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Keene (William B.) Elementary School

Q: Is Keene (William B.) Elementary School a good school?

Keene (William B.) Elementary School ranks 33 rd of 107 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

33^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 107 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

Keene (William B.) Elementary School in Newark, DE, is a mid-sized K-5 school within the Christina School District, serving 408 students and located in a suburban area near the University of Delaware.

Keene is a standout success story in the Christina School District, showing remarkable and consistent improvement over the past few years. The school has climbed from a 2-star rating in 2022-2023 to a 4-star rating in 2025-2026, and its state ranking jumped from the 35th percentile to the 69th percentile in just three years. This places Keene in the top third of all elementary schools in Delaware, a significant achievement that outpaces many of its immediate neighbors. When compared to nearby schools like Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School, McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School, Brookside Elementary School, and Leasure (May B.) Elementary School—which mostly fall in the 2-star range—Keene is a clear outperformer. It even ranks higher than Marshall (Thurgood) Elementary School, the next closest comparable school in the district.

What truly sets Keene apart is its exceptional performance with student subgroups that often face systemic challenges. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school ranked 8th out of 69 schools statewide for African American students and 15th out of 75 for low socio-economic status students, demonstrating a strong commitment to closing achievement gaps. Academically, Keene shines brightest in Science and Social Studies. In 5th grade, 46.67% of students were proficient in Science (compared to the state average of 30.13%), and an impressive 74.65% were proficient in Social Studies—15 points higher than the state average. The school has also made dramatic strides in reducing chronic absenteeism, dropping from 26.3% in 2021-2022 to 14.1% in 2024-2025, which is now better than both district and state averages. Notably, Keene achieves these results with per-student spending of $16,168, which is lower than several lower-performing peers in the district, making its success even more compelling for parents seeking an effective and efficient school option.

408

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$27,444

Per pupil spending ?

35.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

200 Cpl Stephen J. Ballard Way
Newark, DE 19702

(302) 595-3599

District: Christina School District

Students who attend Keene (William B.) Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Gauger-Cobbs Middle School
High:	Glasgow High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

51.5%

Hispanic:

19.9%

White:

16.9%

See top rated Delaware elementary schools

Compare Keene (William B.) Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 40th percentile in 2016 → 69th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Delaware average (51% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 29 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Delaware median (69th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg39%

Delaware avg42%

33^rd of 107

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 30 pts since 2016

From bottom 40% (2016) to top 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 16Elementary Schools in the Christina School District

16^th of 34Christina 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	70.2	33 of 107	69.2%	★★★★☆
2025	58.5	38 of 109	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.9	48 of 106	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.0	67 of 103	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.1	59 of 104	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.2	62 of 95	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.2	65 of 105	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.0	50 of 85	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.0	48 of 86	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.1	52 of 86	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	43.4	63 of 108	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	60.5	41 of 91	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.5	38 of 90	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	44.0	57 of 91	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	83.0	8 of 70	88.6%	★★★★☆
2025	60.2	17 of 68	75.0%	★★★★☆
2024	61.2	17 of 62	72.6%	★★★★☆
2023	42.4	34 of 60	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.8	28 of 60	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.4	37 of 72	48.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	74.7	22 of 98	77.6%	★★★★☆
2025	57.6	35 of 97	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.0	48 of 97	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.5	66 of 89	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.0	56 of 90	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.8	26 of 67	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.7	64 of 99	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	71.2	13 of 45	71.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	70.7	15 of 75	80.0%	★★★★☆
2025	57.2	23 of 70	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.6	46 of 66	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	72.7	11 of 66	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	39.3	39 of 62	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	58 of 92	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	52.5	40 of 98	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.3	48 of 97	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.8	55 of 97	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.2	68 of 89	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.1	58 of 90	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.0	52 of 67	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.8	65 of 99	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2024	72.1	17 of 73	76.7%	★★★★☆
2023	28.5	57 of 70	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.2	44 of 75	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.2	61 of 65	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	61 of 82	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)89th percentile+19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)78th percentile+8 vs school

White (2024)77th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)71st percentile~ school

Male (2026)59th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies61%+11 vs state

English Language Arts54%+11 vs state

Science47%+17 vs state

Mathematics43%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Keene (William B.) 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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2016)	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
Keene (William B.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	200 Cpl Stephen J. Ballard Way	Newark	19702	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 595-3599	408	31	13.1	35.4%	69 (16.9%)	210 (51.5%)	81 (19.9%)	15 (3.7%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.1%)	70.2	33^rd of 107 public elementary schools	69.2%		58.5	38^th of 109 public elementary schools	65.1%	5	46.7		46.9	74.7				52.0	50.0	58.7				50.7	45.6	32.0				$27,444
Oberle (William) Elementary School	Public	K-5	500 South Caledonia Way	Bear	19701	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 834-5910	512	40	12.8	59.2%	59 (11.5%)	155 (30.3%)	279 (54.5%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.3%)	12.8	92^nd of 107 public elementary schools	14.0%		19.7	89^th of 109 public elementary schools	18.3%	3	17.1		18.3	35.5				16.7	23.9	31.6				11.1	19.4	21.1				$26,351
Brader (Henry M.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	1899 South College Avenue	Newark	19702	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 552-6200	324	27	12.0	39.1%	72 (22.2%)	127 (39.2%)	88 (27.2%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.0%)	42.7	60^th of 107 public elementary schools	43.9%		26.1	79^th of 109 public elementary schools	27.5%	19	14.6		48.0	64.2				38.3	51.0	35.2				38.3	37.3	18.5				$33,115
Leasure (May B.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	1015 Church Road	Newark	19702	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-2103	316	30	10.5	48.8%	29 (9.2%)	207 (65.5%)	54 (17.1%)	9 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.4%)	38.1	65^th of 107 public elementary schools	39.3%		33	69^th of 109 public elementary schools	36.7%	4	15.5		40.5	57.9				53.7	38.3	29.3				46.5	37.5	13.8				$31,421
Loss (Olive B.) Elementary School	Public	1-5	200 Brennan Boulevard	Bear	19701	New Castle County	Appoquinimink School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 832-1343	499	37	13.6	6.8%	175 (35.1%)	100 (20.0%)	38 (7.6%)	145 (29.1%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.4%)	91.5	6^th of 107 public elementary schools	94.4%		91	7^th of 109 public elementary schools	93.6%	1	54.6		68.7	89.0				62.4	63.7	70.0				61.8	61.8	56.4				$18,162
Wilbur (Kathleen H.) Elementary	Public	K-5	4050 Wrangle Hill Road	Bear	19701	New Castle County	Colonial School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 832-6330	1,052	66	15.9	32.3%	263 (25.0%)	505 (48.0%)	171 (16.3%)	39 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (6.9%)	33.4	71^st of 107 public elementary schools	33.6%		30.7	73^rd of 109 public elementary schools	33.0%	2	24.9		31.2	66.1				29.7	30.7	35.4				33.1	30.3	26.0				$19,634
Marshall (Thurgood) Elementary School	Public	K-5	101 Barrett Run Drive	Newark	19702	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 454-4700	529	35	15.1	20.8%	98 (18.5%)	198 (37.4%)	84 (15.9%)	105 (19.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (7.4%)	78.5	25^th of 107 public elementary schools	76.6%		57.9	39^th of 109 public elementary schools	64.2%	14	38.5		52.7	75.0				58.7	58.8	56.9				52.3	56.7	44.6				$23,952
McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	908 Janice Drive	Newark	19713	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-2145	319	28	11.3	49.1%	98 (30.7%)	135 (42.3%)	64 (20.1%)	9 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	40.7	62^nd of 107 public elementary schools	42.1%		39.7	59^th of 109 public elementary schools	45.9%	3	29.6		32.7	66.0				31.3	42.1	35.2				31.3	38.6	33.3				$31,338
Brookside Elementary School	Public	K-5	800 Marrows Road	Newark	19713	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-5454	260	26	10.0	59.9%	50 (19.2%)	85 (32.7%)	97 (37.3%)	10 (3.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.5%)	59.4	37^th of 107 public elementary schools	65.4%		36.1	65^th of 109 public elementary schools	40.4%	28	33.3		37.0	72.6				51.5	41.7	52.0				47.1	41.7	37.3				$34,709
Academia Antonia Alonso	Public, Charter	K-8	300 North Wakefield Drive	Newark	19702	New Castle County	Academia Antonia Alonso	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 351-8200	910	50	18.2	73.1%	65 (7.1%)	52 (5.7%)	784 (86.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.5%)	10.4	99^th of 107 public elementary schools	7.5%		11.2	99^th of 109 public elementary schools	9.2%			7.3	14.9	31.2	22.1	49.0	28.4	14.7	23.7	28.1	17.9	26.6	28.0	24.5	19.4	12.2	7.6	14.4	10.9

Frequently Asked Questions about Keene (William B.) Elementary School

How many students attend Keene (William B.) Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 408 students attended Keene (William B.) Elementary School.

Is Keene (William B.) Elementary School a good school?

Keene (William B.) Elementary School ranks 33^rd of 107 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Keene (William B.) Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Keene (William B.) Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Gauger-Cobbs Middle School
High : Glasgow High School

What district is Keene (William B.) Elementary School in?

Christina School District

What is the racial makeup of Keene (William B.) Elementary School?

Students at Keene (William B.) Elementary School are 51% African American, 20% Hispanic, 17% White, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

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Latest Delaware data All new data »

2025–26 DeSSA, SAT & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresAug 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.