Summary:
Zip code 19962 in Magnolia, Delaware, is served by a single middle school, Magnolia Middle School, which enrolls 460 students in grades 6 through 8 as part of the highly regarded Caesar Rodney School District, ranked 5th out of 34 districts in the state.
For parents, the standout story here is one of rapid improvement. Magnolia Middle School has jumped from 31st to 14th in Delaware’s state rankings over the past two years, earning a 4-star rating after a brief dip. Academically, the school consistently outperforms both district and state averages in nearly every subject and grade level. The most impressive figure is 6th-grade math, where 55.56% of students are proficient—a remarkable 24.3 percentage points above the state average. ELA scores are also strong, with 6th graders at 57.26% proficiency versus the state’s 39.07%. Even in 8th-grade science, the school’s weakest subject at 27.27% proficiency, it still beats the state average by nearly 11 points. Social studies is a hidden gem, with 7th graders hitting 68.8% proficiency. The school also reports a chronic absenteeism rate of 16.0%, better than both the district (17.9%) and state (17.1%).
One pattern to note is that performance tends to decline as students advance through the grades—math proficiency drops from 55.56% in 6th grade to 40.14% in 8th grade—suggesting the school excels at transitions but may struggle to sustain gains. However, the year-over-year improvements are substantial, including an 11-point jump in 6th-grade math and a 13-point jump in 8th-grade math between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. With a student-teacher ratio of 23:1, Magnolia Middle School offers a supportive, upward-trending environment, though science and upper-grade retention remain areas for future focus.
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