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.
Laurel, Delaware - 4 schools
An equity score of 44/100 ranks Laurel School District #18 of 40 districts in Delaware (state average 39). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $14,677 per pupil, Laurel School District ranks #29 of 42 Delaware districts by per-pupil spending (Delaware districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,598
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$14,677
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Laurel School District operates 4 public schools serving 2,598 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Delaware. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. 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 $14,677 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 42 Delaware districts by per-pupil spending. See how Delaware compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 16.1% local, 64.6% state, and 19.3% 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 #18 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 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 367.4:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 26.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 39.0% White, 27.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Laurel Elementary School, with a diversity index of 71.3/100.
Its largest campus is Laurel Elementary School, enrolling 1,145 students (45% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is North Laurel Early Learning Academy, at 273 students, a 4x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Laurel Elementary School accounts for 44.1% of all Laurel School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Laurel School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Laurel School District school enrollment varies 4.2× across entities
Laurel School District school enrollment ranges from 273 students (lowest) to 1,145 students (highest), a spread of 872 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Laurel School District student-counselor ratio is 367:1 — 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.
Laurel School District chronic absenteeism rate is 26.3% — 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 Laurel School District is typically wider than the Laurel School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Laurel School District has 4 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 2,598 students.
How much does Laurel School District spend per student?
Laurel School District spends $14,677 per student. The district has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #18 in Delaware.
What is the demographic composition of Laurel School District?
Laurel School District students are 39.0% White, 27.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% African American, 0.8% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Laurel School District?
Laurel School District has an equity score of 44/100, ranking #18 out of 40 districts in Delaware.