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First State Montessori Academy

Q: Is First State Montessori Academy a good school?

First State Montessori Academy ranks 20 th of 106 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

20^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 106 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

First State Montessori Academy is a public charter school in Wilmington, DE, serving 657 students in grades K-8 and operating as its own district. This school stands out as one of the top-performing schools in the state, ranked 20th out of 106 Delaware elementary schools with a 4-star rating, and its district is ranked 2nd out of 34 statewide with a 5-star rating.

Academically, First State Montessori Academy dramatically outperforms nearby schools. In 5th grade English Language Arts, 68.42% of students are proficient, compared to just 12.69% at Warner Elementary School and 26% at East Side Charter School. The school also excels in Social Studies, with 5th graders achieving 81.33% proficiency versus the state average of 61.85%. Perhaps most impressive is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.0% for 2024-2025, compared to the state average of 17.1% and rates of 39.5% at Warner Elementary and 36.3% at Shortlidge (Evan G.) Academy. This strong attendance likely contributes significantly to the school's success.

First State Montessori Academy achieves these results while spending approximately $13,194 per student—roughly half of what nearby schools like Maurice Pritchett Senior Academy ($28,875) and The Bayard School ($22,651) spend. The school has maintained strong performance for nearly a decade, improving from the 55th percentile in 2014-2015 to its current 81st percentile ranking. While 8th grade mathematics (30.36% proficiency) and science scores show room for growth, the school's consistent excellence in literacy, social studies, and student engagement makes it a standout option in Wilmington, particularly when compared to the struggling schools that surround it.

657

Students ?

19.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

8.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

Null
Wilmington, DE 19801

(302) 576-1500

District: First State Montessori Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.0%

African American:

18.3%

Two or more races:

9.3%

See top rated Delaware elementary schools

Compare First State Montessori Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 55th percentile in 2015 → 81st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Delaware average (56% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Delaware elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg56%

Delaware avg40%

Elementary school

20^th of 106

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 10 pts since 2019

From top 29% (2019) to top 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

13^th of 59

Delaware public middle schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 9 pts since 2019

From top 31% (2019) to top 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 34First State Montessori Academy 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	80.6	20 of 106	81.1%	★★★★☆
2025	84.8	14 of 109	87.2%	★★★★☆
2024	79.8	17 of 106	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	73.7	20 of 103	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	75.9	20 of 104	80.8%	★★★★☆
2021	87.5	13 of 95	86.3%	★★★★☆
2019	69.0	30 of 105	71.4%	★★★★☆
2015	53.6	49 of 108	54.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2023	76.4	8 of 60	86.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	69.4	28 of 98	71.4%	★★★★☆
2025	76.7	21 of 97	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	65.7	27 of 97	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.9	18 of 89	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.1	18 of 90	80.0%	★★★★☆
2019	60.8	41 of 99	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	79.2	17 of 98	82.7%	★★★★☆
2025	85.3	9 of 97	90.7%	★★★★★
2024	83.8	9 of 97	90.7%	★★★★★
2023	62.0	28 of 89	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.9	23 of 90	74.4%	★★★★☆
2019	73.5	21 of 99	78.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	66.1	25 of 78	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.1	15 of 77	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	68.0	24 of 73	67.1%	★★★★☆
2023	57.4	29 of 70	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.0	29 of 75	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.8	14 of 65	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	59.1	36 of 82	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	80.4	13 of 59	78.0%	★★★★☆
2025	71.5	14 of 59	76.3%	★★★★☆
2024	79.4	11 of 54	79.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.0	11 of 53	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	87.6	8 of 51	84.3%	★★★★☆
2021	86.1	8 of 47	83.0%	★★★★☆
2019	67.3	16 of 52	69.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	84.8	6 of 49	87.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	75.9	13 of 53	75.5%	★★★★☆
2025	79.2	11 of 55	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	81.0	9 of 49	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.8	11 of 50	78.0%	★★★★☆
2022	68.5	13 of 50	74.0%	★★★★☆
2019	64.8	16 of 49	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	80.2	10 of 53	81.1%	★★★★☆
2025	66.7	14 of 55	74.5%	★★★★☆
2024	65.8	14 of 49	71.4%	★★★★☆
2023	78.5	11 of 50	78.0%	★★★★☆
2022	90.5	5 of 50	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	77.9	10 of 49	79.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	75.3	13 of 46	71.7%	★★★★☆
2025	58.2	17 of 47	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.2	13 of 45	71.1%	★★★★☆
2023	68.5	14 of 44	68.2%	★★★★☆
2022	84.3	5 of 45	88.9%	★★★★★
2019	68.4	14 of 43	67.4%	★★★★☆

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

African American (2023)87th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)83rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)71st percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)68th percentile-13 vs school

Middle school

African American (2025)88th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)81st percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)75th percentile~ school

White (2026)72nd percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies66%+17 vs state

English Language Arts66%+24 vs state

Mathematics43%+8 vs state

Science36%+13 vs state

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Schools Near First State Montessori Academy

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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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	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
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		447 (68.0%)	120 (18.3%)	14 (2.1%)	13 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (9.3%)	80.6	20^th of 106 public elementary schools	81.1%		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
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		2 (0.3%)	537 (90.4%)	29 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.4%)	12.2	93^rd of 106 public elementary schools	12.3%		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
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		1 (0.7%)	132 (89.2%)	8 (5.4%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.4%)								(n/a)
Maurice Pritchett Senior Academy	Public	1-8	600 E. 7th Street	Wilmington	19801	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 647-8725	616	40	13.3		31 (5.0%)	499 (81.0%)	50 (8.1%)	5 (0.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.5%)								(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		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
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		6 (1.1%)	537 (96.4%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.3%)	3.4	105^th of 106 public elementary schools	0.9%		5.1	106^th of 109 public elementary schools	2.8%	1			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		36 (10.4%)	118 (34.0%)	186 (53.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.2%)	11.6	95^th of 106 public elementary schools	10.4%		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		34 (8.6%)	307 (77.7%)	47 (11.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.0%)	2.5	106^th of 106 public elementary schools	0.0%		5.2	105^th of 109 public elementary schools	3.7%	1			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		7 (1.6%)	409 (94.2%)	12 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	10.4	98^th of 106 public elementary schools	7.5%		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
The Bayard School	Public	1-8	200 South duPont Street	Wilmington	19805	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 429-4134	571	50	11.4		23 (4.0%)	359 (62.9%)	158 (27.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (4.9%)	5.2	103^rd of 106 public elementary schools	2.8%		4	108^th of 109 public elementary schools	0.9%	5			15.5	37.3	15.5	31.0		11.8	12.1	11.1	10.8			15.7	7.5					$32,690

Frequently Asked Questions about First State Montessori Academy

What district is First State Montessori Academy in?

First State Montessori Academy

Is First State Montessori Academy a good school?

First State Montessori Academy ranks 20^th of 106 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of First State Montessori Academy?

Students at First State Montessori Academy are 68% White, 18% African American, 9% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

How many students attend First State Montessori Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 657 students attended First State Montessori Academy.

Rate First State Montessori Academy!

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Latest Delaware data All new data »

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

2024–25 school spending dataMar 23, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 20, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 7, 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.