Schools in Zip Code 19803

Zip code 19803 in Wilmington, DE, is served by four schools within the Brandywine School District, offering a complete K-12 pathway for approximately 2,614 students across two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.

For parents, Lombardy Elementary School is the clear academic standout, posting the highest English Language Arts proficiency rates in the zip code (48-50% across grades 3-5) and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at just 11.8%. In contrast, Carrcroft Elementary School trails in most subjects, though it shows strength in 5th grade Social Studies (57.53%). At the secondary level, Brandywine High School boasts a strong 93.5% graduation rate and improved its Social Studies scores by 19 points year-over-year, but its chronic absenteeism rate of 25.7% is more than double Lombardy's and coincides with a drop in state ranking from 10th to 23rd. Springer Middle School performs consistently in ELA (42-45%) but shows a troubling decline in math proficiency from 30.71% in 6th grade to 23.38% in 8th grade.

Several patterns emerge across the district. Both elementary schools experience a "5th grade math slump," with proficiency dropping steadily from 3rd to 5th grade. Interestingly, spending does not predict performance—Lombardy, the top performer, has the lowest per-student spending ($15,304), while Carrcroft spends $1,297 more per student. The district consistently outperforms state averages in ELA, suggesting strong literacy instruction, but math remains a systemic weakness, particularly as students progress through middle school. Brandywine High also shows a notable gap between its ELA scores (49.1%) and SAT Essay scores (30.77%), indicating a specific area for improvement in writing instruction.