Best Public Schools in Harrington, DE

The city of Harrington, Delaware is home to two schools: Chipman (W.T.) Middle School and Lake Forest South Elementary School, both part of the Lake Forest School District. While the middle school struggles to meet state and district academic averages, the elementary school stands out with strong 3rd grade performance, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

Lake Forest South Elementary School excels academically, with 53.09% of 3rd graders proficient or better in both ELA and Math, significantly outperforming the district and state. In contrast, Chipman (W.T.) Middle School has lower academic performance across grade levels and subject areas. The middle school also faces a higher chronic absenteeism rate of 33.9%, compared to 20.5% at the elementary school.

Factors that may contribute to the performance gap include differences in per-student spending ($13,063 at the elementary school vs. $10,942 at the middle school) and student-teacher ratios (11.8 at the elementary school vs. 18.5 at the middle school). The data suggests that early intervention and a focus on foundational skills at the elementary level may be crucial for setting students up for success in later grades. Overall, the analysis highlights both strengths and areas for improvement within the Harrington school system.