district-spotlight
Christina Graduates 73%. The State Wants to Redraw the Map.
Christina School District's 73.2% graduation rate is Delaware's lowest by a full percentage point, and the gap to the state runs deeper than the headline.
Delaware Education News & Data
chronic_absenteeism
1 in 2: Delaware's Homeless Students and the Attendance Crisis
Nearly 45% of Delaware's 3,946 homeless students were chronically absent in 2024-25, 2.6 times the statewide rate. The gap is closing but 1,772 students still miss too much school.
graduation_rate
Delaware Hits an All-Time High 88.9% Graduation Rate. The 90% Line Is Still 1.1 Points Away.
Delaware's four-year graduation rate reached 88.9% for the class of 2023, its highest ever, but the state has never crossed 90%. The DOE wants 91% by 2028.
chronic_absenteeism
Delaware Claws Back 81% of Its Attendance Crisis
Delaware cut chronic absenteeism from 25.7% to 17.1% in three years, with each year's improvement larger than the last.
district-spotlight
Four Districts, One City, 6,476 Fewer Students
Brandywine, Christina, Colonial, and Red Clay lost 6,476 students combined while the rest of Delaware grew 20%. The Redding Consortium voted to merge them.
enrollment
18 Delaware Districts Hit All-Time Highs
18 of 41 Delaware districts set enrollment records in 2024-25 while only 3 hit lows. Sussex County growth and charter expansion drive the rare ratio.
school-choice
Odyssey Charter's Greek Experiment Draws 2,375 Students
Delaware's only Greek immersion charter has grown 150% over 10 consecutive years, becoming the state's most racially diverse district in the process.
equity
Nearly One in Three Christina Students Receives Special Ed
Christina's special education rate hit 29.5% as enrollment fell 21.8% over a decade, creating a structural mismatch between growing service needs and a shrinking revenue base.
special-populations
Delaware's English Learner Population Has Doubled in a Decade
Delaware added 7,893 English learners in 10 years, a 69.5% surge that accounts for more than two-thirds of the state's total enrollment growth.
district-spotlight
Cape Henlopen Grew 45%, and Its Schools Can't Keep Up
Sussex County's beach district added 2,217 students in a decade, outpacing every traditional district in Delaware. The high school is already over capacity.
school-choice
Every Year, 2,000 Extra Freshmen Appear in Delaware
Delaware's 9th-grade classes are 18% larger than their 8th-grade cohorts, a structural anomaly driven by the state's unique vo-tech choice system.
special-populations
Delaware's Special Education Rate Hits 22%, Seven Points Above the Nation
Delaware added 11,728 special education students in a decade, pushing its IEP rate to 22% while the national average sits at 15%.
demographics
One in Five Delaware Students Is Now Hispanic
Hispanic enrollment grew 42% in a decade, adding 9,211 students and accounting for 80% of Delaware's net growth. Sussex County districts are transforming fastest.
enrollment
Delaware Lost One Year to COVID, Then Set a Record
Delaware's COVID enrollment dip lasted a single year. The state bounced back 2.4x its losses and hit an all-time high, but Wilmington-area districts never recovered.
district-spotlight
Appoquinimink Adds 3,867 Students and Transforms Along the Way
Delaware's fastest-growing district gained 39.9% enrollment in a decade, climbing from sixth- to third-largest while its white share dropped from 66% to 45%.
