Newark High School - Newark, Delaware/DE

Home > Delaware > New Castle County > Newark High School

Newark High School

750 East Delaware Avenue, Newark, DE, 19711-7188 -

tel: (302)454-2151
Visit School Website
View current housing listings in this area
Review school:
Find your graduating class!

View RSS feed

Definition of Terms

Newark High School

School Level

High school

Grades Offered

Grades 8 - 12

County

New Castle County, DE

Students & Faculty

Total Students

1866 students

% Male / % Female

52% / 48%

Total Classroom Teachers

110 teachers

Students by Grade

Grade 8 - 12 students

Grade 9 - 647 students

Grade 10 - 451 students

Grade 11 - 355 students

Grade 12 - 401 students

This School

(DE) School Average

Teacher : Student Ratio

1:17

1:16

Students by Ethnicity

This School

(DE) School Average

% American Indian	n/a	n/a
% Asian	4%	2%
% Hispanic	8%	11%
% Black	32%	33%
% White	56%	52%

Additional Student Information

This School

(DE) School Average

% Eligible for Free Lunch

27%

35%

% Eligible for Reduced Lunch

% Migrant Students Enrolled

n/a

n/a

(DE) Statewide Testing Performance

School Statewide Performance

View Education Department Test Scores

School District Name

Christina School District

This School's Agency

(DE) District Average

Number of Schools Managed	30	3
Number of Students Managed	19,232 students	1,194 students
District Total Revenue	$265,711,000	$19,096,000
District Expenditure	$294,637,000	$19,228,000
District Revenue / Student	$13,816	$15,993
District Expenditure / Student	$15,320	$15,708
District Graduation Rates	64%	92%

Newark High School is a public high school in Newark, Delaware and is one of three high schools within the Christina School District.
Newark High School is also one of the oldest educational institutions in the state, having been open for high school level instruction under that moniker since 1893. It should be noted that Newark is the only remaining "downtown" public High School in New Castle County.
In 2006, Newark was named by Newsweek magazine as one of their "Top Schools in America" at #521. It was one of five high schools in the state of Delaware that ranked in the top 1,000.
Newark has also won the DIAA Sportsmanship Award for the past four years (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006).
In 2006, Newark was named by Newsweek magazine as one of their "Top Schools in America" at #521. It was one of five high schools in the state of Delaware that ranked in the top 1,000.
Newark has also won the DIAA Sportsmanship Award for the past four years (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006).
School history: Originally called the "Newark Public School", the institution that would become Newark High School has existed in four different incarnations at four different sites since 1893. This makes Newark one of the oldest public schools in the state of Delaware.
1893-1897: The first incarnation of what became Newark High School was located on 83 East Main Street in downtown Newark. The building itself belonged to the Unifed School District and was erected by the town in 1884 at the cost of $10,000. When it was built, students wishing to persue an education past the eighth grade would have had to move to nearby Wilmington, Delaware or attend private schools, like the nearby Newark Academy.
Originally intended to instruct students through eighth grade, the building began "college preparation" (High School level) classes on the second floor of the building in the early 1890's. The first graduating class consisted of nine students in 1893, nearly matching the amount of faculty members at the time.
Slowly, as the town began to grow, the conditions began to get cramped at 83 East Main Street. When the school (and its 185 students from first thru twelfth grade) moved to a larger facility in 1898, 83 East Main Street became the school district headquarters for the Unified School District (1898-1919), which became the Newark Special School District (1919 - 1981). When the Christina School District was created in 1981, the location was absorbed by the new district and continued to be used as the district headquarters until 2004.
The interior of the building is currently being renovated and will become the home of the NETworks Program for the Christina School District in the fall of 2007. This building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982.
1956-present: With an increasing population in the city and the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the current incarnation of Newark High School opened as an integrated school able to serve a student population of around 1,000 students. At a cost of $3,532,312.24, the facility at 750 East Delaware Avenue was completed in 1956. It was not quite ready for first day of school and split sessions were used to begin the year. Sometime in October 1956, the 10-12 graders came to the Academy address, collected their books and walked a half mile to the new school.
The school itself was later expanded in 1970 (in order to accommodate additional growth), adding what are referred to as the three story E and D wings, a second cafeteria, a new library, and a second gym (which was among the largest in the area at the time). Christiana High School was also opened in 1963 to alleviate overcrowding concerns at Newark. With the expansion, ninth grade was added to the building.
The campus' athletic facilities include a 400 meter track and field with shotput and discus throwing areas and long, triple, and high jump facilities and a pole-vaulting area (which is currently unable to be used), a soccer field that doubles as the baseball field's outfield, a football field that doubles as a soccer and lacrosse field, two softball fields and six tennis courts. The building was last renovated in 1998, although several capital improvements, such as central air for the entire building, were approved in a 2002 referendum and completed in 2006.
Despite the school's large student population, the school currently occupies the smallest acreage of any high school in the state - a site which would be prohibited if the construction had taken place today (due to various land sales, expansions of the building, and the Christina Transportation lot "eating" away at the original acreage). In fact, many school sports teams practice at nearby middle schools due to space limitations.
Parking is also extremely limited due to space limitations. Attempts to rectify the parking situation in particular have placed Newark in the news recently, including disagreements between the school's student population and local businesses in the College Square Shopping Center in 2004 and the failed 2006 referendum that included a proposal for building a 12 million dollar parking garage on the site of the current parking lot.
Athletic excellence: State Championship Victories since 1970 (37 total).
Football (1976, 1984, 1985, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2004).
NHS Football has been in the Flight A championship game 10 times in the last 11 years.
Coach Butch Simpson currently holds the state record for most career victories in football (235).
Girls Swimming and Diving (1978, 1980, 1981, 1989, 1990, 1992, and 2003).
Boys Baseball (1970, 1971, 1974, 1984, 1990, and 1996).
NHS Baseball has been to the Flight A championship game 2 times in the last 3 years.
Girls Volleyball (1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1990).
Boys Basketball (1982, 1987, and 1990).
Boys Swimming and Diving (2005).
Boys Indoor Track and Field (2004).
Cross Country (1971).
Boys Tennis (1996).
Girls Softball (1977). All sports have participated in the Blue Hen Conference - Flight A since its creation in 1970.
School Current organizations: Academic Bowl; Army Junior ROTC (Yellowjacket Battlion); Brothers and Sisters Student Union (BAASU); Business Professionals of America (BPA), Conflict Managers; Comic Book Club (Produces a student-made comic book "Wired"); Christians-in-Action Club (CIA); Future Farmers of America; Ice Hockey (club sport); Jobs for Delaware Graduates (JDG); Junior Statesmen of America (JSA); Key Club; Krawen (Yearbook), Since 1941; Marching Band (since 1941); Mathematics League; Model United Nations (MUN); National Honor Society; National French Honor Society; National Spanish Honor Society, Newark Nature Society; Positive Behavior Support Club; Plexus Literary Magazine, Since 1972; Rude Mechanicals (Comedy improv troupe); Science Olympiad; Sportsmanship Committee; Student Government (NSG); Class Councils (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior); Students Against Violence (SAVE); Student Against Destructive Decisions (SADD); Theatre Department; WHNS Television; Yellowjacket Buzz (Student Newspaper), Since 1937; Youth in Government (YIG).
Krawen (the name of the Yearbook) is Newark backwords.
When the current building opened in 1956, the current Main Office served as the school's library. It remained so until the 1970 renovation, which created the D and E wings.
Gym classes at Newark used to be divided by gender. When the second gym (West Gym) was built in 1970, it became the "Boys Gym" while the smaller gym (East Gym) became the "Girls Gym".
An old Newark High School tradition (1936-1969) was the Thanksgiving Day Game, in which Newark was 29-4 all-time. The game was played against the "traditional rival" of the school. Conrad, Elkton, and Christiana High Schools fullfilled that role against Newark at various points during that 34 year span. The tradition ended with the creation of the Blue Hen Conference in 1970.
According to the Krawen, the Junior class has won the Homecoming Powderpuff Game twice, in 1972 and 2004. The Senior class is 7-2-1 all-time in the game (the tie game came in 1971). This tradition restarted in 1998 and often is heavily attended by the school community.
Homecoming floats have been judged at Newark since 1969. The Seniors have won fifteen times, the Junior class tweleve times, the Sophomore class seven times, and the Freshman class three times. The Class of 2008 (Junior class) was the 2006 Float Winner.
From 1989-1995 NHS held a bonfire on the Thursday night before Homecoming.
Since 1973, the certain male and female members of the senior class (since 1989 the Senior Homecoming Court) dress in "drag" during the Fall Pep Fest. No one is sure how (or why) the tradition started but it has since become the highlight of the Pep Fest activities.
Newark has had a "Football Queen," a senior female, every year since 1936. Each class has named a class Princess since 1984. The male King and Prince designations have existed since 1988.
The faculty Dodgeball Game has been won by the Personal Studies Team (2005) and the English Department (2006).
Newark's biggest fall dance for most of its recent history was the Sadie Hawkins Dance, which was held each November starting in 1969 to 1981. The Homecoming Dance occured occasionally during that time (1975, 1976) but was not a major dance again until 1988.
Newark H.S. received national attention in October 2005 when two members of the Philadelphia Eagles promoted a Christian concert during a school-sanctioned assembly. Although not planned, the resulting fervor led to NHS being the center of a 1st Amendment (public schools and religious expression) debate, as this article attests.
Notable Yellowjackets: Robert W. Gore graduated from Newark in 1955 and his experiments with PTFE at the University of Delaware in 1958 helped spur the growth of his father's company W.L. Gore and Associates, which is notable for products featuring Gore-Tex. He later went on to serve as the company's president and CEO and is now currently head of the Board of Directors. His donations to the University of Delaware led to the construction of Gore Hall (a multi-use classroom facility) at the University of Delaware, which opened in 1998. He has also been inducted as a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1995, received the Winthrop-Sears Medal from the Chemical Heritage Foundation and Chemists' Club in 2003, was awarded the Perkin Medal by the Society of Chemical Industry in 2005, and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006.
Peggy Bedingfield Sullivan Morrissey graduated from Newark in 1967 and is known for her work in events through the University of Delaware and the Delaware sporting community. As an undergraduate she was the first student representative on the UD Faculty Senate, served as secretary and senator-at-large for the UD Student Government Association before graduating in 1971. She continued to work for the University in various offices around campus (the alumni, admissions, urban affairs and continuing education departments) until retiring in 1994. She has also served as chairperson and committee member of the Blue-Gold All Star Football Game and was campaign cabinet member for the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame. She was recognized by the UD's Women's Club with their "Woman of the Year Award" in 2000.
Lauren Wilson graduated from Newark in 1975 and currently works as a reporter for ABC's WPVI-TV (Channel 6) in Philadelphia. Upon graduating from Newark, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1979. Prior to joining WPVI in June 1986, Wilson was a reporter, weathercaster, and substitute anchor at WHYY-TV, Philadelphia/Wilmington, with previous on-air experience as a reporter for WMDT-TV, Salisbury, Maryland, and WILM Newsradio in Wilmington, Delaware.
Katherine Ciesinski, a mezzo-soprano who graduated in the 1970s, and has since performed with opera companies throughout the U.S. and in Europe. She is Professor of Voice and Chair of Voice Studies at the Moores School of Music, University of Houston. She received a Grammy nomination for her performance of Paulina in The Queen of Spades with the Boston Symphony.
Kwame Harris (OT) was a unanimous All-America selection in 1999, as well as a USA Today 1999 First-Team All-American, Gatorade State Player of the Year in Delaware for 1999, PrepStar�s Atlantic Region 1999 MVP, a Three-Time First-Team All-State selection. Notably, he didn't allow a sack for three years in a row in High School. After three years at Stanford University, he entered the NFL Draft in 2003 and was selected in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers.
Orien Harris (DT) was named Delaware's Gatorade Player of the Year, Lineman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2000. During his career at Newark he had 496 tackles (331 solos), 33 quarterback sacks and 252 stops behind the line of scrimmage (51 percent of his total). After four years at the University of Miami, he entered the NFL Draft in 2006 and was a fourth round pick for the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yellowjackets in the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame: Bernie (Bunny) Blaney, C. Melvin Brooks Sr., Brandy Davis, Shorty Chalmers, Roman Ciesinski, Conway Hayman, Gary Hayman, Vic Willis, Bob Hoffman, Carol Thomson Slowik, Chris Dunn, Scotty Duncan, Buck Wharton.
Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL
Add information about this school (e.g., awards, news stories, notable alumni, fun facts)

About This Zip Code (19711)

School Zip (19711)

(DE) State Average

Population (Approximate)

55,760 people

766,119 people

% (age 25+) w/College Degree

55%

30%

Population Average Age

28 years old

35 years old

Average Household size

2.6 persons

2.5 persons

Median Household Income

$62,258

$48,657

Avg. # of Rooms in Household

6.8 rooms

6.0 rooms

Median Age of Housing Structure

34 years old

38 years old

View current housing listings in this area

Median Value of Housing Unit
Zipcode (19711)

What's a Zindex?
Subject to Zillow Terms of Use

% Owning / % Renting

67% / 33%

70% / 30%

Get: driving directions View weather forecasts and averages

Weather: 10-day forecast or monthly climate averages.

Nearby Schools:


1. Christiana High School - 1562 students - view location
2. John Dickinson High School - 992 students - view location
3. Glasgow High School - 1506 students - view location
4. Paul M. Hodgson Vocational Technical High School - 1031 students - view location
5. Delaware Military Academy - 509 students - view location
View all schools in: Newark Town, New Castle County, Zip 19711

Tip: Zoom in/out using the slider below. View aerial photos using the Satellite or Hybrid buttons.

Note: Data has been gathered from several government and commercial data sources. School data reflects years 2002-04 statistics (most recent years available). Area and demographic data reflects year 2000 statistics. Public School Review does not ensure the timeliness or accuracy of the information on this site.

Quick Links:


• Find housing: View current housing listings in this area
• Reconnect: Find your graduating class at Classmates.com
• Review: Review school:
• Tools: Search schools by zip, Compare schools side-by-side
• More schools: Private schools, Boarding schools & military schools
• Return to: New Castle County public schools, Delaware public schools, Home