Though public education in Delaware isn’t quite at the level of its neighbors Maryland and New Jersey, the state is nevertheless among the best in the nation. In 2018, the Delaware high school graduation rate hit a record high of 86.69%, besting the 2017 number, which was also an all-time high. Performance at Delaware’s five best school districts bests the already high state standard. 

Cape Henlopen School District is the top public school system in Delaware.  Consisting of eight schools located in the scenic southern cape region of Delaware Bay, CHSD boasts a graduation rate of 91% that bests state and national averages, while nearly 66% of its students are proficient in English language arts. 

Caesar Rodney School District places a close 2nd in the rankings. Headquartered in Wyoming, Delaware, CRSD and its schools have earned a long list of achievements and academic recognitions, including three Blue Ribbon awards. 

Delaware's 3rd best public school district is Sussex Technical School District, consisting of a single county-wide technical public high school. Sussex Tech does an excellent job of preparing students for the future, allowing them to choose between 21 different trades of specialization.

Smyrna School District earns the 4th spot in the rankings. SSD’s eight schools all perform above the state level in proficiency tests, and 97% of SSD seniors graduated in 2018. 93% of them went on to a post-secondary education.  

Delaware’s 5th best school district is Kent County’s Polytech School District, which includes Polytech High School and the Polytech adult education program.  Like #3 Sussex Technical, Polytech puts students on the path of future success by giving them a specialized education in 1 of 21 technical fields. 

Top School Districts in Delaware, 2020

Methodology

The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.