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Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

92^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 109 Delaware Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Delaware elementary schools

Summary

Harlan (David W.) Elementary School is a public elementary school in Wilmington, Delaware, serving 343 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Brandywine School District, which is ranked 9 out of 32 districts in the state.

Despite being part of a relatively high-performing district, Harlan (David W.) Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Delaware elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a 1-star or 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's student proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly lower than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 26.79% of 3rd-grade students were proficient in ELA, compared to 43.22% in the district and 38.72% statewide.

Harlan (David W.) Elementary's performance lags behind nearby schools, such as Lombardy Elementary School and Mount Pleasant Elementary School, which are also part of the Brandywine School District. The school also trails behind local charter schools, such as First State Montessori Academy and East Side Charter School, in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency. Despite having a relatively high per-student spending of $20,957 and a low student-teacher ratio of 10.3, Harlan (David W.) Elementary's academic performance remains a concern, with the school's consistently high chronic absenteeism rates potentially contributing to its struggles.

322

Students ?

9.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$37,837

Per pupil spending ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3601 Jefferson Street
Wilmington, DE 19802

(302) 762-7156

District: Brandywine School District

Students who attend Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:

duPont (Pierre S.) Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

77.0%

Hispanic:

9.0%

White:

7.5%

See top rated Delaware elementary schools

Compare Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2013 → 16th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2013

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Delaware average (22% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Social Studies scores 27 pts below the Delaware average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg47%

Delaware avg41%

92^nd of 109

Delaware public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Brandywine School District

9^th of 32Brandywine 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	15.2	92 of 109	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	94 of 106	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	84 of 103	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	5.7	102 of 104	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.8	96 of 105	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.0	77 of 85	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.3	73 of 86	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.2	71 of 86	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.8	96 of 108	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	7.5	85 of 91	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.5	80 of 90	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	17.8	80 of 91	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	58 of 68	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	58 of 62	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	46 of 60	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	5.6	59 of 60	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.7	65 of 72	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2019	10.5	93 of 99	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	59.4	21 of 70	70.0%	★★★★☆
2019	16.5	81 of 92	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2019	11.1	89 of 99	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)70th percentile+54 vs school

African American (2025)15th percentile~ school

Male (2019)10th percentile~ school

Female (2019)6th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts25%-17 vs state

Mathematics22%-17 vs state

Social Studies18%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Harlan (David W. ) 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 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
Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School	Public	K-5	3601 Jefferson Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	Brandywine School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 762-7156	322	34	9.4		24 (7.5%)	248 (77.0%)	29 (9.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.3%)	15.2	92^nd of 109 public elementary schools	15.6%		12.9	94^th of 106 public elementary schools	11.3%	2			14.3	23.1				26.8	22.0	25.0				25.0	18.0	22.5				$37,837
East Side Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	3000 North Claymont Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	East Side Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(302) 762-5834	434	42	10.3		7 (1.6%)	409 (94.2%)	12 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	22	84^th of 109 public elementary schools	22.9%		13.6	93^rd of 106 public elementary schools	12.3%	9	16.7	14.0			39.0	25.7	33.3		18.4	27.0	34.5	30.9	52.2	8.9		22.2	17.5	32.7	43.5
Edison (Thomas A.) Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	2200 North Locust Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	Edison (Thomas A.) Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 778-1101	557	36	15.4		6 (1.1%)	537 (96.4%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.3%)	5.1	106^th of 109 public elementary schools	2.8%		3.5	104^th of 106 public elementary schools	1.9%	2				10.8	13.1	16.7	9.3	15.9		12.0	14.5	16.4	40.0	11.6		8.0
Warner Elementary School	Public	3-5	801 West 18th Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	Red Clay Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 651-2740	395	40	9.8		34 (8.6%)	307 (77.7%)	47 (11.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.0%)	5.2	105^th of 109 public elementary schools	3.7%		4.8	103^rd of 106 public elementary schools	2.8%	2	8.7		4.8	29.4					6.8	17.3				6.3	6.7	7.8				$31,966
Shortlidge (Evan G.) Academy	Public	K-2	100 West 18th Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	Red Clay Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 651-2710	340	33	10.3		21 (6.2%)	265 (77.9%)	46 (13.5%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)								(n/a)																				$34,712
Kuumba Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	1200 North French Street	Wilmington	19801	New Castle County	Kuumba Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 472-6450	594	45	13.2		2 (0.3%)	537 (90.4%)	29 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.4%)	22.7	83^rd of 109 public elementary schools	23.9%		17.1	90^th of 106 public elementary schools	15.1%	7	23.1		47.3	35.9	13.3	25.0	15.7	22.2	33.9	30.8	9.5	28.6	34.6	17.5	30.4		7.9
Stubbs Early Education Center	Public	PK-K	1100 North Pine Street	Wilmington	19801	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 429-4175	148	15	9.8		1 (0.7%)	132 (89.2%)	8 (5.4%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.4%)								(n/a)
First State Montessori Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	Null	Wilmington	19801	New Castle County	First State Montessori Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 576-1500	657	34	19.3		447 (68.0%)	120 (18.3%)	14 (2.1%)	13 (2.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (9.3%)	84.8	14^th of 109 public elementary schools	87.2%		79.8	17^th of 106 public elementary schools	84.0%	3	47.2	20.7	52.6	80.6	65.3	72.4	41.4	65.3	64.1	69.4	65.3	64.4	50.0	52.0	51.3	43.1	43.1	40.7	15.5
Lombardy Elementary School	Public	K-5	412 Foulk Road	Wilmington	19803	New Castle County	Brandywine School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 762-7190	466	33	14.3		260 (55.8%)	126 (27.0%)	36 (7.7%)	11 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.9%)	51.6	45^th of 109 public elementary schools	58.7%		58.8	40^th of 106 public elementary schools	62.3%	5	16.9		32.8	38.5				55.6	61.4	33.9				50.7	43.7	29.2				$23,600
Maurice Pritchett Senior Academy	Public	1-8	600 E. 7th Street	Wilmington	19801	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 647-8725	616	40	13.3		31 (5.0%)	499 (81.0%)	50 (8.1%)	5 (0.8%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.5%)	3.9	109^th of 109 public elementary schools	0.0%		2.4	106^th of 106 public elementary schools	0.0%	3			7.1	20.9		13.7	9.1	6.7				15.4	9.5

Frequently Asked Questions about Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School

Is Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School a good school?

Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.6% of Delaware elementary schools.

How many students attend Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 322 students attended Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School?

Students at Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School are 77% African American, 9% Hispanic, 7% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School in?

Brandywine School District

What schools do graduates of Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Harlan (David W. ) Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : duPont (Pierre S.) Middle 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.