Downes Elementary School

What Downes Elementary School does

John R. Downes Elementary School is a public K-5 elementary school founded in 1965 and located at 220 Casho Mill Road in Newark, Delaware. It operates as a constituent school within the Christina School District, a government state entity, and serves over 300 students from Kindergarten through 5th grade. The school's flagship offering is a K-5 dual-language Mandarin Chinese Immersion Program, complemented by a nurturing Kindergarten program, an academic excellence curriculum, gifted and talented services, and a range of extracurricular activities including a school garden program.

The school delivers education through standard district-provided educational technology platforms, including ClassLink for single sign-on, Infinite Campus for student information and grade reporting, Schoology as a learning management system, and Peachjar for digital flyer distribution. It does not develop proprietary technology. The institution has received the PTA School of Excellence designation along with national and state-level recognition awards, and reports a 90.29% student attendance rate as a key outcome metric.

Downes is funded through federal, state, and local government education allocations channeled via the Christina School District; there is no tuition charged to resident families. Enrollment is managed through the district's centralized enrollment system, with the school conducting community outreach through active social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube under the @DownesSharks brand). The school has approximately 9 listed employees in the input data, is governed by the Christina School District Board of Education, and competes for student enrollment primarily on the strength of its Mandarin immersion program and family engagement culture.

Name

Downes Elementary School

Legal name

John R. Downes Elementary School

Website

https://downeses.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Downes Elementary School is a public K-5 elementary school in Newark, Delaware, serving over 300 students within the Christina School District. Its flagship offering is a K-5 Mandarin Chinese dual-language immersion program, funded through government education allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary and Secondary Education (K-5 Public Elementary Education)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Public elementary education
• K-5 education services
• Dual language immersion
• Mandarin Chinese immersion
• Whole child education

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

John R. Downes Elementary School is a public K-5 elementary school that delivers standard-aligned academic instruction together with a district-scarce dual-language Mandarin Chinese immersion program. It serves approximately 300 students across Kindergarten through Grade 5 in Newark, Delaware, complemented by extracurricular Clubs & Activities and a nurturing Kindergarten program supporting whole-child development.

Product overview

Downes Elementary School is a K-5 public elementary school within the Christina School District offering a unified educational program centered on dual-language Mandarin Chinese immersion. The school provides core academic programs (Academic Excellence, Kindergarten), specialized immersion education (Chinese Immersion Program), and extracurricular activities (Clubs & Activities). All programs work together to deliver whole-child education that fosters bilingualism, academic achievement, and lifelong learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-5 Chinese Immersion Program A K-5 dual-language immersion program engaging students in English and Mandarin Chinese throughout their elementary school learning experience, fostering bilingualism and cultural appreciation from an early age. Targeted at K-5 students enrolled at Downes Elementary School.
• Academic Excellence Program Comprehensive curriculum delivered by teachers where students expand their minds and work together to experience academic achievement and moments of revelation. Targeted at K-5 students at Downes Elementary School.
• Nurturing Kindergarten Program Kindergarten program providing a safe, nurturing setting with plenty of chances for families to actively participate and engage in their child's early education. Targeted at incoming Kindergarten students and their families.
• Clubs & Activities Wide range of extracurricular activities designed to educate the whole child, ignite passions, and unlock the greatness within every student. Targeted at K-5 students at Downes Elementary School.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90.29% attendance rate - students missing less than 10% of school days

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Brookside Elementary: Public K-5 elementary school within the same Christina School District serving the Newark, Delaware area; directly comparable on governance, funding model, curriculum mandate, and grade range.
• Brader Elementary: Public K-5 elementary school in Christina School District; directly comparable in operating model, funding mechanism, and curriculum framework as a district peer school.
• Gallaher Elementary: Public K-5 elementary school within Christina School District; comparable on grade range, district governance, and shared curriculum resources.
• Wilson Elementary: Public K-5 elementary school in Christina School District; serves the same Newark-area community under the same district policies and funding envelope.
• Yinghua Academy: Public K-8 Mandarin immersion charter school in Minneapolis, Minnesota; one of the most established public Mandarin immersion schools in the U.S., directly comparable to Downes on the immersion specialization that defines its brand.
• Yu Ying Public Charter School: Mandarin Chinese immersion public charter school in Washington, D.C.; directly comparable to Downes on dual-language K-5 instructional model and public-funding structure.
• PS 20 Anna Silver School: Public elementary school in New York City with a Mandarin Chinese immersion program; directly comparable as a public K-5 school where Mandarin immersion is a defining program.

Emerging players

• Newark Charter School: Public charter school in Newark, Delaware serving K-8; comparable as an alternative K-5 public provider in the same local market, drawing from a similar family demographic.

Regional players

• Chinese American International School: Independent PreK-8 school in San Francisco with a Mandarin immersion track; comparable on the bilingual curriculum design but operates as a private institution in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP DC: Network of public charter schools in Washington, D.C. serving elementary grades; comparable on public K-5 education delivery and whole-child framing, though broader in scope and geography than a single-school peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DownesSharks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DownesSharks
• Facebookfacebook.com/DownesSharks
• Instagraminstagram.com/DownesSharks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Downes Elementary School