Colonial School District

318 East Basin Road
New Castle, DE 19720-4214
(District boundaries shown in map)
3/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Colonial School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Delaware for:

Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
Student Attention
Lowest student-teacher ratio (Top 1%)
For the 2026-27 school year, there are 2 public high schools serving 2,164 students in Colonial School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 3/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public high schools in Delaware.
Public High Schools in Colonial School District have an average math proficiency score of 13% (versus the Delaware public high school average of 33%), and reading proficiency score of 32% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Public High School in Colonial School District have a Graduation Rate of 84%, which is less than the Delaware average of 89%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Penn (William) High School, with 84% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in Delaware or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 78% of the student body (majority Black), which is more than the Delaware public high school average of 62% (majority Black).

Overview

This School District
This State (DE)
# Schools
15 Schools
60 Schools
# Students
8,575 Students
57,355 Students
# Teachers
595 Teachers
3,754 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
14:1
14:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Colonial School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 42 school districts in Delaware (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 84% has increased from 80% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (DE)
#32 out of 42 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
15%
31%
29%
42%
11%
21%
84%
88.9%
(2022-23)
32.3%
24.3%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.68
0.72
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
2%
5%
% Hispanic
24%
20%
% Black
46%
31%
% White
23%
38%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
5%
5%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $25,796 is higher than the state median of $22,095. The school district revenue/student has grown by 15% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $27,303 is higher than the state median of $23,020. The school district spending/student has grown by 26% over four school years.
This School District
This State (DE)
Total Revenue
$221 MM
$3,141 MM
Spending
$234 MM
$3,273 MM
Revenue / Student
$25,796
$22,095
Spending / Student
$27,303
$23,020

Best Colonial School District Public High Schools (2026-27)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Leach (John G.) School
Special Education School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
10 Landers Lane
New Castle, DE 19720
(302) 429-4055
Gr: PK-12 | 95 students Student-teacher ratio: 6:1 Minority enrollment: 69%
Rank: #22.
Penn (William) High School
(Math: 11% | Reading: 32%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
713 East Basin Road
New Castle, DE 19720
(302) 323-2800
Gr: 9-12 | 2,069 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 79%

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Quick Facts (2026-27)

  • District size: 15 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 8,575 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 14:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 78%
  • : 84% (Top 50% in DE)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 15% (Btm 50%)
  • : 29% (Btm 50%)
  • : 11% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), DE Dept. of Education

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