Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Selbyville, Delaware - 15 schools
An equity score of 44/100 ranks Indian River School District #16 of 40 districts in Delaware (state average 39). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,680 per pupil, Indian River School District ranks #14 of 42 Delaware districts by per-pupil spending (Delaware districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
10,799
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$17,680
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Indian River School District operates 15 public schools serving 10,799 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Delaware. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 elementary, 3 high, 3 middle, 3 combined schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Sussex County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,680 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 42 Delaware districts by per-pupil spending. See how Delaware compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 32.7% local, 55.4% state, and 11.9% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 44/100, ranked #16 of 40 in Delaware against a state average of 39, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 15 schools offering Advanced Placement (26 AP courses district-wide), a 362.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 19.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 48.1% White, 34.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Millsboro Middle School, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.
Sussex Central High School accounts for 18.6% of all Indian River School District student enrollment
That concentration means Indian River School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Indian River School District school enrollment varies 13× across entities
Indian River School District school enrollment ranges from 156 students (lowest) to 2,012 students (highest), a spread of 1,856 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Indian River School District student-counselor ratio is 363:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Indian River School District chronic absenteeism rate is 19.7% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Indian River School District is typically wider than the Indian River School District-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Indian River School District?
Indian River School District has 15 schools, including 3 high, 3 middle, 3 combined, 6 elementary. Total enrollment is 10,799 students.
How much does Indian River School District spend per student?
Indian River School District spends $17,680 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #16 in Delaware.
What is the demographic composition of Indian River School District?
Indian River School District students are 48.1% White, 34.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% African American, 1.0% Asian, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Indian River School District?
Indian River School District has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #16 out of 40 districts in Delaware.