The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on State Specialty Schools Ii- D.e.l.t.a. Steam Academy
D.E.L.T.A. STEAM Academy is a publicly reported, state-authorized charter district in Lithia Springs that operates a single K-8 school with a distinctive pedagogical model built on Singapore Math, EL Education language arts, engineering-design-process science, and extended classroom blocks paired with teacher looping, where the same teachers stay with cohorts of students across years. The school opened in fall 2020 with only kindergarten and third grade and has been adding two grades annually. As of fall 2026, it now enrolls students through 8th grade, meaning families considering this option no longer face a forced mid-stream transfer; a child can complete elementary through early middle school in one place.
The school serves a small enrollment drawn almost entirely from a single racial and ethnic background. The student body is overwhelmingly Black, with a tiny representation of Hispanic students and effectively no Asian, white, or Native American enrollment. Economically, data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, so the income profile of the student population cannot be fully characterized here. Special education counts and English learner populations were also not reported. A parent may want to look into those details directly with the school.
On state end-of-grade testing, the academy's performance shows strain, especially as students progress into middle school. In grades 3 through 5, English language arts proficiency rates sit in the low to mid range, dipping slightly in 6th and 7th. Mathematics proficiency is considerably weaker across elementary, falling in the low to mid range for grades 3 through 5, then dropping sharply in 6th and 7th grade. Science proficiency, tested only in 5th grade, was very low. Across all tested subjects and grades, overall proficiency sits above the median among the other districts in Douglas County, placing the school in the top quartile for the county on that metric. That said, the absolute proficiency levels remain modest, and the pattern of declining performance as grade level rises is a substantive trend to understand. The school's curriculum choices, particularly Singapore Math and its engineering-design-process science model, are pedagogically intentional and not aligned to typical standardized-test preparation; parents who choose this school are making a deliberate trade-off in instructional approach. Parents considering enrollment should ask the school directly how it addresses the performance gaps evident at the middle grades, and what support is available for students who are not yet proficient.
The school day is extended beyond the standard six-hour day, with structured time for community building woven into the daily schedule. Teachers are organized to loop with student cohorts, staying with the same group of students across multiple years rather than changing assignments annually. These are design choices meant to deepen relationships and consistency within the school community, and they shape the character of the experience distinctly from a typical public school arrangement.
The school has completed its planned grade build-out on schedule, which removes one source of uncertainty that charter families often face. This is a stabilized, full K-8 program, not one still in construction.
See more original research from School Decision →