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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 23 rd of 109 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades K-8

23^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 109 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

Southern Delaware School of the Arts is a public magnet elementary school serving grades K-8 in Selbyville, Delaware, part of the Indian River School District, which is ranked 10th out of 32 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

This school consistently outperforms the district and the state of Delaware in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had significantly higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ranging from 54-71%) compared to the district (33-46%) and the state (39-44%). The school's math proficiency rates were also notably higher, ranging from 40-73% compared to the district's 31-43% and the state's 27-42%. Southern Delaware School of the Arts has consistently been ranked among the top elementary schools in Delaware, with rankings as high as 1st out of 86 schools in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. Even in the most recent year (2024-2025), the school ranked 23rd out of 109 Delaware elementary schools, maintaining its 4-star rating.

When comparing Southern Delaware School of the Arts to other nearby elementary schools within the Indian River School District, it is clear that the school outperforms its peers significantly. For example, Showell (Phillip C.) Elementary School, located just 0.57 miles away, has much lower proficiency rates in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, ranking 47th out of 109 Delaware elementary schools in 2024-2025.

404

Students ?

12.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,970

Per pupil spending ?

17.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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 — 98th percentile in 2015 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Delaware average (56% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of Delaware elementary schools

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

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg39%

Delaware avg38%

Elementary school

23^rd of 109

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

From top 2% (2015) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

9^th of 59

Delaware public middle schools ?

Top 15%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 6% (2015) to top 15% (2025)

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 32Indian 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

Male (2025)89th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)82nd percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)60th percentile-19 vs school

Middle school

Male (2025)87th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)78th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)70th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies65%+21 vs state

English Language Arts60%+18 vs state

Mathematics53%+20 vs state

Science28%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southern Delaware School of the Arts

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 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		305 (75.5%)	9 (2.2%)	57 (14.1%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.7%)	79.9	23^rd of 109 public elementary schools	78.9%		81.5	16^th of 106 public elementary schools	84.9%	7	29.6	26.5	52.3	65.9	61.7	87.5	54.6	57.1	54.6	63.6	55.3	70.8	54.3	73.5	59.1	40.9	44.7	54.2	44.1	$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		153 (51.5%)	40 (13.5%)	87 (29.3%)	7 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.0%)	51.4	47^th of 109 public elementary schools	56.9%		61.1	35^th of 106 public elementary schools	67.0%	12	25.0		34.6	60.0				16.3	45.3	44.4				28.0	58.5	55.6				$25,163
Clayton (John M.) Elementary School	Public	K-5	252 Clayton Ave	Frankford	19939	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 732-3808	446	37	12.0		235 (52.7%)	55 (12.3%)	142 (31.8%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	49.1	49^th of 109 public elementary schools	55.0%		42.6	57^th of 106 public elementary schools	46.2%	8	17.1		26.3	62.8				31.5	42.7	41.9				48.0	53.7	33.0				$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		432 (77.6%)	27 (4.8%)	58 (10.4%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.9%)	84.9	13^th of 109 public elementary schools	88.1%		89.5	9^th of 106 public elementary schools	91.5%	4	40.2		42.6	84.8				67.0	49.0	66.3				77.7	53.9	66.3				$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		426 (52.0%)	133 (16.2%)	185 (22.6%)	19 (2.3%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	53 (6.5%)	39.1	62^nd of 109 public elementary schools	43.1%		45.1	52^nd of 106 public elementary schools	50.9%	10	25.5		19.5	56.8				24.6	28.5	44.3				27.7	46.0	39.7				$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		343 (48.2%)	91 (12.8%)	200 (28.1%)	4 (0.6%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (9.6%)	35.7	66^th of 109 public elementary schools	39.4%		39.3	60^th of 106 public elementary schools	43.4%	6	18.2		24.6	38.0				36.6	28.9	33.6				43.1	39.8	33.6				$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		211 (25.6%)	117 (14.2%)	468 (56.7%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (2.8%)	31.6	71^st of 109 public elementary schools	34.9%		37.6	63^rd of 106 public elementary schools	40.6%	8	14.1		14.8	35.5				35.0	24.7	41.0				44.3	32.9	34.5				$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		443 (70.2%)	24 (3.8%)	84 (13.3%)	14 (2.2%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	60 (9.5%)	84.6	15^th of 109 public elementary schools	86.2%		87.7	11^th of 106 public elementary schools	89.6%	4	47.7		42.2	65.7				56.2	66.0	71.0				55.7	59.2	62.0				$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		368 (66.1%)	47 (8.4%)	97 (17.4%)	14 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.6%)	83.8	19^th of 109 public elementary schools	82.6%		89.8	8^th of 106 public elementary schools	92.5%	11	43.0		40.7	68.0				59.6	67.4	61.0				59.6	62.1	55.0				$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		133 (17.6%)	53 (7.0%)	548 (72.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.4%)	24.4	81^st of 109 public elementary schools	25.7%		30.1	75^th of 106 public elementary schools	29.2%	6	18.8		15.4	51.2				12.2	21.4	34.4				21.0	33.1	30.5				$18,525

Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Delaware School of the Arts

What district is Southern Delaware School of the Arts in?

Indian River School District

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.

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.

Is Southern Delaware School of the Arts a good school?

Southern Delaware School of the Arts ranks 23^rd of 109 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Southern Delaware School of the Arts!

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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.