Summary:
Zip code 19963 is home to just one middle school, Milford Central Academy, which serves grades 6 through 8 and enrolls roughly 1,013 students in the Milford School District.
For parents, the most important takeaway is that this is a large school with strong attendance but significant academic struggles. The chronic absenteeism rate is just 10.4%, far better than the state average of 17.1%, meaning students are showing up to class. However, test scores tell a different story. In math, proficiency is critically low: only about 22% of 7th graders and 20% of 8th graders are proficient, compared to state averages of roughly 32% and 29%. English Language Arts is mixed—8th graders actually beat the state average with 43.6% proficiency, but 7th graders lag at 33.6%. Science is also a concern, with just 9.5% of 8th graders proficient versus 16.4% statewide. Social studies shows a dramatic drop from 7th to 8th grade, falling from 53.7% to 20.9% proficiency, a much steeper decline than the state’s own drop.
The school’s state ranking has been stable but low, hovering around the 26th to 36th percentile over the past three years. The district itself holds a 2-star rating, ranking 21st out of 34 districts in Delaware. Spending is about $11,819 per student. The bright spot is 8th-grade ELA, which suggests some effective instruction or a strong cohort, but the overall pattern points to a need for targeted math intervention and a review of the 8th-grade social studies curriculum. With attendance already strong, the issue is not students missing school—it’s about improving instructional quality and support to lift proficiency rates across all subjects.
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