The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 3% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Harlan (david W. ) Elementary School
David W. Harlan Elementary School sits on Jefferson Street in Wilmington, serving children from kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Brandywine School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is modest for its grade band, spread across six grade levels with relatively even distribution though the upper grades are smaller.
The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller Hispanic, White, and multiracial populations, plus a tiny fraction of Asian students. Wilmington itself is Delaware's largest city, a place whose identity has shifted from chemical manufacturing roots tied to DuPont toward national banking and finance. The city functions as the state's corporate and governmental hub, with major employers spanning state government, healthcare systems, the University of Delaware, and a long list of banks and financial institutions. Downtown Wilmington offers a compact, grid-patterned core with restaurants, galleries, and performing arts venues, while the revitalized Riverfront area has become a newer gathering space. The city sits along the Amtrak Northeast Corridor and I-95, giving residents direct connectivity to Philadelphia. Harlan's surrounding neighborhood, in the zip code along Jefferson Street, is one of the more affordable pockets of the broader Wilmington area. Home values here sit well below both state and national benchmarks, and rents run lower than what a mortgage would cost at current interest rates, which may matter to families weighing where they can afford to live while accessing Brandywine schools.
On state assessments, Harlan's results are low. In the most recent year, roughly a quarter of tested students reached proficiency in English language arts, and a slightly smaller share did so in math. Science proficiency was strikingly low, with only a handful of students meeting the bar, though the tested group in that subject was small. Social studies results were suppressed, so there is no readable figure for that subject. Looking across the past decade, both ELA and math proficiency were meaningfully higher in the mid-2010s, declined through the late 2010s, and then fell sharply in the first post-pandemic testing year. Since that low point, both subjects have been climbing back, with ELA now approaching the levels last seen before the pandemic though still well below the school's earlier peak. Math recovery has been less steady, with the most recent year showing improvement but remaining near the lower end of the school's historical range.
Measured against other districts in New Castle County, Harlan's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile. The county cohort median sits notably higher. A parent weighing this school may want to look into what academic support structures are in place and how the Brandywine School District is directing resources here, since the trend line shows recovery but the current standing remains low.
Several data points that would help round out the picture are absent. Free and reduced-price lunch counts were not reported, so the economic profile of the student body beyond what the housing data suggests is unclear. Special education and English learner rates were also missing. Title I status, chronic absenteeism, discipline data, staffing figures, and course access information were not available in the provided data. The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes from the Brandywine School District meeting a lasting-impact threshold, so there is little to report on recent district-level initiatives tied to this school.
What the data does show is a small elementary school in an affordable Wilmington neighborhood, part of a district serving a city with deep institutional and cultural resources. The academic picture is one of a school working its way back from a difficult stretch, with proficiency rising off post-pandemic lows but still sitting low both against its own history and against county peers. Families considering Harlan would benefit from asking the school directly about its improvement strategies, available interventions, and how it supports students performing below grade level.
See more original research from School Decision →