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F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
31st
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 59 Delaware Middle Schools
Better than 47% of Delaware middle schools
Summary

F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School in Camden, DE, serves 647 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Caesar Rodney School District, a district ranked 5th in the state.

Postlethwait has experienced a significant decline over the past decade, falling from a top-10 state ranking in 2015-2016 to a middle-of-the-pack position today. The most pressing concern is mathematics, where proficiency rates lag far behind district and state averages—particularly in 6th grade, where only 17.7% of students are proficient compared to 34.2% districtwide. English Language Arts tells a more encouraging story, with 8th graders exceeding state averages at 48% proficiency. Chronic absenteeism is another challenge, with 20.6% of students missing significant school time—nearly triple the rate at nearby Dover Air Force Base Middle School (7.0%). That school, just 1.76 miles away, ranks 5th in the state with dramatically better outcomes, though it benefits from a much smaller student body (98 students) and 2.5 times the per-student funding.

There are bright spots worth noting. Special education students rank in the 68th percentile statewide, and African American student performance has improved significantly over two years. The school also shows a pattern of academic growth as students advance, with 8th grade performance consistently stronger than 6th grade. However, Postlethwait now trails all other middle schools in its district, including Magnolia Middle School (rank 14) and Fred Fifer III Middle School (rank 23). For parents considering this school, the key questions revolve around math instruction and attendance support—addressing these two areas would likely have the greatest impact on student success.

647
Students ?
17.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$15,685
Per pupil spending ?
26.7%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 2841 South State Street
       Camden, DE  19934-9627

(302) 698-8410

District: Caesar Rodney School District


Students who attend F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School usually attend:

Alternative:    Caesar Rodney High School

Feeder schools for F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School:

Elementary:    Allen Frear Elementary School
    Star Hill Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

White:
41.0%
African American:
34.0%
Hispanic:
13.4%
more
 See top rated Delaware middle schools

 Compare F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 77th percentile in 2016 → 47th in 2026
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 30 percentile points since 2016
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Near the bottom of Caesar Rodney School District's ranking
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school34%
District avg42%
Delaware avg38%
31st of 59
Delaware public middle schools ?
Bottom 47%▼ down 30 pts since 2016
From top 23% (2016) to bottom 47% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Delaware Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 4Middle Schools in the Caesar Rodney School District
5th of 34Caesar Rodney School District among Delaware districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202640.931 of 5947.5%★★☆☆☆
202543.330 of 5949.2%★★★☆☆
202440.030 of 5444.4%★★☆☆☆
202340.129 of 5345.3%★★☆☆☆
202247.323 of 5154.9%★★★☆☆
202158.418 of 4761.7%★★★☆☆
201960.218 of 5265.4%★★★☆☆
201867.610 of 3571.4%★★★★☆
201774.79 of 3574.3%★★★★☆
201676.28 of 3577.1%★★★★☆
201363.915 of 3759.5%★★★☆☆
201268.413 of 3865.8%★★★☆☆
201178.910 of 3873.7%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202644.720 of 4555.6%★★★☆☆
202542.022 of 4955.1%★★★☆☆
202435.229 of 4231.0%★★☆☆☆
202335.726 of 4339.5%★★☆☆☆
202242.718 of 4156.1%★★★☆☆
202170.74 of 2080.0%★★★★☆
201957.315 of 4465.9%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202318.57 of 812.5%★★☆☆☆
202253.54 of 633.3%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202631.737 of 5330.2%★★☆☆☆
202536.033 of 5540.0%★★☆☆☆
202432.633 of 4932.7%★★☆☆☆
202336.033 of 5034.0%★★☆☆☆
202241.127 of 5046.0%★★☆☆☆
202158.013 of 3865.8%★★★☆☆
201956.522 of 4955.1%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202648.320 of 4252.4%★★★☆☆
202552.118 of 4257.1%★★★☆☆
202463.310 of 3773.0%★★★★☆
202346.215 of 3759.5%★★★☆☆
202284.04 of 3789.2%★★★★★
201966.39 of 3574.3%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202641.224 of 4647.8%★★★☆☆
202537.528 of 4841.7%★★☆☆☆
202420.535 of 3910.3%★☆☆☆☆
202227.327 of 3828.9%★★☆☆☆
201943.220 of 4151.2%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202641.627 of 5349.1%★★★☆☆
202544.125 of 5554.5%★★★☆☆
202441.126 of 4946.9%★★☆☆☆
202339.826 of 5048.0%★★☆☆☆
202245.022 of 5056.0%★★★☆☆
202154.014 of 3863.2%★★★☆☆
201965.216 of 4967.3%★★★☆☆

Military Connected

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202250.12 of 450.0%★★★★☆
201956.62 of 333.3%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202615.917 of 170.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202536.710 of 1533.3%★★★☆☆
202430.84 of 742.9%★★★☆☆
201964.22 of 875.0%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202641.411 of 2352.2%★★★☆☆
202552.67 of 2268.2%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankDelaware percentileRating
202634.728 of 4639.1%★★☆☆☆
202535.328 of 4740.4%★★☆☆☆
202434.927 of 4540.0%★★☆☆☆
202334.128 of 4436.4%★★☆☆☆
202237.725 of 4544.4%★★★☆☆
202144.022 of 4146.3%★★☆☆☆
201956.420 of 4353.5%★★★☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
African American (2026)56th percentile+8 vs school
Hispanic (2026)52nd percentile+5 vs school
Special Education (2026)52nd percentile+5 vs school
Military Connected (2022)50th percentile-5 vs school
Male (2026)49th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)48th percentile~ school
White (2026)39th percentile-8 vs school
Female (2026)30th percentile-17 vs school
Asian (2023)12th percentile-33 vs school
Multi-racial (2026)<1st percentile-47 vs school
By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?
Social Studies45%-4 vs state
English Language Arts38%-3 vs state
Mathematics25%-6 vs state
Science15%~ state avg

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Frequently Asked Questions about F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School are 41% White, 34% African American, 13% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 647 students attended F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School.

Students who attend F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School usually go on to attend Caesar Rodney High School

F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School ranks 31st of 59 Delaware middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School!



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Latest Delaware data All new data »
2025–26 DeSSA, SAT & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresAug 18, 2026
2024–25 school spending dataMar 23, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataJan 20, 2026
2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 7, 2026


SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Delaware Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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