Academy Charter School

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Latest Delaware data All new data »

2023–24 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 29, 2026

2025–26 DeSSA, SAT & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresAug 18, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 23, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 20, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Delaware Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.