12 public K-12 schools in Wilmington from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
12 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Wilmington's 12 public schools is Phineas Banning Senior High, scoring 44/100, against a city average of 35.4/100. Computed live across every Wilmington campus reporting to NCES.
How the Wilmington Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Wilmington, CA enrolls 8,560 students across 12 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 1 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 20.4:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 35.4/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Wilmington on this index is Phineas Banning Senior High, at 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 2,422 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Wilmington spans 2 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Phineas Banning Senior High accounts for 28.3% of all Wilmington public-school enrollment
That dominant concentration means Wilmington-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade level: High. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Wilmington school enrollment varies 50× across entities
Wilmington school enrollment ranges from 48 students (lowest) to 2,422 students (highest), a spread of 2,374 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme heterogeneity inside a single city, small specialty programs sit alongside large comprehensive campuses, often serving very different family demographics inside walking distance. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Wilmington has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 83.9% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Wilmington student-teacher ratio is 20.4:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Wilmington
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Wilmington is Phineas Banning Senior High with a quality score of 44/100. There are 12 public schools in Wilmington with 8,560 total students.
How many schools are in Wilmington, CA? ▼
Wilmington has 12 public schools with a total enrollment of 8,560 students. 1 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 20.4:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
