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McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School

Q: Is McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School a good school?

McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School ranks 62 nd of 106 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

62^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 106 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School is a K-5 school in Newark, DE, serving 319 students as part of the Christina School District. The school holds a mid-tier state ranking (62nd out of 106 elementary schools) and offers a notably low student-to-teacher ratio of 11.3:1, along with higher-than-average per-student spending of $19,047.

One of McVey's clearest strengths is its dramatic improvement in chronic absenteeism, which dropped from 23.2% in 2021-2022 to 12.3% in 2024-2025—now below both the district (19.8%) and state (17.1%) averages. The school also shows a standout performance in 5th-grade social studies, where 65.96% of students scored proficient, beating the district and state averages. However, academic results are inconsistent elsewhere. For example, 3rd-grade ELA scores have swung wildly between 28% and 47% over the past four years, and math proficiency lags behind nearby schools. The most concerning trend is the volatility in outcomes for low-income students, whose performance plummeted from the 74th percentile (4 stars) in 2024-2025 to the 19th percentile (1 star) in 2025-2026.

The contrast with West Park Place Elementary School, located just 1.44 miles away, is striking. West Park Place ranks 15th in the state (86th percentile) and outperforms McVey in every subject and grade level, often by 20-30 percentage points—despite serving a similar population. Meanwhile, McVey outperforms Academia Antonia Alonso, a nearby charter school ranked 99th in the state. McVey also excels with African American students (68th percentile in 2023-2024) but struggles with White students (10th percentile). Given its strong resources and demonstrated successes, McVey has clear potential, but stabilizing early literacy instruction and providing consistent support for all student subgroups will be key to moving from the middle of the pack to a top-tier performer.

319

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,338

Per pupil spending ?

49.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

908 Janice Drive
Newark, DE 19713-4099

(302) 454-2145

District: Christina School District

Students who attend McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.3%

White:

30.7%

Hispanic:

20.1%

See top rated Delaware elementary schools

Compare McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 57th percentile in 2023 → 42nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 57th-percentile peak (2023) to 42nd (2026)

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

!Near the bottom of Christina School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg39%

Delaware avg42%

62^nd of 106

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 15Elementary Schools in the Christina School District

15^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	40.5	62 of 106	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.7	59 of 109	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.1	65 of 106	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.3	44 of 103	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.0	53 of 104	49.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.5	42 of 95	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.7	57 of 105	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.3	59 of 85	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	29.6	65 of 86	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.9	65 of 86	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.7	88 of 108	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.5	64 of 91	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	34.4	69 of 90	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	37.2	64 of 91	29.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	40 of 69	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	49.1	28 of 68	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.4	20 of 62	67.7%	★★★★☆
2023	55.8	24 of 60	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.9	36 of 60	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	69.0	4 of 22	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	50.8	32 of 72	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	58 of 98	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.9	42 of 97	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	24.1	76 of 97	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.2	51 of 89	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.3	60 of 90	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.1	32 of 67	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.1	50 of 99	49.5%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2022	42.9	21 of 36	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	61 of 75	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	61.9	18 of 70	74.3%	★★★★☆
2024	57.8	19 of 66	71.2%	★★★★☆
2023	68.6	14 of 66	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	51.8	27 of 62	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.3	29 of 92	68.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	28.8	68 of 98	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.9	66 of 97	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.5	38 of 97	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.6	41 of 89	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.2	48 of 90	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.6	45 of 67	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.7	60 of 99	39.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	27.9	61 of 78	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	66 of 73	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	56.6	33 of 75	56.0%	★★★☆☆

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 (2026)42nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2022)42nd percentile-7 vs school

Female (2026)41st percentile~ school

Male (2026)31st percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)22nd percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies48%~ state avg

English Language Arts36%-6 vs state

Mathematics34%-5 vs state

Science30%~ state avg

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Schools Near McVey (Joseph M.) 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 Social Studies 4th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 5th 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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
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%)	40.5	62^nd of 106 public elementary schools	41.5%		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
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	33.8%	128 (36.6%)	101 (28.9%)	41 (11.7%)	45 (12.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (10.0%)	85.7	15^th of 106 public elementary schools	85.8%		83.3	20^th of 109 public elementary schools	81.7%	5	54.4	63.8	78.2	64.2	61.7	55.4	59.3	54.4	52.6	$25,094
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%)	59.3	37^th of 106 public elementary schools	65.1%		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
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%)	42.5	60^th of 106 public elementary schools	43.4%		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
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	43.6%	130 (31.5%)	123 (29.8%)	107 (25.9%)	29 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	21 (5.1%)	41.7	61^st of 106 public elementary schools	42.5%		40.5	58^th of 109 public elementary schools	46.8%	3	17.8	51.3	54.2	34.4	39.7	33.3	36.9	46.8	26.0	$28,999
Downes (John R.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	220 Casho Mill Road	Newark	19711	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-2133	346	31	11.1	26.2%	134 (38.7%)	85 (24.6%)	69 (19.9%)	35 (10.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.4%)	52.2	49^th of 106 public elementary schools	53.8%		51.8	43^rd of 109 public elementary schools	60.6%	6	32.9	40.0	60.3	38.2	37.5	48.6	45.6	38.8	42.0	$27,294
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	41.3%	80 (32.8%)	61 (25.0%)	84 (34.4%)	7 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.9%)	42.8	58^th of 106 public elementary schools	45.3%		41.4	57^th of 109 public elementary schools	47.7%	1	22.0	45.2	64.1	37.5	40.4	37.5	29.4	38.5	29.3	$35,752
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%)	78.4	26^th of 106 public elementary schools	75.5%		57.9	39^th of 109 public elementary schools	64.2%	13	38.5	52.7	75.0	58.7	58.8	56.9	52.3	56.7	44.6	$23,952
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%)	70.1	33^rd of 106 public elementary schools	68.9%		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%)	12.6	92^nd of 106 public elementary schools	13.2%		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

Frequently Asked Questions about McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School

What district is McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School in?

Christina School District

Is McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School a good school?

McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School ranks 62^nd of 106 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 319 students attended McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School attend?

Students who attend McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School usually go on to attend:

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

What is the racial makeup of McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School?

Students at McVey (Joseph M.) Elementary School are 42% African American, 31% White, 20% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

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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.