Original Research by School Decision on Delaware Military Academy
Delaware Military Academy is a charter high school serving grades nine through twelve in Wilmington, just off Middleboro Road. As a charter school, it operates with its own governance rather than functioning as a traditional district school, and it draws students from across the Wilmington area and broader New Castle County rather than from a single neighborhood catchment. The school's enrollment is moderate for a single high school, with students spread fairly evenly across the four grade levels.
The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population forming the next largest group, followed by a smaller Black enrollment. A very small number of students identify as Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or two or more races. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, so the economic profile of the student body cannot be characterized from the information provided. Similarly, information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was missing, so the school's special-population profile is not something a family can assess from this data alone.
On state assessments, the school's English language arts proficiency has been variable over the years tracked. It reached its highest point in the years before the pandemic disruption, then slipped in the years following. The most recent results show a majority of students testing proficient in ELA, though the rate sits below where it was at its peak. Mathematics tells a different and weaker story. Math proficiency has been low throughout the entire period on record and has declined further in recent years, with only a small fraction of students reaching proficiency in the most recent year reported. This is a persistent soft spot in the school's academic results. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking how math instruction is structured and what supports or curricular changes are being considered to reverse the downward trend.
No graduation rate was available in the data provided, and no chronic absenteeism figures were reported. The comparison set that positions this school against other districts in New Castle County could not produce rankings for proficiency, graduation, or attendance because the underlying values were missing. This means a family cannot use the county comparison to place the school's academic outcomes against its peers from the information here. Program offerings, course access, staffing, discipline, and civil-rights data were all absent as well, so the narrative cannot speak to AP or dual-credit pathways, career programs, teacher ratios, or disciplinary climate. These are gaps a family would need to fill by contacting the school directly or visiting its website.
The school sits in Wilmington, Delaware's largest city and its corporate, financial, and governmental center. Wilmington's economy, once rooted in chemical manufacturing under DuPont, has shifted toward banking and finance, with many major financial institutions maintaining operations downtown. The city is bisected by Interstate 95 and connected to Philadelphia by Amtrak and SEPTA rail service from Wilmington Station, making the broader region accessible. The area around the school includes residential neighborhoods, and the city's revitalized Riverfront district offers restaurants, galleries, and cultural venues like The Grand Opera House. Wilmington designates several historic districts and maintains a substantial amount of parkland with trails.
The housing market in the school's zip code is modest relative to both the state and national benchmarks, with home values sitting below the Delaware statewide figure and below the national figure. Rents are available at a level that appears approachable for the region. Mortgage rates nationally have been hovering in the mid-six range, which shapes affordability for families considering buying rather than renting. The unemployment rate has been stable at a low level.
We looked for the district's recent parent-relevant changes, such as curriculum shifts, property-tax decisions, or referendum activity, but found little of lasting impact, so that material was left out rather than guessed at.
For a family considering Delaware Military Academy, the clearest takeaway from the available data is a mixed academic picture: English language arts results are decent if inconsistent, while mathematics is a longstanding weakness that has worsened. The charter and military structure of the school is a defining characteristic that will appeal to some families and not to others, and the available data does not describe the specifics of that structure. The missing information on graduation, programs, staffing, and student supports means a family would need to go beyond these records to get a full read on what the school offers day to day.
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