Enrollment
846
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 100023000208
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School — New Castle, DE
Federal NCES profile for Bedford (Gunning) Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 19/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Colonial School District · Delaware
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 14.1:1 Delaware avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bedford (Gunning) Middle School compares with Delaware and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School reports 846 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 54.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% above the Delaware state mean of 14.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 423 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Colonial School District spends $21,668 per pupil district-wide, above the Delaware average of $18,485 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.1% from local sources (property taxes), 53.5% from the state, and 11.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bedford (Gunning) Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Delaware state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Delaware | Delaware avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.3:1 | ▲ 23% | 14.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 846 | top 78% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 23% above state mean
Top 89% in Delaware — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,668
per pupil, district-wide
— above Delaware avg of $18,485
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 423 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
101
in-school suspensions + 175 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 846 Top 78% in Delaware — larger than 22% of 223 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 54.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 +23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 100023000208
Student demographics
African American 50.5%
White 26.0%
Hispanic or Latino 15.5%
Two or More 4.8%
Asian 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 50.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 423:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.7%
In-school suspensions 101
Out-of-school suspensions 175
Expulsions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Colonial School District, which includes Bedford (Gunning) Middle School.
$21,668
Per student
+17%
vs Delaware
Avg $18,485
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.1%
State 53.5%
Federal 11.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,069
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
Similar middle schools in New Castle
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bedford (Gunning) Middle School
How many students attend Bedford (Gunning) Middle School?
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School has 846 students enrolled. It is a middle school in New Castle, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is 17.3:1, which is 23% higher than the Delaware average of 14.1:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bedford (Gunning) Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is African American at 50.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in New Castle, DE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bedford (Gunning) Middle School?
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.