Schools in Zip Code 19804

Zip code 19804 in Wilmington, Delaware is home to 6 schools serving approximately 4,778 students across elementary, middle, and high school grades, offering a diverse mix of traditional public, vocational-technical, and charter/magnet options within the Red Clay Consolidated School District, the New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District, and the independent Delaware Military Academy district.

For families seeking top academic performance, Conrad Schools of Science is the clear standout—a 6-12 magnet school ranked #4 in Delaware with a 90th percentile state ranking, where middle school students score 3-4 times higher in ELA and math than their peers at Stanton Middle School. At the elementary level, Richey Elementary has shown dramatic improvement, jumping from 75th to 46th in state rankings with significant gains in 5th grade proficiency, while Richardson Park Elementary remains critically low with 0 stars for three consecutive years and proficiency rates 20-30 points below Richey despite similar funding and better student-teacher ratios. Delcastle Technical High School offers a unique value proposition: a 95.3% graduation rate and the lowest chronic absenteeism (7.4%) in the area, though only 7.4% of students are proficient in math on the SAT—suggesting strong engagement but potential gaps in traditional academic rigor. Delaware Military Academy lacks recent data, making current performance difficult to assess.

The most pressing concerns are Stanton Middle's alarming math proficiency (just 5.5-9.2% versus the ~30% state average) and Richardson Park's persistent struggles, both of which will require targeted interventions. Chronic absenteeism correlates strongly with outcomes—schools with lower absenteeism like Delcastle and Conrad perform better, while both elementary schools exceed the state's 17.1% absenteeism average. Overall, this zip code demonstrates that school choice dramatically impacts outcomes, with magnet and charter options outperforming traditional neighborhood schools, though Richey's improvement proves traditional schools can succeed with the right support.