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F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Q: Is F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School a good school?

F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School ranks 30 th of 59 Delaware middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

30^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 59 Delaware Middle Schools

Better than 49% of Delaware middle schools

Summary

F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School is a public middle school located in Camden, Delaware, serving 615 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Caesar Rodney School District, which is ranked 5 out of 32 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While the school was previously ranked as high as 9th out of 35 Delaware middle schools in 2015-2016, its performance has declined in recent years, now ranking 30th out of 59 in the 2024-2025 school year. The school's proficiency rates on standardized tests, such as the Smarter Balanced Assessments and DeSSA, are generally below the district and state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's English Language Arts proficiency rates ranged from 38.01% to 42.39%, compared to the district's 43.21% to 47.42% and the state's 38.49% to 43.82%. In mathematics, the school's proficiency rates were even lower, ranging from 20.58% to 27.48%, compared to the district's 24.59% to 32% and the state's 26.56% to 29.74%.

The school also faces challenges with high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 20.4% to 28.5% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the desired benchmark of 10% or less. Additionally, the school's student-teacher ratio of 15.3 to 18.0 is slightly higher than nearby schools like Dover Air Force Base Middle School (8.8) and William Henry Middle School (13.0), and its per-student spending of $10,725 in 2018-2019 is lower than these nearby schools as well.

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:

High:

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%

See top rated Delaware middle schools

Compare F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2013 → 49th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2013

!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 (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg40%

Delaware avg36%

30^th of 59

Delaware public middle schools ?

Bottom 49%▼ down 28 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to bottom 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Caesar Rodney School District

5^th of 32Caesar 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	43.3	30 of 59	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.0	30 of 54	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.1	29 of 53	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.3	23 of 51	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.4	18 of 47	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.2	18 of 52	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.6	10 of 35	71.4%	★★★★☆
2017	74.7	9 of 35	74.3%	★★★★☆
2016	76.2	8 of 35	77.1%	★★★★☆
2013	63.9	15 of 37	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.4	13 of 38	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	78.9	10 of 38	73.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	42.0	22 of 49	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.2	29 of 42	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.7	26 of 43	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	18 of 41	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.7	4 of 20	80.0%	★★★★☆
2019	57.3	15 of 44	65.9%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2023	18.5	7 of 8	12.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.5	4 of 6	33.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	36.0	33 of 55	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.6	33 of 49	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.0	33 of 50	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.1	27 of 50	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.0	13 of 38	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.5	22 of 49	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	52.1	18 of 42	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.3	10 of 37	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	46.2	15 of 37	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	84.0	4 of 37	89.2%	★★★★★
2019	66.3	9 of 35	74.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	28 of 48	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.5	35 of 39	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	27 of 38	28.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.2	20 of 41	51.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	25 of 55	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.1	26 of 49	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	26 of 50	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.0	22 of 50	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.0	14 of 38	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.2	16 of 49	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2022	50.1	2 of 4	50.0%	★★★★☆
2019	56.6	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	36.7	10 of 15	33.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	30.8	4 of 7	42.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.2	2 of 8	75.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	52.6	7 of 22	68.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	28 of 47	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	27 of 45	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.1	28 of 44	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.7	25 of 45	44.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.0	22 of 41	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.4	20 of 43	53.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)68th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)57th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2025)55th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)55th percentile+5 vs school

Military Connected (2022)50th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)40th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)40th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)33rd percentile-16 vs school

Asian (2023)12th percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies44%~ state avg

English Language Arts41%~ state avg

Mathematics24%-5 vs state

Science16%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				DeSSA Science (2025)		DeSSA Social Studies (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DeSSA Science 5th Grade	DeSSA Science 8th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 5th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 6th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 7th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School	Public	6-8	2841 South State Street	Camden	19934	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 698-8410	647	36	17.9		265 (41.0%)	220 (34.0%)	87 (13.4%)	22 (3.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (7.6%)	43.3	30^th of 59 public middle schools	49.2%		40	30^th of 54 public middle schools	44.4%			16.1		45.2	57.7	28.8		38.0	41.7	42.4		27.5	24.9	20.6	$15,685
Dover Air Force Base Middle School	Public	6-8	3100 Hawthorne Drive	Dover	19901	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 674-3284	98	15	6.5		64 (65.3%)	15 (15.3%)	9 (9.2%)	1 (1.0%)	1 (1.0%)	1 (1.0%)	7 (7.1%)	93.8	3^rd of 59 public middle schools	94.9%		97	2^nd of 54 public middle schools	96.3%	1		48.8		66.0	81.1	75.0		66.7	72.7	87.8		52.6	54.6	58.5	$47,286
Magnolia Middle School	Public	6-8	133 Thomas More Dr	Magnolia	19962	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 387-1780	460	20	23.0		224 (48.7%)	136 (29.6%)	40 (8.7%)	17 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (9.3%)	67.8	16^th of 59 public middle schools	72.9%		38	31^st of 54 public middle schools	42.6%	15		26.0		53.9	65.0	41.1		47.0	53.6	50.8		44.4	42.0	26.9	$16,495
Fred Fifer III Middle School	Public	6-8	109 East Camden-Wyoming Avenue	Camden	19934	Kent County	Caesar Rodney School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 698-8400	839	44	19.0		423 (50.4%)	222 (26.5%)	103 (12.3%)	14 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	74 (8.8%)	51.7	22^nd of 59 public middle schools	62.7%		41.2	28^th of 54 public middle schools	48.1%	6		17.7		50.2	62.1	33.9		40.8	50.2	44.1		25.6	33.3	21.8	$14,663
William Henry Middle School	Public	5	65 Carver Road	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 672-1622	432	19	22.7		89 (20.6%)	227 (52.5%)	67 (15.5%)	6 (1.4%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (8.8%)								(n/a)	15.2		40.5				21.6				15.5				$18,639
Middle School of Excellence	Public	6-8	1 Patrick Lynn Drive	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(302) 674-6100	608	23	26.4		141 (23.2%)	322 (53.0%)	76 (12.5%)	7 (1.2%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (9.0%)	20.4	45^th of 59 public middle schools	23.7%					(n/a)		10.3		34.0	38.8	24.2		27.5	23.5	20.5		14.9	13.9	15.4
Middle School of Innovation	Public	6-8	1 Patrick Lynn Drive	Dover	19904	Kent County	Capital School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(302) 674-6100	690	31	22.2		102 (14.8%)	397 (57.5%)	109 (15.8%)	11 (1.6%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (9.4%)	15	50^th of 59 public middle schools	15.3%					(n/a)		6.8		28.9	35.3	18.7		23.3	24.6	18.7		11.1	11.9	10.1	$17,525
Chipman (W.T.) Middle School	Public	6-8	101 West Center Street	Harrington	19952	Kent County	Lake Forest School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 398-8197	905	48	18.8		502 (55.5%)	214 (23.6%)	84 (9.3%)	13 (1.4%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (9.3%)	42.4	31^st of 59 public middle schools	47.5%		36.5	34^th of 54 public middle schools	37.0%	3		16.7		43.6	57.5	30.4		35.3	45.2	33.9		26.8	24.6	24.1	$18,729
Milford Central Academy	Public	6-8	1021 N Walnut Street	Milford	19963	Kent County	Milford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 430-7900	1,013	54	18.7		441 (43.5%)	279 (27.5%)	240 (23.7%)	7 (0.7%)	5 (0.5%)	4 (0.4%)	37 (3.7%)	26	42^nd of 59 public middle schools	28.8%		28.2	40^th of 54 public middle schools	25.9%	2		9.1		37.2	48.1	17.3		23.3	34.8	37.1		21.6	16.4	13.2	$14,818
Clayton Intermediate School	Public	5-6	86 Sorrento Drive	Clayton	19938	Kent County	Smyrna School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 653-4512	490	27	18.1		277 (56.5%)	143 (29.2%)	35 (7.1%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.7%)								(n/a)	31.0		71.7	46.6			48.0	48.7			31.8	40.5			$34,345

Frequently Asked Questions about F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

How many students attend F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School?

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

What is the racial makeup of 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.

Is F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School a good school?

F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School ranks 30^th of 59 Delaware middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School in?

Caesar Rodney School District

What high school do graduates of F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School attend?

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

Rate F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School!

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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.