Enrollment
846
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · New Castle, DE
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Bedford (Gunning) Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 21/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 100023000208
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Delaware schools.
- #3 of 3
- middle schools in New Castle · Resource Index
- 21
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.7:1
- large classes for Delaware
- 846
- students enrolled
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School has class sizes larger than 76% of Delaware schools. Computed live against every Delaware school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bedford (Gunning) Middle School ranks #3 of 3 middle schools in New Castle, DE.
School address
District: Colonial School District · Delaware
NCES ID 100023000208 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
54.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 13.9:1 Delaware avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bedford (Gunning) Middle School compares with Delaware and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in New Castle, Delaware, enrolling 846 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Delaware schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 846 puts it in the larger third of Delaware schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 222 Delaware schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by African American (51%) and White (26%) (diversity index 65/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 423 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 44.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 276 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 846 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 11 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among New Castle's middle schools, it stands alongside Read (George) Middle School (662 students): Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.7:1 vs 13:1).
Colonial School District also operates Penn (William) High School (2,069 students) and Wilbur (Kathleen H.) Elementary (1,052 students) alongside Bedford (Gunning) Middle School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bedford (Gunning) Middle School compares
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Delaware and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Delaware | Delaware avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▲ 13% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 846 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
846
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 76% in Delaware - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
44.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,934
per pupil, district-wide
- above Delaware avg of $16,990
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially 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
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
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.
Student-body diversity index 65.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.0, Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is more mixed than the Delaware school average of 61.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Colonial School District, which includes Bedford (Gunning) Middle School.
$19,934
Per student
+17%
vs Delaware
Avg $16,990
+20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Bedford (Gunning) Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn (William) High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilbur (Kathleen H.) Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southern Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Read (George) Middle School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mccullough (Calvin R. ) Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bedford (Gunning) Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,069
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar middle schools in New Castle
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Delaware, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~846 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bedford (Gunning) Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Bedford (Gunning) Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Colonial School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
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 15.7:1, which is 13% higher than the Delaware average of 13.9:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in New Castle, DE. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bedford (Gunning) Middle School?
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Bedford (Gunning) Middle School rank among middle schools in New Castle?
By Resource Investment Index, Bedford (Gunning) Middle School ranks #3 of 3 middle schools in New Castle, DE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in New Castle on the city page.
Is Bedford (Gunning) Middle School a good school?
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School earns 21/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Delaware schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Colonial School District?
Besides Bedford (Gunning) Middle School, Colonial School District also operates Penn (William) High School (2,069 students), Wilbur (Kathleen H.) Elementary (1,052 students), and Southern Elementary School (729 students). See the Colonial School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.