Enrollment
647
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 100018000071
F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School — Camden, DE
Federal NCES profile for F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 32
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: Caesar Rodney 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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 14.1:1 Delaware avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How F. Niel Postlethwait 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
F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School reports 647 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% 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 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 324 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Caesar Rodney School District spends $18,245 per pupil district-wide, below the Delaware average of $18,485 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 15.6% from local sources (property taxes), 62.9% from the state, and 21.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 F. Niel Postlethwait 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 9% | 14.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 647 | top 66% | — | — |
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
15.3:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 72% in Delaware — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.4%
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
$18,245
per pupil, district-wide
— below Delaware avg of $18,485
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 324 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
54
in-school suspensions + 96 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 9 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 647 Top 66% in Delaware — larger than 34% of 223 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 15.3:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 100018000071
Student demographics
White 41.0%
African American 34.0%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Two or More 7.6%
Asian 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 41.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 324:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.4%
In-school suspensions 54
Out-of-school suspensions 96
Expulsions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caesar Rodney School District, which includes F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School.
$18,245
Per student
-1%
vs Delaware
Avg $18,485
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 15.6%
State 62.9%
Federal 21.5%
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
- 2,254
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 839
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
Similar middle schools in Camden
1 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 F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School
How many students attend F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School?
F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School has 647 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Camden, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School is 15.3:1, which is 9% higher than the Delaware average of 14.1:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School?
The largest demographic group at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School is White at 41.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Camden, DE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School?
F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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.