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Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School

Q: Is Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School a good school?

Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School ranks 43 rd of 107 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 1-5

43^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 107 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 60% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School in Dover, DE, is a mid-sized school serving 487 students in grades 1 through 5 as part of the highly regarded Caesar Rodney School District, which ranks 5th out of 34 districts in the state.

The most exciting news for parents is the school's remarkable upward trajectory. After ranking in the 32nd percentile in 2023-2024, the school jumped to the 59th percentile in 2025-2026—a 29-position improvement that represents the most significant positive movement in the entire district. This progress is broad-based: male students now rank in the 61st percentile, and the school has made exceptional strides with students from low socio-economic backgrounds, jumping from the 24th to the 48th percentile. Chronic absenteeism has also plummeted from 25.7% to just 11.9%, now far better than both the district (17.9%) and state (17.1%) averages. Early-grade interventions appear to be paying off, with 3rd-grade math proficiency nearly doubling from 25% to 44.76% over three years. The school also shines in 5th-grade social studies, where 64.29% of students are proficient—above the state average.

For context, Stokes sits in the middle of a district with a clear performance divide. Top-tier schools like Allen Frear Elementary School and W. B. Simpson Elementary School consistently score in the 90th+ percentile, while Star Hill Elementary School and W. Reily Brown Elementary School lag behind. Notably, Major George S. Welch Elementary School, just 3.67 miles away, is a top-5 state school but spends significantly more per student ($18,374 vs. $13,676) and has a much lower student-teacher ratio (9:1 vs. 16.2:1). Compared to nearby Capital School District schools like South Dover Elementary School and Booker T. Washington Elementary School, Stokes is performing at a significantly higher level—3rd-grade ELA proficiency is more than double South Dover's. If current trends continue, Stokes is well-positioned to break into the top tier of Delaware elementary schools within a few years.

487

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,106

Per pupil spending ?

26.7%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

3874 Upper King Road
Dover, DE 19904

(302) 697-3205

District: Caesar Rodney School District

Students who attend Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Fred Fifer III Middle School
Alternative:	Caesar Rodney High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.9%

African American:

29.6%

Hispanic:

11.3%

See top rated Delaware elementary schools

Compare Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 22nd percentile in 2021 → 60th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 60th (2026) from a 22nd-percentile low (2021)

✓Above the Delaware median (60th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg50%

Delaware avg42%

43^rd of 107

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Top 40%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to top 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Caesar Rodney School District

5^th of 34Caesar Rodney School District 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	43 of 107	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.8	50 of 109	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.1	72 of 106	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.1	66 of 103	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.9	73 of 104	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.9	74 of 95	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.2	66 of 105	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	71.6	23 of 85	72.9%	★★★★☆
2017	48.0	47 of 86	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	67.7	30 of 86	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	69.4	32 of 108	70.4%	★★★★☆
2013	76.0	22 of 91	75.8%	★★★★☆
2012	82.0	15 of 90	83.3%	★★★★☆
2011	88.8	5 of 91	94.5%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	48.3	32 of 70	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.2	35 of 68	48.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	24.6	53 of 62	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.8	43 of 60	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.2	37 of 60	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.9	57 of 72	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2024	31.9	10 of 15	33.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	51 of 98	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	32.6	62 of 97	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.2	84 of 97	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	73 of 89	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	79 of 90	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	72 of 99	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	46.6	39 of 75	48.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.6	26 of 70	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.8	50 of 66	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.9	44 of 66	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	41 of 62	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.2	53 of 92	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	55.3	38 of 98	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.4	41 of 97	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.6	57 of 97	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.5	57 of 89	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.2	69 of 90	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.3	56 of 99	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	13 of 24	45.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.0	19 of 27	29.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	50 of 78	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.1	51 of 77	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.2	59 of 73	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.1	50 of 70	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	71 of 75	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	28.0	48 of 65	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.2	56 of 82	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)61st percentile~ school

African American (2026)54th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)48th percentile-12 vs school

Female (2026)48th percentile-12 vs school

Special Education (2026)46th percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)36th percentile-24 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)33rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies52%~ state avg

English Language Arts45%~ state avg

Mathematics41%~ state avg

Science32%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary 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
Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School	Public	1-5	3874 Upper King Road	Dover	19904	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 697-3205	487	30	16.2	26.7%	248 (50.9%)	144 (29.6%)	55 (11.3%)	7 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.6%)	56.7	43^rd of 107 public elementary schools	59.8%		48.8	50^th of 109 public elementary schools	54.1%	7	32.4		44.5	64.3				45.7	44.6	43.7				44.8	38.0	42.3				$17,106
Star Hill Elementary School	Public	1-5	594 Voshells Mill/Star Hill Ro	Dover	19901	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 697-6117	429	29	14.7	30.5%	192 (44.8%)	149 (34.7%)	55 (12.8%)	8 (1.9%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	20 (4.7%)	28.3	76^th of 107 public elementary schools	29.0%		24.5	80^th of 109 public elementary schools	26.6%	4	26.5		25.4	53.7				24.2	31.9	45.6				19.1	26.1	25.0				$17,773
W. B. Simpson Elementary School	Public	1-5	5 Old North Road	Camden	19934	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 697-3207	465	31	15.0	27.1%	273 (58.7%)	91 (19.6%)	37 (8.0%)	18 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.7%)	91.1	8^th of 107 public elementary schools	92.5%		86.6	12^th of 109 public elementary schools	89.0%	4	58.8		59.6	82.3				56.0	67.8	74.2				59.3	65.6	63.9				$17,266
Allen Frear Elementary School	Public	1-5	238 Sorghum Mill Road	Camden	19934	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 697-3279	504	41	12.2	17.9%	256 (50.8%)	115 (22.8%)	49 (9.7%)	30 (6.0%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	51 (10.1%)	90.6	9^th of 107 public elementary schools	91.6%		87.6	9^th of 109 public elementary schools	91.7%		51.8		50.9	85.5				60.2	65.5	69.0				67.4	68.1	62.5				$18,309
W. Reily Brown Elementary School	Public	1-5	360 Webbs Lane	Dover	19904	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 697-2101	506	37	13.6	34.8%	158 (31.2%)	222 (43.9%)	66 (13.0%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.9%)	39.1	63^rd of 107 public elementary schools	41.1%		34.4	68^th of 109 public elementary schools	37.6%	5	22.8		38.1	58.0				41.1	33.7	36.6				46.2	25.5	29.7				$18,320
David E. Robinson Elementary School	Public	1-5	1038 Briarbush road	Wyoming	19934	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 698-4230	514	31	16.5	31.3%	220 (42.8%)	168 (32.7%)	51 (9.9%)	17 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (11.1%)	57.5	40^th of 107 public elementary schools	62.6%		62.6	34^th of 109 public elementary schools	68.8%	6	34.1		40.5	75.4				40.5	37.2	56.2				44.3	41.6	31.6				$16,007
Major George S. Welch Elementary School	Public	K-5	3100 Hawthorne Drive	Dover	19901	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 674-9080	261	29	9.0	6.9%	153 (58.6%)	30 (11.5%)	32 (12.3%)	10 (3.8%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.3%)	29 (11.1%)	93.2	5^th of 107 public elementary schools	95.3%		92.6	4^th of 109 public elementary schools	96.3%	1	63.9		52.1					63.3	79.7	79.0				67.2	64.9	69.4				$22,108
South Dover Elementary School	Public	1-5	955 South State Street	Dover	19901	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1980	577	31	18.8	49.6%	69 (12.0%)	353 (61.2%)	93 (16.1%)	4 (0.7%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (9.2%)	7.8	100^th of 107 public elementary schools	6.5%		12.5	97^th of 109 public elementary schools	11.0%	3	10.1		22.9	29.3				17.7	17.7	22.6				11.6	11.6	5.0				$18,906
Booker T. Washington Elementary School	Public	1-5	901 Forest Street	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1900	314	31	10.1	45.2%	57 (18.2%)	195 (62.1%)	27 (8.6%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (8.9%)	23.2	81^st of 107 public elementary schools	24.3%		35.2	67^th of 109 public elementary schools	38.5%	14	20.3		24.7	38.7				25.7	29.3	31.1				21.1	41.3	24.0				$34,688
Academy Of Dover Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	104 Saulsbury Road	Dover	19904	Kent County	Academy of Dover Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 674-0684	443	29	15.2	42.4%	42 (9.5%)	305 (68.8%)	74 (16.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.5%)	22.9	82^nd of 107 public elementary schools	23.4%		29.2	74^th of 109 public elementary schools	32.1%	8	18.4		35.2	37.5	22.5	35.9	11.6	19.7	38.2	30.6	25.0	23.1	30.2	22.7	34.6				14.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School

Is Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School a good school?

Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School ranks 43^rd of 107 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 487 students attended Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School.

What district is Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School in?

Caesar Rodney School District

What schools do graduates of Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Fred Fifer III Middle School
Alternative : Caesar Rodney High School

What is the racial makeup of Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School?

Students at Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School are 51% White, 30% African American, 11% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.