Enrollment
462
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · New Castle, DE
Castle Hills Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Castle Hills Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 100023000204
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Castle Hills Elementary School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% of Delaware schools.
- #8 of 8
- elementary schools in New Castle · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.6:1
- small classes for Delaware
- 462
- students enrolled
Castle Hills Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Delaware schools. Computed live against every Delaware school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Castle Hills Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 elementary schools in New Castle, DE.
School address
District: Colonial School District · Delaware
NCES ID 100023000204 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Delaware avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Castle Hills Elementary School compares with Delaware and U.S. medians
What stands out at Castle Hills Elementary School
Castle Hills Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in New Castle, Delaware, enrolling 462 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Delaware schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 462 students, its enrollment sits close to the Delaware median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% 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 (39%) and Hispanic or Latino (30%) (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 462 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among New Castle's elementary schools, it stands alongside Charter School of New Castle (788 students): Castle Hills Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.6:1 vs 18.8:1).
Colonial School District also operates Penn (William) High School (2,069 students) and Wilbur (Kathleen H.) Elementary (1,052 students) alongside Castle Hills Elementary 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 Castle Hills Elementary School compares
Castle Hills Elementary 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 462 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.6:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
462
Bigger than 57% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.6:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 24% in Delaware - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
50.9%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 462 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 38.7%
Hispanic or Latino 29.9%
White 16.9%
Two or More 7.8%
Asian 6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 38.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.2, Castle Hills Elementary 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 Castle Hills Elementary 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 Castle Hills Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn (William) High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wilbur (Kathleen H.) Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bedford (Gunning) Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southern Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Read (George) Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Castle Hills Elementary 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
- 846
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar elementary schools in New Castle
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Charter School of New Castle
Standard public school
788 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Southern Elementary School
Standard public school
729 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Eisenberg (Harry O.) Elementary School
Standard public school
436 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Pleasantville Elementary School
Standard public school
389 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
New Castle Elementary School
Standard public school
383 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Downie (Carrie) Elementary School
Standard public school
324 students 13:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~462 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Castle Hills Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Castle Hills Elementary 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 Castle Hills Elementary School
How many students attend Castle Hills Elementary School?
Castle Hills Elementary School has 462 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in New Castle, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Castle Hills Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Castle Hills Elementary School is 11.6:1, which is 17% lower than the Delaware average of 13.9:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Castle Hills Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Castle Hills Elementary School is African American at 38.7% of enrollment, in New Castle, DE. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Castle Hills Elementary School?
Castle Hills Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (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 Castle Hills Elementary School rank among elementary schools in New Castle?
By Resource Investment Index, Castle Hills Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 elementary 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 elementary schools in New Castle on the city page.
Is Castle Hills Elementary School a good school?
Castle Hills Elementary School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller 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 Castle Hills Elementary School, Colonial School District also operates Penn (William) High School (2,069 students), Wilbur (Kathleen H.) Elementary (1,052 students), and Bedford (Gunning) Middle School (846 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.