The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Great Oaks Charter School
Great Oaks Charter School sits on North French Street in Wilmington, serving high school students in grades nine through twelve. It is a small school by enrollment, with a student body that fits within a single building. The school operates as a public charter, publicly funded and independently run, with its charter authorizing continued operation. Great Oaks went through charter renewal recently, a process publicly reported through the Delaware Department of Education, and the renewal was approved, securing the school's operation for Wilmington families heading into the current school year.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller Hispanic presence and a handful of students from other racial backgrounds. Free and reduced-price lunch data was not available, so the economic profile of the enrollment cannot be characterized from what was provided. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was also missing. A parent looking into the school may want to ask directly about these supports and how they are staffed.
State testing results for Great Oaks are limited. The available assessment data appears tied to grade eight testing, which does not align with the school's current grade band of nine through twelve. This may reflect an earlier grade configuration or a testing artifact, but the data does not explain the mismatch. What is visible shows ELA proficiency at a level below what most Delaware schools target, and social studies proficiency lower still. Math and science proficiency rates were suppressed, meaning the state did not report them, often because of small testing populations. Looking at the longer trend, ELA proficiency has moved within a modest band over several years, dipping during the pandemic period and recovering somewhat since. Math proficiency over the same multi-year window sat in a similar range. These results place the school above the midpoint among districts in New Castle County on an overall proficiency index, a set that includes roughly two dozen districts. That positioning reflects the mix of urban and suburban districts in the county, some with substantially higher proficiency and some lower. A parent may want to look into the school's academic supports and tutoring structures to understand how it is working to move these results.
No graduation rate was available for Great Oaks in the data provided. For a school serving only high school grades, graduation rate is one of the most telling measures of whether students are completing what they started, so its absence is a real gap. Chronic absenteeism data was also missing, along with discipline, course access, and staffing details. Program offerings were not listed, so whether the school provides Advanced Placement courses, career pathways, dual enrollment, or other options cannot be confirmed from what was supplied. A family considering Great Oaks should ask the school directly about its course catalog, college counseling, and any career or technical programs.
Wilmington is Delaware's largest city and its corporate and governmental center. The economy shifted over the past several decades from chemical manufacturing to national banking and finance, and the city remains a major corporate domicile. The downtown core is compact and grid-patterned, with a revitalized Riverfront area that hosts restaurants, galleries, and performing arts venues. Major employers include the State of Delaware, ChristianaCare, the University of Delaware, Amazon, Nemours Children's Health, DuPont, and AstraZeneca, along with national banks with operations in the city. The city sits on the Amtrak Northeast Corridor with direct rail service to Philadelphia, and I-95 runs through it. Publicly reported planning documents reference a Wilmington 2028 plan and ongoing Riverfront redevelopment.
Housing in the school's zip code is modestly priced compared with both state and national benchmarks. Home values sit well below the Delaware median, and rents are similarly accessible relative to the broader region. For families renting or buying near the school, this means a more affordable entry point than most of New Castle County offers, though the area's economic mix and urban density come with the trade-offs common to a mid-sized city core.
Great Oaks is a small, urban charter high school serving a predominantly Black student body in an affordable corner of a city with strong employment anchors. Its state testing results are modest, and several key data points, including graduation rate and program offerings, were not available. Families drawn to a small-school environment in Wilmington should come with specific questions about academic supports, course options, and college and career pathways.
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