Summary:
Zip code 19711 in Newark, DE, is served by 10 schools spanning elementary through high school, including traditional public schools, charter schools, and alternative programs, with a total enrollment of roughly 8,100 students across the Christina School District, Red Clay Consolidated School District, and independent charter networks.
Families in this area will find dramatic differences in school quality, even within the same district. Wilson (Etta J.) Elementary School and West Park Place Elementary School are the standout traditional public schools, ranking in the top 15% statewide with 5-star and 4-star ratings respectively. Wilson posts ELA proficiency as high as 75% and math scores roughly 20 points above state averages, while keeping chronic absenteeism at just 4.8%. At the secondary level, Newark Charter School dominates, with 11th grade SAT ELA proficiency at 80% versus a 44% state average, and it achieves these results while spending the least per student ($12,033) of any school in the zip code. In contrast, Shue-Medill Middle School and Newark High School struggle significantly, with 8th grade ELA at just 31% and chronic absenteeism above 22%. ASPIRA Delaware also lags badly, with 11th grade SAT math proficiency under 6%.
The strongest predictor of success here is attendance. Schools with chronic absenteeism below 10%—Wilson, Newark Charter, West Park Place, Downes (John R.) Elementary School, and Maclary (R. Elisabeth) Elementary School—all post above-average proficiency, while schools above 20% absenteeism, including Meadowood Program at 42.3%, universally struggle. Notably, Forest Oak Elementary School sits in the middle, with 11.4% absenteeism and mixed test scores. Spending does not correlate with outcomes: Maclary spends nearly double Newark Charter but produces far weaker results. For parents, school choice within this zip code can mean a 40-50 percentage point swing in proficiency, so researching individual schools—not just districts—is essential.
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