The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in Social studies. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Moore (john Bassett) School
Moore (John Bassett) School sits on West Frazier Street in Smyrna, Delaware, serving fourth through sixth graders in the Smyrna School District. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, and its enrollment is mid-sized for an intermediate-grade building, spread fairly evenly across the three grades it serves.
The student body reflects Smyrna's position at Delaware's demographic center. White students make up the largest share, with Black students forming a substantial portion as well, and Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, and American Indian students rounding out the enrollment. The school does not report free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, IEP rates, or English learner figures in the data available, so families looking to understand the economic and special-population makeup will want to ask the school directly.
On state assessments, Moore's results paint a mixed picture. English language arts proficiency has been recovering from a sharp pandemic-era drop and sits below where the school stood in the years before 2020. The trajectory has been upward over the past several testing cycles, which is encouraging, though the school has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic standing. Math proficiency follows a similar arc: a steep decline during the pandemic years, gradual recovery since, but still well below the levels the school posted in the years before the disruption. Science proficiency mirrors math at the lower end of the school's range. Social studies, assessed in grades four and six, shows stronger results, with both grades landing above the school's math and science marks.
Among districts in Kent County, Moore's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint, which gives some context that the school is performing in the upper half of its county cohort even as it works to regain lost ground.
Because Moore serves only intermediate grades, it has no graduation rate. The data also does not include chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, course access, or attendance figures. These gaps are consistent with the grade band the school serves and the scope of what was available, rather than indicators of concern. A family wanting to understand school climate, teacher retention, or elective offerings would need to contact the building directly.
Smyrna itself is a town in rapid transition. Publicly reported descriptions call it Delaware's fastest-growing municipality, sitting at the state's demographic center a short drive north of Dover. The town blends a historic core along South Main Street, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with suburban residential development radiating outward. Delaware Route 1 runs along the eastern edge, and US 13 serves as the main commercial corridor. DART First State bus lines connect Smyrna to Dover, Wilmington, and Middletown, but the built environment is automobile-oriented. Major employers include Bayhealth Medical Center, which operates an emergency center in town, and the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, a state Department of Correction facility with a Smyrna mailing address. The town's own electric and public works departments serve local customers.
The housing market in the Smyrna zip code sits close to the state benchmark for typical home values, with rents that look affordable relative to local incomes. Renting costs considerably less per month than carrying a mortgage at current rates, which may factor into family decisions about the area. Home values have been creeping up year over year, consistent with the town's growth narrative.
The Smyrna School District's recent search for parent-relevant changes returned little of substance. No referendums, curriculum overhauls, or major restructuring surfaced in the available results, so families weighing the district will be working from the school's current profile rather than anticipated shifts.
For a family considering Moore, the school offers a county-relative academic position in the upper half, a recovering trajectory from pandemic lows, and a student body that mirrors a genuinely diverse small town in the throes of growth. The open questions are the ones the data does not answer: economic makeup, special populations, school climate, and what the classroom experience looks like day to day.
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