Stanton Middle School

Stanton Middle School in Wilmington, DE, serves 558 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of the Red Clay Consolidated School District. The school has faced significant academic challenges for over a decade, consistently ranking in the bottom 10% of Delaware's middle schools, including a 56th-place finish out of 59 schools in the most recent rankings.

Test scores at Stanton are critically low across all core subjects. In mathematics, proficiency rates are in the single digits across all grade levels—ranging from 5.45% to 9.15%—which is roughly one-fifth of the state average. English Language Arts scores are somewhat better but still far below expectations, with 8th graders achieving 26.35% proficiency compared to the state average of 41.44%. Science proficiency is particularly concerning at just 3.05% for 8th graders. These struggles affect every student subgroup, with the school ranking last in the state for male students, white students, and low socio-economic status students. Even when compared to nearby schools facing similar challenges, such as Skyline Middle School and duPont (Alexis I.) Middle School, Stanton's math scores are consistently lower. The contrast is even starker within its own district, where duPont (H.B.) Middle School ranks 12th in the state with proficiency rates in the 50-70% range.

Despite these challenges, there is one significant bright spot: chronic absenteeism has dropped dramatically from 28.7% in 2022-2023 to just 12.4% in 2024-2025—now better than both the district and state averages. This improvement suggests the school has successfully addressed attendance barriers, which could serve as a foundation for future academic gains. Additionally, 8th-grade ELA scores show a notable improvement over 6th and 7th grades, hinting that students may be making progress as they advance through the school. While the road ahead remains difficult, these positive trends offer tangible starting points for turning the school around.