Enrollment
2,069
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 100023000209
Penn (William) High School — New Castle, DE
Federal NCES profile for Penn (William) High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 28
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 48
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)
124.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.1:1
vs 14.1:1 Delaware avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Penn (William) High 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
Penn (William) High School reports 2,069 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 124.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% 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 14% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 259 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
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 50/100 (C-), 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 Penn (William) High 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 | 18.1:1 | ▲ 28% | 14.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 2,069 | top 99% | — | — |
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
18.1:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 93% in Delaware — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
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
Counselors8.0 FTE
Per 259 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
196
in-school suspensions + 332 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 31 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,069 Top 99% in Delaware — larger than 1% of 223 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 124.0
Students per teacher 18.1:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 100023000209
Student demographics
African American 49.8%
Hispanic or Latino 23.3%
White 21.4%
Two or More 3.2%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 49.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 19
Counselors (FTE) 8.0
Students per counselor 259:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 196
Out-of-school suspensions 332
Expulsions 31
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Colonial School District, which includes Penn (William) High 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
- 1,052
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 846
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 662
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
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 Penn (William) High School
How many students attend Penn (William) High School?
Penn (William) High School has 2,069 students enrolled. It is a high school in New Castle, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Penn (William) High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Penn (William) High School is 18.1:1, which is 28% higher than the Delaware average of 14.1:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Penn (William) High School?
The largest demographic group at Penn (William) High School is African American at 49.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in New Castle, DE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Penn (William) High School?
Penn (William) High School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.