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Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School

Q: Is Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School a good school?

Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School ranks 58 th of 109 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

58^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 109 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 47% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Newark, Delaware, serving 442 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Christina School District, which is ranked 17 out of 32 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past few years, dropping from 35th out of 86 Delaware elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 58th out of 109 in 2024-2025, its academic performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. The school's Jones (Albert H.) Elementary School and West Park Place Elementary School counterparts both have higher statewide rankings and better academic achievement across most grade levels and subject areas. Additionally, the school has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 11.6% to 25.6% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School's per-student spending of $15,306 in 2018-2019 is lower than the spending at some of the higher-performing schools, such as Maclary (R. Elisabeth) Elementary School ($21,898 per student) and Brookside Elementary School ($20,812 per student). The school's student-teacher ratio of 11.6 in 2023-2024 is also higher than the ratios at some of the nearby higher-performing schools, such as Gallaher (Robert S.) Elementary School (9.7) and Brookside Elementary School (10.0).

413

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$28,999

Per pupil spending ?

43.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

142 Brennen Drive
Newark, DE 19713-3998

(302) 722-2864

District: Christina School District

Students who attend Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Kirk (George V.) Middle School
High:	Christiana High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

31.5%

African American:

29.8%

Hispanic:

25.9%

See top rated Delaware elementary schools

Compare Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 26th percentile in 2015 → 47th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

!Science scores 11 pts below the Delaware average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg35%

Delaware avg40%

58^th of 109

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Bottom 47%▲ up 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

17^th of 32Christina 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
2025	40.5	58 of 109	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	56 of 106	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.3	69 of 103	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.7	79 of 104	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.6	80 of 95	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.1	55 of 105	47.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.9	37 of 85	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.6	35 of 86	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	49.9	40 of 86	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	32.6	80 of 108	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	43.8	58 of 91	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	55.1	43 of 90	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	52.9	50 of 91	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	56.2	24 of 68	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.6	33 of 62	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.7	24 of 60	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.4	18 of 72	75.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2023	49.2	9 of 18	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.7	16 of 29	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	40.6	51 of 97	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.7	46 of 97	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.3	60 of 89	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.0	62 of 90	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.0	51 of 99	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	59.1	18 of 43	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.6	19 of 37	48.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.1	33 of 42	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	75.2	4 of 37	89.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	44.9	35 of 70	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.3	34 of 66	48.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.0	40 of 66	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.6	23 of 92	75.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	33.2	62 of 97	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.7	75 of 97	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	79 of 89	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	90 of 90	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	48.7	54 of 99	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	21.8	64 of 77	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.1	60 of 73	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	62 of 70	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	73 of 75	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	30.9	44 of 65	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.4	64 of 82	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)65th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2025)58th percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)50th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)47th percentile~ school

Male (2025)36th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)17th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts40%~ state avg

Mathematics36%-3 vs state

Social Studies35%-10 vs state

Science18%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				DeSSA Science (2025)	DeSSA Social Studies (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)						Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)						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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DeSSA Science 5th 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
Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	142 Brennen Drive	Newark	19713	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 722-2864	413	40	10.3		130 (31.5%)	123 (29.8%)	107 (25.9%)	29 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	21 (5.1%)	40.5	58^th of 109 public elementary schools	46.8%		43.3	56^th of 106 public elementary schools	47.2%	2	18.2	25.0	47.3				44.4	34.7	40.0				40.5	29.0	40.0				$28,999
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		50 (19.2%)	85 (32.7%)	97 (37.3%)	10 (3.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.5%)	36.1	65^th of 109 public elementary schools	40.4%		33.8	68^th of 106 public elementary schools	35.8%	3	12.5	28.6	54.6				32.7	42.2	40.5				35.2	25.5	29.2				$34,709
Gallaher (Robert S.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	800 North Brownleaf Road	Newark	19713	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-2464	469	49	9.5		123 (26.2%)	148 (31.6%)	140 (29.9%)	29 (6.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.5%)	39.2	61^st of 109 public elementary schools	44.0%		36.4	64^th of 106 public elementary schools	39.6%	3	22.0	16.3	49.4				36.3	41.5	38.5				39.1	36.9	31.9				$29,427
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		65 (7.1%)	52 (5.7%)	784 (86.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.5%)	11.2	99^th of 109 public elementary schools	9.2%		9.2	101^st of 106 public elementary schools	4.7%	2	8.0	15.7	26.2	26.2	36.5	21.2	19.2	18.9	17.2	17.3	34.7	29.4	27.5	11.3	9.1	12.4	13.4	10.3
Maclary (R. Elisabeth) Elementary School	Public	K-5	300 St. Regis Drive	Newark	19711	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-2142	244	23	10.6		80 (32.8%)	61 (25.0%)	84 (34.4%)	7 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.9%)	41.4	57^th of 109 public elementary schools	47.7%		35.4	67^th of 106 public elementary schools	36.8%	10	26.1	27.5	38.1				46.2	27.3	32.6				47.2	37.8	32.6				$35,752
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		98 (30.7%)	135 (42.3%)	64 (20.1%)	9 (2.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	39.7	59^th of 109 public elementary schools	45.9%		36.1	65^th of 106 public elementary schools	38.7%	6	22.9	19.6	51.0				46.8	36.5	40.8				39.7	30.8	24.0				$31,338
Marshall (Thurgood) Elementary School	Public	K-5	101 Barrett Run Road	Newark	19702	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 454-4700	529	35	15.1		98 (18.5%)	198 (37.4%)	84 (15.9%)	105 (19.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (7.4%)	57.9	39^th of 109 public elementary schools	64.2%		71.8	27^th of 106 public elementary schools	74.5%	12	32.1	55.2	51.8				35.6	67.1	43.4				37.8	53.5	29.8				$23,952
Jones (Albert H.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	35 West Main Street	Newark	19702	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-2131	329	23	14.3		49 (14.9%)	184 (55.9%)	70 (21.3%)	10 (3.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.6%)	84.3	17^th of 109 public elementary schools	84.4%		52.2	45^th of 106 public elementary schools	57.5%	28	44.7	51.0	71.1				52.6	55.8	72.3				66.7	67.3	40.4				$25,836
Forest Oak Elementary School	Public	K-5	55 South Meadowood Drive	Newark	19711	New Castle County	Red Clay Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-3420	429	33	13.2		139 (32.4%)	30 (7.0%)	235 (54.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.1%)	44.2	54^th of 109 public elementary schools	50.5%		35.6	66^th of 106 public elementary schools	37.7%	12	32.9	25.7	60.6				22.2	38.9	52.1				37.3	34.7	28.8				$24,451
West Park Place Elementary School	Public	K-5	193 West Park Place	Newark	19711	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-2290	350	27	12.9		128 (36.6%)	101 (28.9%)	41 (11.7%)	45 (12.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (10.0%)	83.3	20^th of 109 public elementary schools	81.7%		78.4	19^th of 106 public elementary schools	82.1%	1	43.8	51.7	72.9				55.8	62.7	56.3				57.4	62.3	43.8				$25,094

Frequently Asked Questions about Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Kirk (George V.) Middle School
High : Christiana High School

What district is Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School in?

Christina School District

What is the racial makeup of Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School?

Students at Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School are 31% White, 30% African American, 26% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 413 students attended Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School.

Is Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School a good school?

Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School ranks 58^th of 109 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Smith (Jennie E.) Elementary School!

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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.