Enrollment
324
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · New Castle, DE
Downie (Carrie) Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Downie (Carrie) Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 100023000205
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Downie (Carrie) Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Delaware median.
- #4 of 8
- elementary schools in New Castle · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 324
- students enrolled
Downie (Carrie) Elementary School has class sizes near the Delaware median. Computed live against every Delaware school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Downie (Carrie) Elementary School ranks #4 of 8 elementary schools in New Castle, DE.
School address
District: Colonial School District · Delaware
NCES ID 100023000205 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 13.9:1 Delaware avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Downie (Carrie) Elementary School compares with Delaware and U.S. medians
What stands out at Downie (Carrie) Elementary School
Downie (Carrie) Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in New Castle, Delaware, enrolling 324 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of Delaware schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 324 puts it in the smaller third of Delaware schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 222 scored Delaware schools.
Its student body is led by African American (38%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%) (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 324 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.1% 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): Downie (Carrie) Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 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 Downie (Carrie) 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 Downie (Carrie) Elementary School compares
Downie (Carrie) 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 324 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
324
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 39% in Delaware - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
49.1%
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 324 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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 37.7%
Hispanic or Latino 29.0%
White 25.3%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 37.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.6, Downie (Carrie) 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 Downie (Carrie) 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 Downie (Carrie) 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 | Similar 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 Downie (Carrie) 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
Castle Hills Elementary School
Standard public school
462 students 11.6:1 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
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 (~324 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Downie (Carrie) Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Downie (Carrie) 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 Downie (Carrie) Elementary School
How many students attend Downie (Carrie) Elementary School?
Downie (Carrie) Elementary School has 324 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in New Castle, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Downie (Carrie) Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Downie (Carrie) Elementary School is 13:1, which is 6% lower than the Delaware average of 13.9:1 and 17% 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 Downie (Carrie) Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Downie (Carrie) Elementary School is African American at 37.7% of enrollment, in New Castle, DE. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Downie (Carrie) Elementary School?
Downie (Carrie) Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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 Downie (Carrie) Elementary School rank among elementary schools in New Castle?
By Resource Investment Index, Downie (Carrie) Elementary School ranks #4 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 Downie (Carrie) Elementary School a good school?
Downie (Carrie) Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Delaware median. 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 Downie (Carrie) 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.