The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 46% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Linden Hill Elementary School
Linden Hill Elementary sits on Skyline Drive in Wilmington, part of the Red Clay Consolidated School District, and serves kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a regular public school, neither charter nor magnet, and the enrollment is moderate for an elementary building in this area. The student body is diverse in a way that stands out even for New Castle County: white students form the largest group, but Asian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students all make up meaningful shares. This mix gives children a peer environment that reflects the broader Wilmington area rather than a narrow slice of it.
Academically, Linden Hill has been a consistent performer. On the most recent Smarter Balanced assessments, roughly two-thirds of tested students reached proficiency in both math and English language arts. Science results were more modest, with fewer than half of tested students proficient, though only a single grade level is typically tested in science at the elementary level, so the result carries less weight. Social studies, tested in fourth grade, landed just above the midpoint. Looking across the past decade, both math and ELA proficiency have fluctuated within a band, dipping during the pandemic year and recovering since without quite returning to the higher marks seen in the mid-2010s. The current results sit in the upper portion of that historical range. Compared to districts across New Castle County, Linden Hill's overall proficiency places it in the top quartile, a position that reflects steady work across subjects rather than a single strong area.
Some data families might expect is absent. Free and reduced-price lunch counts were not reported, so the economic profile of the student body is unclear from what is available. Individualized education program rates and English learner counts are also missing. A parent wanting to understand how the school supports students with disabilities or multilingual learners would need to ask the school directly, since the public data does not speak to it here. The same goes for chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, and course access; none were reported in the data reviewed.
The surrounding community is Wilmington, Delaware's largest city and its corporate, financial, and governmental center. The city's history runs from chemical manufacturing under DuPont to a modern banking and finance economy shaped by favorable corporate laws. Publicly reported sources note that more than half of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware, many with Wilmington addresses. The downtown is compact and grid-patterned, with a train station serving Amtrak and SEPTA, and the revitalized Riverfront area has brought restaurants, galleries, and gathering spaces. I-95 runs through the city, putting Philadelphia within a short trip north. The school itself sits in a residential part of the city away from the downtown core, which for an elementary family can mean a quieter drop-off and pickup while still having the city's amenities close at hand.
Housing in the school's zip code sits near the national benchmark for typical home values, and below the Delaware state benchmark. Rents are moderate relative to local incomes, with rent taking up roughly a third of a typical household's earnings. Buying is more of a stretch given current mortgage rates, with the estimated monthly cost of ownership running well above rent. For families weighing a move into the area, renting near Linden Hill is comparatively accessible, while purchasing a home requires a larger budget.
Linden Hill fits families looking for a diverse, academically solid elementary experience within a district that has its eye on longer-term innovation. Red Clay is publicly reported to be transforming McKean High School into an Innovation Campus launching in 2027, which may reshape secondary options down the road, though that is years away for a current elementary family. What Linden Hill offers now is steady proficiency, a mixed peer group, and a location that balances city access with a neighborhood setting. The gaps in reported data on economic disadvantage and special populations are the main things a parent would want to fill in through direct conversation with the school.
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