The top reported proficiency rate is 88% in Social studies. The lowest is 67% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Robert F Schultz Elementary School
Robert F Schultz Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Delaware, Ohio, a fast-growing county seat northwest of Columbus experiencing significant residential development. The school draws families from the city and surrounding areas as one of the main elementary buildings for the Delaware City district.
The school enrolls a student population distributed fairly evenly across its grade bands, with a racial and ethnic makeup that skews majority white, alongside meaningful representation of Black, Hispanic, and Asian students and families. About a third of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the student body in a middle band of economic need relative to many Ohio urban and suburban schools. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status were not available.
On state testing, Schultz's performance in reading and literacy shows solid ground-level competency. The school's proficiency rate in ELA places roughly seven in ten students meeting or exceeding state benchmarks. In math, the proficiency rate sits somewhat lower, with about two-thirds of tested students showing proficiency. Science performance is the school's strongest area, with proficiency approaching three-quarters of the tested group. Across these three tested areas, the school's overall proficiency index runs below the midpoint among Delaware County's elementary and district schools, which suggests the building is performing in the lower-middle range for its regional peer set. Trend data spanning multiple years was not available, so it is not possible to tell whether these results represent stable performance or are moving in either direction. Test participation rates are very high, indicating the school is successfully testing the vast majority of its enrolled students.
The Delaware City district has made two significant changes that shape the learning environment at Schultz and all its early-grade buildings. Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, the district implemented a Science of Reading and Structured Literacy approach to K-3 reading instruction, shifting teaching methods, homework, and take-home materials. This is a deliberate pedagogy change that parents and families experience directly. Additionally, in November 2025, voters approved a continuing permanent improvement levy that adds a new property tax for families in the district, generating ongoing funding for building upkeep, bus fleet, technology, and classroom materials. These represent tangible shifts in how instruction works and what homeownership in the district costs.
Delaware itself is a town built around a historic downtown core anchored by civic institutions and Ohio Wesleyan University, with expanding residential neighborhoods spreading outward. The community is experiencing rapid growth, with large residential developments either completed or under way on the city's edges. Housing values in the area have appreciated modestly, and rental costs suggest affordability levels somewhat above the national benchmark, though the area remains accessible for middle-income families. Major local employers include Greif Inc., a global packaging manufacturer headquartered in Delaware, plus manufacturing, healthcare, and the university itself, creating a mixed economic base beyond school employment.
For families considering Schultz, the key questions are whether the school's current proficiency levels and positioning within the county align with their expectations, how the structured literacy shift fits their preferences for reading instruction, and how the new property tax factors into a move to the district. The school is a neighborhood elementary serving a diverse, moderately economically mixed community in a town that is actively growing.
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