Is Clayton Elementary School a good school?

Clayton Elementary School ranks 44 th of 106 Delaware elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Clayton Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 488 students attended Clayton Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Clayton Elementary School?

Students at Clayton Elementary School are 64% White, 23% African American, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Clayton Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Clayton Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Clayton Intermediate School Middle : Smyrna Middle School High : Smyrna High School

Clayton Elementary School

Summary:

Clayton Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 475 students in grades K-4 in the town of Clayton, Delaware, within the Smyrna School District. The school has a diverse student population, with a racial makeup that is predominantly White (66.32%), with significant populations of African American (19.37%) and Hispanic (8.42%) students.

Clayton Elementary School is a strong-performing school, consistently ranking in the top half of Delaware elementary schools and earning a 3-4 star rating from SchoolDigger. The school particularly excels for its African American and low-socioeconomic status (SES) student populations, ranking 3rd and 13th out of Delaware elementary schools, respectively, in 2022-2023. However, the school's performance for its White student population is relatively weaker, ranking 44th out of 70 Delaware elementary schools. Clayton Elementary's test scores in English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally above the state and district averages, with 61.76% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 55.64% in the Smyrna School District and 42.17% statewide.

While Clayton Elementary School outperforms other Smyrna School District elementary schools, such as Smyrna Elementary, North Smyrna Elementary, and Sunnyside Elementary, it faces a concerning trend of increasing chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.3% in 2017-2018 to 15.5% in 2022-2023. The school should investigate the underlying causes and implement strategies to improve attendance, as chronic absenteeism is often linked to lower academic performance.

Detail:

Public K-4

510 West Main Street
Clayton, DE 19938-3400

(302) 653-8587

District: Smyrna School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
44^th of 106 Delaware Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,453

Students who attend Clayton Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Clayton Intermediate School
	Smyrna Middle School
High:	Smyrna High School

Student/teacher ratio: 17.4

Number of students: 488

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.9%

African American:

22.5%

Hispanic:

7.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 25.3%

See top rated Delaware elementary schools

Compare Clayton Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Clayton Elementary School ranks better than 58.5% of elementary schools in Delaware. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 53.45. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (63.9%), African American (22.5%), Hispanic (7.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Clayton Elementary School is 17.4, which is the highest among 4 elementary schools in the Smyrna School District! (See more...)

Compare Clayton Elementary School employs 28 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Clayton Elementary School is $11,453, which is the lowest among 4 elementary schools in the Smyrna School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Clayton Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Clayton Elementary School 44^th of 106 Delaware public elementary schools. (See Clayton Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

White students:

Smyrna School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Smyrna School District 8^th of 32 Delaware school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Clayton Elementary School.

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Rank History for Clayton Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Clayton Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DE State Percentile
2011	76.04	20^th	91	78.0%
2012	86.10	9^th	90	90.0%
2013	79.38	16^th	91	82.4%
2014	80.67	10^th	36	72.2%
2015	78.11	21^st	108	80.6%
2016	69.64	29^th	86	66.3%
2017	68.08	27^th	86	68.6%
2018	72.65	21^st	85	75.3%
2019	60.16	49^th	105	53.3%
2021	42.16	50^th	95	47.4%
2022	47.03	51^st	104	51.0%
2023	67.99	29^th	103	71.8%
2024	53.45	44^th	106	58.5%

See the entire list of Delaware Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Clayton Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DE State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	50.21	49^th	92	46.7%
2023	70.83	13^th	66	80.3%

See the entire list of Best Delaware Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Clayton Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DE State Percentile
2019	53.13	47^th	99	52.5%
2021	36.09	43^rd	67	35.8%
2022	32.33	66^th	90	26.7%
2023	52.30	35^th	89	60.7%
2024	31.33	65^th	97	33.0%

See the entire list of Best Delaware Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Clayton Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DE State Percentile
2019	62.80	40^th	99	59.6%
2021	26.19	51^st	67	23.9%
2022	45.43	47^th	90	47.8%
2023	66.93	24^th	89	73.0%
2024	62.11	31^st	97	68.0%

See the entire list of Best Delaware Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Clayton Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DE State Percentile
2022	69.55	13^th	60	78.3%
2023	93.39	3^rd	60	95.0%
2024	41.72	39^th	62	37.1%

See the entire list of Best Delaware Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Clayton Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	DE State Percentile
2019	33.31	63^rd	82	23.2%
2021	20.87	58^th	65	10.8%
2022	24.70	63^rd	75	16.0%
2023	42.81	44^th	70	37.1%
2024	35.96	53^rd	73	27.4%

See the entire list of Best Delaware Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Delaware Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Delaware Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Clayton Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	249	15	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	265
1989	250	14	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	267
1990	238	12	n/a	4	n/a	n/a	n/a	254
1991	238	15	0	2	0	n/a	n/a	255
1992	267	12	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	285
1993	283	9	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	297
1994	281	6	0	3	0	n/a	n/a	290
1995	542	81	0	18	1	n/a	n/a	642
1996	542	81	0	18	1	n/a	n/a	642
1997	587	80	0	14	2	n/a	n/a	683
1998	588	79	3	9	0	n/a	n/a	679
1999	475	72	2	6	0	n/a	n/a	555
2000	490	86	2	4	0	n/a	n/a	582
2001	486	79	2	6	0	n/a	n/a	573
2002	430	64	3	11	0	n/a	n/a	508
2003	430	64	3	11	0	n/a	n/a	508
2004	388	59	1	12	0	n/a	n/a	460
2005	308	20	0	11	0	n/a	n/a	339
2006	381	39	2	11	0	n/a	n/a	433
2007	397	58	3	17	1	n/a	n/a	476
2008	414	80	5	26	1	n/a	n/a	526
2009	424	79	5	24	4	n/a	n/a	536
2010	453	78	10	28	4	n/a	n/a	573
2011	452	72	10	34	3	0	5	576
2012	422	53	3	26	3	0	11	518
2013	420	50	3	26	4	0	11	514
2014	400	46	2	30	2	0	10	490
2015	377	42	2	37	1	0	16	475
2016	365	41	1	30	1	0	20	458
2017	354	36	3	41	0	0	20	454
2018	379	60	3	47	1	0	24	514
2019	379	67	5	46	1	1	23	522
2020	382	73	4	42	1	1	29	532
2021	352	78	5	40	1	2	28	506
2022	340	81	5	35	1	1	27	490
2023	315	92	3	40	1	0	24	475
2024	312	110	2	38	1	0	25	488

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Clayton Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	265	15.0	17.6	10.2
1989	267	15.0	17.8	11.2
1990	254	15.0	16.9	14.6
1991	255	14.0	18.2	15.7
1992	285	18.0	15.8	22.5
1993	297	18.0	16.5	26.9
1994	290	18.0	16.1	21.4
1995	642	23.0	27.9	21
1996	642	23.0	27.9	21
1997	683	36.5	18.7	21.5
1998	679	39.5	17.2	21.8
1999	555	37.0	15.0	27.4
2000	582	40.1	14.5	23.9
2001	573	43.0	13.3	19.7
2002	508	35.0	14.5	21.1
2003	508	35.0	14.5	21.1
2004	460	33.0	13.9	21.3
2005	339	22.0	15.4	21.2
2006	433	28.0	15.5	20.3
2007	476	31.0	15.4	20.4
2008	526	34.0	15.5	18.4
2009	536	35.0	15.3	22.2
2010	573	37.0	15.4	29.8
2011	576	36.0	16.0	22
2012	518	33.0	15.6	36.5
2013	514	32.0	16.0	39.1
2014	490	30.0	16.3	30
2015	475	29.0	16.3	29.9
2016	458	28.0	16.3	25.3
2017	454	30.0	15.1	n/a
2018	514	30.0	17.1	n/a
2019	522	31.0	16.8	n/a
2020	532	34.0	15.6	n/a
2021	506	35.0	14.4	n/a
2022	490	35.0	14.0	n/a
2023	475	31.0	15.3	n/a
2024	488	28.0	17.4	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Clayton Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	265	15.0	17.6	10.2
1989	267	15.0	17.8	11.2
1990	254	15.0	16.9	14.6
1991	255	14.0	18.2	15.7
1992	285	18.0	15.8	22.5
1993	297	18.0	16.5	26.9
1994	290	18.0	16.1	21.4
1995	642	23.0	27.9	21
1996	642	23.0	27.9	21
1997	683	36.5	18.7	21.5
1998	679	39.5	17.2	21.8
1999	555	37.0	15.0	27.4
2000	582	40.1	14.5	23.9
2001	573	43.0	13.3	19.7
2002	508	35.0	14.5	21.1
2003	508	35.0	14.5	21.1
2004	460	33.0	13.9	21.3
2005	339	22.0	15.4	21.2
2006	433	28.0	15.5	20.3
2007	476	31.0	15.4	20.4
2008	526	34.0	15.5	18.4
2009	536	35.0	15.3	22.2
2010	573	37.0	15.4	29.8
2011	576	36.0	16.0	22
2012	518	33.0	15.6	36.5
2013	514	32.0	16.0	39.1
2014	490	30.0	16.3	30
2015	475	29.0	16.3	29.9
2016	458	28.0	16.3	25.3
2017	454	30.0	15.1	n/a
2018	514	30.0	17.1	n/a
2019	522	31.0	16.8	n/a
2020	532	34.0	15.6	n/a
2021	506	35.0	14.4	n/a
2022	490	35.0	14.0	n/a
2023	475	31.0	15.3	n/a
2024	488	28.0	17.4	n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Clayton Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$645 (5.6%)	$10,779 (94.1%)	$11,453

Data source: Delaware Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Clayton Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 49^th of 105 Elementary schools	Ranks 29^th of 103 Elementary schools	18.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Clayton Elementary School)	59.1	46.1	13%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Smyrna School District)	58.9	43.4	15.5%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Delaware)	50.5	38.4	12.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Clayton Elementary School)	64.8	61.8	3%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Smyrna School District)	61.2	55.6	5.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Delaware)	53	42.2	10.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Clayton Elementary School)	51.8	39.5	12.4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Smyrna School District)	51.7	37.4	14.3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Delaware)	53.5	39.9	13.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Clayton Elementary School)	50	46.8	3.2%
4th Grade Mathematics (Smyrna School District)	52.4	42.6	9.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Delaware)	50.8	39.1	11.7%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	522	475	9%
African American	67	92	37.3%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	5	3	40%
Hispanic	46	40	13%
Pacific Islander	1	0	100%
White	379	315	16.9%
Two or More Races	23	24	4.3%

Schools Near Clayton Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				DeSSA Science (2024)		DeSSA Social Studies (2024)	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2024)						Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)						Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DeSSA Science 5th Grade	DeSSA Science 8th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Clayton Elementary School	Public	K-4	510 West Main Street	Clayton	19938	Kent County	Smyrna School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 653-8587	488	28	17.4		312 (63.9%)	110 (22.5%)	38 (7.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.1%)	53.5	44^th of 106 public elementary schools	58.5%		68	29^th of 103 public elementary schools	71.8%	15				42.9	30.0					51.0	39.6					$11,453	$645	$10,779
Providence Creek Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	273 West Duck Creek Road	Clayton	19938	Kent County	Providence Creek Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(302) 653-6276	741	49	15.1		354 (47.8%)	251 (33.9%)	34 (4.6%)	11 (1.5%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (11.9%)	59.7	37^th of 106 public elementary schools	65.1%		49.5	48^th of 103 public elementary schools	53.4%	11	29.1	28.6	49.2	39.7	39.7	45.6	49.4	43.9	46.0	48.0	42.3	38.5	32.9	44.6	42.9	$9,865	$57	$9,795
Smyrna Elementary School	Public	K-3	121 South School Lane	Smyrna	19977	Kent County	Smyrna School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 653-8588	457	34	13.4		199 (43.5%)	170 (37.2%)	40 (8.8%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.1%)								(n/a)				50.0						42.5						$12,683	$763	$11,944
North Smyrna Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	365 North Main Street	Smyrna	19977	Kent County	Smyrna School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 653-8589	554	43	12.8		245 (44.2%)	192 (34.7%)	57 (10.3%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	53 (9.6%)								(n/a)				53.1						55.7						$16,247	$978	$15,438
Sunnyside Elementary School	Public	K-4	123 Rabbit Chase Road	Smyrna	19977	Kent County	Smyrna School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 653-8580	529	32	16.5		287 (54.3%)	172 (32.5%)	30 (5.7%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (6.6%)	76.6	21^st of 106 public elementary schools	80.2%		73.5	21^st of 103 public elementary schools	79.6%					46.4	41.7					63.4	58.3					$12,548	$733	$11,972
Townsend Early Childhood Center	Public	K	10 Brook Ramble Lane	Townsend	19734	New Castle County	Appoquinimink School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 378-9960	192	12	16.0		92 (47.9%)	56 (29.2%)	20 (10.4%)	12 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.3%)								(n/a)																$15,060	$395	$18,404
Townsend Elementary School	Public	1-5	126 Main Street	Townsend	19734	New Castle County	Appoquinimink School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 378-5020	434	31	14.0		250 (57.6%)	91 (21.0%)	60 (13.8%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.5%)	77.4	20^th of 106 public elementary schools	81.1%		74.8	19^th of 103 public elementary schools	81.6%	1	54.2			48.9	50.6	61.0				52.8	41.2	45.8				$12,130	$315	$14,235
North Dover Elementary School	Public	K-4	855 College Road	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1500	340	23	14.7		84 (24.7%)	162 (47.6%)	56 (16.5%)	4 (1.2%)	5 (1.5%)	2 (0.6%)	27 (7.9%)	45	53^rd of 106 public elementary schools	50.0%		44.2	59^th of 103 public elementary schools	42.7%	6				28.3	35.6					34.0	50.9					$14,186	$1,231	$14,133
Hartly Elementary School	Public	K-4	2617 Arthursville Road	Hartly	19953	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1500	257	22	11.8		167 (65.0%)	20 (7.8%)	31 (12.1%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (13.2%)	59.5	38^th of 106 public elementary schools	64.2%		44.3	58^th of 103 public elementary schools	43.7%	20				54.6	37.7					48.2	33.3					$16,264	$1,756	$16,062
Fairview Elementary School	Public	K-4	700 Walker Road	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 672-1500	273	21	13.1		69 (25.3%)	139 (50.9%)	31 (11.4%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (10.6%)	30.5	74^th of 106 public elementary schools	30.2%		22.9	78^th of 103 public elementary schools	24.3%	4				39.2	24.4					25.5	31.9					$14,667	$1,727	$13,448

Clayton Elementary School

Clayton Elementary School:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Smyrna School District:

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Clayton Elementary School

Rank History for all students at Clayton Elementary School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Clayton Elementary School

Rank History for Female students at Clayton Elementary School

Rank History for Male students at Clayton Elementary School

Rank History for African American students at Clayton Elementary School

Rank History for White students at Clayton Elementary School

Review counts

Enrollment information for Clayton Elementary School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Clayton Elementary School

Student/Teacher Ratio Clayton Elementary School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Clayton Elementary School

Impact of COVID-19 on Clayton Elementary School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Clayton Elementary School

Frequently Asked Questions about Clayton Elementary School

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