Warner Elementary School

Warner Elementary School serves 395 students in grades 3-5 in the urban Wilmington, DE area, operating within the Red Clay Consolidated School District. The school has faced significant academic challenges for over a decade, consistently ranking at the very bottom of Delaware's elementary schools and earning zero stars in recent years.

The most striking issue at Warner is chronic absenteeism. In 2024-2025, nearly 40% of students were chronically absent—more than double the district rate of 16.8% and the state rate of 17.1%. This pattern has persisted for years, with rates ranging from 39% to 53%. Nearby schools show a clear connection between attendance and achievement: First State Montessori Academy, located less than a mile away, has just 5% chronic absenteeism and achieves proficiency rates of 60-80% in most subjects—ten times higher than Warner's. Even schools with similar demographics, like Johnson Elementary (25.5%) and Harlan Elementary (19.2%), have notably lower absenteeism. Academic proficiency at Warner is critically low across all subjects—for example, only 6% of 4th graders were proficient in English Language Arts compared to 41% statewide, and just 4.5% of 5th graders were proficient in math versus 35% statewide.

Despite these challenges, Warner maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 9.8:1 and spends $23,146 per student—among the highest in the area. This spending paradox raises questions about resource deployment. The school's feeder pattern with Shortlidge Academy (grades K-2) shows attendance challenges begin early, with Shortlidge also reporting 36.3% chronic absenteeism. One relative bright spot: 5th grade Social Studies has shown the highest proficiency rates at the school, reaching 29% in 2024-2025. For parents considering this school, understanding the attendance challenges and exploring alternative options like Kuumba Academy Charter School or Lewis Dual Language Elementary School may be worthwhile.