Enrollment
1,777
Delaware · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 100162000299
Smyrna High School — Smyrna, DE
Federal NCES profile for Smyrna High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 34
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 11
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: Smyrna 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)
109.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 14.1:1 Delaware avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Smyrna 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
Smyrna High School reports 1,777 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 109.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 17 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 296 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Smyrna School District spends $15,860 per pupil district-wide, below the Delaware average of $18,485 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.3% from local sources (property taxes), 69.6% from the state, and 11.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Smyrna 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 | 16.6:1 | ▲ 18% | 14.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 1,777 | top 97% | — | — |
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
16.6:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 84% in Delaware — lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
35.6%
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
$15,860
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 296 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
117
in-school suspensions + 160 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,777 Top 97% in Delaware — larger than 3% of 223 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 109.0
Students per teacher 16.6:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 100162000299
Student demographics
White 48.5%
African American 35.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
Two or More 4.1%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 48.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 296:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.6%
In-school suspensions 117
Out-of-school suspensions 160
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Smyrna School District, which includes Smyrna High School.
$15,860
Per student
-14%
vs Delaware
Avg $18,485
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.3%
State 69.6%
Federal 11.2%
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
- 1,011
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 638
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 507
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
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 Smyrna High School
How many students attend Smyrna High School?
Smyrna High School has 1,777 students enrolled. It is a high school in Smyrna, DE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Smyrna High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Smyrna High School is 16.6:1, which is 18% higher than the Delaware average of 14.1:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Smyrna High School?
The largest demographic group at Smyrna High School is White at 48.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Smyrna, DE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Smyrna High School?
Smyrna High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.