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Southern Delaware School of the Arts

Q: Is Southern Delaware School of the Arts a good school?

Southern Delaware School of the Arts ranks 24 th of 107 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades K-8

24^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 107 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 78% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

Southern Delaware School of the Arts in Selbyville, DE, is a K-8 arts-focused magnet school in the Indian River School District serving 404 students who choose this specialized program for its unique blend of academics and creative learning.

This school stands out academically, ranking in the top quarter of Delaware elementary schools and dramatically outperforming its neighbors. For example, in 4th grade math, 72.73% of students met proficiency standards compared to just 40.37% statewide—a remarkable 32-point advantage. The school also excels in social studies, with 75% of 5th graders proficient versus 61.85% statewide. Even in 8th grade math, where scores typically dip, SDSA maintains 46.81% proficiency versus the state's 29.39%. The benefits extend beyond test scores: chronic absenteeism is remarkably low at 10.5%, roughly half the district average of 20.2%, and the student-teacher ratio of 12.6:1 allows for more personalized attention than nearby Showell (Phillip C.) Elementary School (15.5:1) or East Millsboro Elementary School (16.0:1).

While the school was once ranked #1 in the state, it now sits comfortably in the top quarter—still far ahead of local peers like Georgetown Elementary School and Long Neck Elementary School. However, there are areas to watch: 8th grade science proficiency (12.77%) falls below the state average (16.36%), and the school's performance gap between female and male students has widened recently. For families seeking an arts-rich environment with strong academics, engaged students, and a tight-knit community, SDSA offers a compelling option that clearly differentiates itself from traditional neighborhood schools in the region.

404

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,970

Per pupil spending ?

10.4%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

27 Hosier Street
Selbyville, DE 19975

(302) 436-1066

District: Indian River School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.5%

Hispanic:

14.1%

Two or more races:

6.7%

See top rated Delaware elementary schools

Compare Southern Delaware School of the Arts to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 99th percentile in 2016 → 78th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Delaware average (54% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of Delaware elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Indian River School District

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg39%

Delaware avg40%

Elementary school

24^th of 107

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Top 22%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 1% (2016) to top 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

15^th of 60

Delaware public middle schools ?

Top 25%▼ down 19 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to top 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 8Elementary Schools in the Indian River School District

10^th of 34Indian River 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	79.3	24 of 107	77.6%	★★★★☆
2025	79.9	23 of 109	78.9%	★★★★☆
2024	81.5	16 of 106	84.9%	★★★★☆
2023	86.8	11 of 103	89.3%	★★★★★
2022	77.5	18 of 104	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	85.4	14 of 95	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	94.3	3 of 105	97.1%	★★★★★
2018	96.2	2 of 85	97.6%	★★★★★
2017	95.9	1 of 86	98.8%	★★★★★
2016	96.5	1 of 86	98.8%	★★★★★
2015	97.4	2 of 108	98.1%	★★★★★
2014	90.7	2 of 36	94.4%	★★★★★
2013	85.7	9 of 91	90.1%	★★★★★
2012	88.9	4 of 90	95.6%	★★★★★
2011	81.2	14 of 91	84.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	74.9	21 of 98	78.6%	★★★★☆
2025	78.9	17 of 97	82.5%	★★★★☆
2024	73.9	18 of 97	81.4%	★★★★☆
2023	77.9	15 of 89	83.1%	★★★★☆
2022	82.1	12 of 90	86.7%	★★★★☆
2021	83.6	9 of 67	86.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	59.5	36 of 98	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	83.3	11 of 97	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	74.2	20 of 97	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	80.6	13 of 89	85.4%	★★★★☆
2022	76.5	15 of 90	83.3%	★★★★☆
2021	67.9	16 of 67	76.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	58.0	34 of 78	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.9	31 of 77	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	32 of 73	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.9	19 of 70	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	61.1	28 of 75	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.7	16 of 65	75.4%	★★★★☆
2019	87.2	4 of 82	95.1%	★★★★★

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	74.3	15 of 60	75.0%	★★★★☆
2025	84.6	9 of 59	84.7%	★★★★☆
2024	88.6	9 of 54	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	85.7	10 of 53	81.1%	★★★★☆
2022	81.2	11 of 51	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	86.4	6 of 47	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	90.0	5 of 52	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	94.0	2 of 35	94.3%	★★★★★
2017	96.0	2 of 35	94.3%	★★★★★
2016	95.6	2 of 35	94.3%	★★★★★
2015	94.4	3 of 49	93.9%	★★★★★
2014	94.4	1 of 17	94.1%	★★★★★
2013	88.9	1 of 37	97.3%	★★★★★
2012	86.0	5 of 38	86.8%	★★★★☆
2011	85.5	5 of 38	86.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	74.4	14 of 53	73.6%	★★★★☆
2025	77.6	12 of 55	78.2%	★★★★☆
2024	87.1	8 of 49	83.7%	★★★★☆
2023	82.8	9 of 50	82.0%	★★★★☆
2022	82.8	8 of 50	84.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.5	7 of 49	85.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	13 of 53	75.5%	★★★★☆
2025	86.7	7 of 55	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	81.6	9 of 49	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	85.4	10 of 50	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	76.1	11 of 50	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	85.4	7 of 49	85.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	53.3	20 of 46	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.7	14 of 47	70.2%	★★★★☆
2024	75.7	10 of 45	77.8%	★★★★☆
2023	72.6	12 of 44	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	66.8	14 of 45	68.9%	★★★★☆
2021	67.7	12 of 41	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.2	9 of 43	79.1%	★★★★☆

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

Female (2026)79th percentile~ school

Male (2026)63rd percentile-14 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile-21 vs school

Middle school

Male (2026)75th percentile~ school

Female (2026)74th percentile~ school

White (2026)57th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies65%+15 vs state

English Language Arts55%+13 vs state

Mathematics54%+19 vs state

Science22%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Southern Delaware School of the Arts

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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
Southern Delaware School of the Arts	Public, Magnet	K-8	27 Hosier Street	Selbyville	19975	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	Yes	No	No	(302) 436-1066	404	32	12.6	10.4%	305 (75.5%)	9 (2.2%)	57 (14.1%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.7%)	79.3	24^th of 107 public elementary schools	77.6%		79.9	23^rd of 109 public elementary schools	78.9%	1	31.8	12.8	56.8	75.0	57.5	71.7	61.7	51.2	54.6	61.4	56.1	57.5	48.9	62.8	72.7	47.7	46.3	46.7	46.8	$20,970
Showell (Phillip C.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	41 Bethany Road	Selbyville	19975	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 436-1040	297	25	11.8	27.6%	153 (51.5%)	40 (13.5%)	87 (29.3%)	7 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.0%)	57.1	41^st of 107 public elementary schools	61.7%		51.4	47^th of 109 public elementary schools	56.9%	6	35.2		34.9	67.9				51.6	20.5	38.9				54.8	34.1	57.4				$25,163
Clayton (John M.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	252 Clayton Ave	Frankford	19945	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 732-3808	446	37	12.0	23.8%	235 (52.7%)	55 (12.3%)	142 (31.8%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	50.6	52^nd of 107 public elementary schools	51.4%		49.1	49^th of 109 public elementary schools	55.0%	3	18.1		34.7	62.9				47.6	40.8	51.4				54.0	42.1	29.2				$24,910
Lord Baltimore Elementary School	Public	K-5	120 Atlantic Avenue	Ocean View	19970	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 537-2700	557	42	13.2	14.4%	432 (77.6%)	27 (4.8%)	58 (10.4%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.9%)	82.9	17^th of 107 public elementary schools	84.1%		84.9	13^th of 109 public elementary schools	88.1%	4	38.5		50.9	80.2				65.1	54.6	54.4				80.2	70.4	49.5				$20,679
East Millsboro Elementary School	Public	K-5	29346 Iron Branch Road	Millsboro	19966	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 934-3222	820	51	16.0	30.1%	426 (52.0%)	133 (16.2%)	185 (22.6%)	19 (2.3%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	53 (6.5%)	30.7	73^rd of 107 public elementary schools	31.8%		39.1	62^nd of 109 public elementary schools	43.1%	11	24.2		20.4	64.2				27.8	26.4	39.5				30.4	30.1	34.7				$17,572
Long Neck Elementary School	Public	K-5	26064 School Lane	Millsboro	19966	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 945-6200	712	46	15.4	34.7%	343 (48.2%)	91 (12.8%)	200 (28.1%)	4 (0.6%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (9.6%)	33.7	69^th of 107 public elementary schools	35.5%		35.7	66^th of 109 public elementary schools	39.4%	3	19.5		26.3	53.4				27.7	35.0	33.1				41.6	46.2	26.3				$17,842
Georgetown Elementary School	Public	K-5	301-A West Market Street	Georgetown	19947	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 856-1940	825	60	13.7	29.2%	211 (25.6%)	117 (14.2%)	468 (56.7%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (2.8%)	33.5	70^th of 107 public elementary schools	34.6%		31.6	71^st of 109 public elementary schools	34.9%	1	20.0		30.2	46.3				22.7	38.3	39.4				35.7	46.4	29.0				$20,642
Love Creek Elementary School	Public	K-5	19488 John J. Williams Hwy	Lewes	19958	Sussex County	Cape Henlopen School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 703-3456	631	42	15.0	13.6%	443 (70.2%)	24 (3.8%)	84 (13.3%)	14 (2.2%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	60 (9.5%)	80.2	21^st of 107 public elementary schools	80.4%		84.6	15^th of 109 public elementary schools	86.2%	6	43.6		38.7	69.1				56.4	62.0	67.3				60.7	56.6	60.2				$19,701
Rehoboth Elementary School	Public	K-5	500 Stockley Street	Rehoboth Beach	19971	Sussex County	Cape Henlopen School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 227-2571	557	41	13.5	19.7%	368 (66.1%)	47 (8.4%)	97 (17.4%)	14 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.6%)	89.1	10^th of 107 public elementary schools	90.7%		83.8	19^th of 109 public elementary schools	82.6%	9	40.9		65.0	71.0				68.0	69.3	65.6				62.9	71.3	63.4				$21,021
North Georgetown Elementary School	Public	K-5	664 North Bedford Street	Georgetown	19947	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 855-2430	754	49	15.5	25.2%	133 (17.6%)	53 (7.0%)	548 (72.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.4%)	20.8	83^rd of 107 public elementary schools	22.4%		24.4	81^st of 109 public elementary schools	25.7%	2	11.8		17.1	46.4				16.5	21.4	38.9				21.1	28.8	36.2				$18,525

Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Delaware School of the Arts

Is Southern Delaware School of the Arts a good school?

Southern Delaware School of the Arts ranks 24^th of 107 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Southern Delaware School of the Arts in?

Indian River School District

What is the racial makeup of Southern Delaware School of the Arts?

Students at Southern Delaware School of the Arts are 75% White, 14% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 2% African American.

How many students attend Southern Delaware School of the Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 404 students attended Southern Delaware School of the Arts.

Rate Southern Delaware School of the Arts!

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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.