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October 2, 2025 In Blog

Our Education System in Delaware is Broken

By: Nancy Mercante, Guest Contributor

For ten years and counting, another report about student learning shows most students fail to reach higher levels of learning as they progress through their education system. At the national level, the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report about seniors in 2024 shows a decline in seniors who are proficient in reading and math. In fact, more than two-thirds of 12th graders scored below NAEP Basic – 32% in reading and 45% in math. This is the lowest percentage since the test began in 1992. The gap between the highest- and lowest-achieving students is growing, leaving many unprepared for life after school.

Delaware’s school performance results for grades 3-8 in 2024 show no significant improvement. Only 34% of students reached proficiency in math and 41% in English Language Arts (ELA).

The performance of Delaware’s schools with single-digit proficiency was a mixed bag. Warner Elementary declined in both math and ELA from 2023, but Johnson Elementary School doubled its math proficiency in 2024 from 3.5% to 6.07% and ELA rose from 6.43% to 9.09%. The challenge for these schools is to reduce the average 30% chronic absenteeism rate. If kids aren’t in class, they aren’t learning.

To fix our broken schools, all of us need to be involved in some way to help fix them. One of our goals at Citizens for Delaware Schools (C4DS) is to recruit community members who are willing to be laser-focused on their school district’s academic achievement and set specific academic goals for their superintendent. It’s a powerful way to get schools on the right track for students.

You can learn which school board seats are up for election in 2026 at citizensfordelawareschools.org and consider running. C4DS can walk you through the process.

Nancy Mercante had a career in corporate communications for major companies in the financial, pharmaceutical and telecommunications industries. She founded Citizens for Delaware Schools, a nonpartisan nonprofit, two years ago to advocate for a better education for every student in Delaware.