Delaware Elem., Springfield MO - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Delaware Elem.

Delaware Elem. is a regular public school in Springfield, Missouri, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It belongs to the Springfield R-XII school district, the largest in Greene County. The school is on South Delaware Avenue, in a residential area of the city. Springfield itself is a mid-sized regional hub, with an economy built around healthcare, manufacturing, distribution, and retail. It hosts the headquarters of Bass Pro Shops and O'Reilly Auto Parts, and its largest employers are the CoxHealth and Mercy hospital systems. Several universities are located near downtown. The city’s population has grown modestly in recent years.

The district is active in making capital investments. Voters approved a bond issue in 2023 that funds HVAC replacement, roofing, safety upgrades, and classroom renovations across the district, structured to avoid raising tax rates. The district has also launched a middle school redesign that changed bell schedules, electives, and teaming structures starting in the 2023-2024 school year. That change does not directly affect Delaware, as the school only serves elementary grades, but it reflects the district’s broader focus on instructional and facility improvements.

Delaware’s student body is economically diverse, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. In terms of racial and ethnic composition, a majority of students are white, with notable shares of Hispanic and Black students, and smaller shares of Asian, multiracial, and other groups. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided sources.

Academic performance on the Missouri Assessment Program is the most significant factor a family would want to examine. Proficiency in math and English language arts was low across all tested grades. In math, the strongest result was in fourth grade, where a meaningful share of students met the proficiency bar, while fifth-grade math saw the lowest proficiency. English language arts proficiency was similarly subdued, with no tested grade reaching a high level. Fifth-grade science also showed low proficiency. When the school’s combined proficiency index is compared with other districts in Greene County, it falls in the bottom quartile. A parent may want to discuss with the school what targeted interventions, small-group support, or academic programs are available for students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.

Home values in the area around the school are close to the state average for Missouri, and rents are in a similar range, making the neighborhood a moderately priced entry point into the Springfield housing market. The national economic context shows a stable unemployment rate and slow growth in shelter costs, which aligns with the area’s modest but steady development.

For a parent choosing this school, the decision likely centers on a few factors. Delaware is part of a large district that is investing in its facilities and rethinking its middle-level programming. The school serves a high-need population, and its economic diversity can enrich a child’s experience. But the academic results are the clearest data point available, and they point to a school where many students are working below proficiency. How the school addresses that gap is the question that a visiting parent would want answered.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 35% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 34% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 39% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 46% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 48% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 39% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

This schoolSPRINGFIELD R-XII, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income12%Higher-income8%4 pp gap