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Read (George) Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

46^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 59 Delaware Middle Schools

Better than 22% of Delaware middle schools

Summary

Read (George) Middle School is a public middle school in New Castle, Delaware, serving 688 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Colonial School District, which is ranked 26 out of 32 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Read (George) Middle School consistently underperforms compared to state and district averages in academic achievement. The school has high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.4% to 31.2% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average and nearby schools like Bedford (Gunning) Middle School and McCullough (Calvin R.) Middle School, which have 20.4% chronic absenteeism. In standardized tests, Read (George) Middle School's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are well below state averages, with the school ranking in the bottom half of Delaware middle schools for all student subgroups.

While Read (George) Middle School is part of the Colonial School District, it performs significantly worse than other middle schools in the district, such as Bedford (Gunning) Middle School and McCullough (Calvin R.) Middle School, which have higher proficiency rates and lower chronic absenteeism. The persistent challenges faced by Read (George) Middle School suggest that addressing the needs of its diverse student population will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach.

662

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,736

Per pupil spending ?

39.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

314 East Basin Road
New Castle, DE 19720-4298

(302) 323-2760

District: Colonial School District

Students who attend Read (George) Middle School usually attend:

High:

Penn (William) High School

Feeder schools for Read (George) Middle School:

Elementary:	Castle Hills Elementary School
	Downie (Carrie) Elementary School
	Pleasantville Elementary School
	Wilmington Manor Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

42.0%

White:

26.7%

Hispanic:

24.5%

See top rated Delaware middle schools

Compare Read (George) Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 9th percentile in 2024 → 22nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 22nd (2025) from a 9th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Delaware average (20% vs 36% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 17% Delaware)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg22%

Delaware avg36%

46^th of 59

Delaware public middle schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From bottom 37% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Middle Schools in the Colonial School District

26^th of 32Colonial 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	18.0	46 of 59	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	49 of 54	9.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	47 of 53	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	45 of 51	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	40 of 47	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	42 of 52	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	26 of 35	25.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.7	24 of 35	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.9	23 of 35	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	43.0	31 of 49	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	19.2	33 of 37	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.2	33 of 38	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.1	27 of 38	28.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	24.7	39 of 49	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.5	40 of 42	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.5	36 of 43	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	29 of 41	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.6	13 of 20	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.9	30 of 44	31.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	18.7	44 of 55	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.6	45 of 49	8.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.7	42 of 50	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.7	45 of 50	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	31 of 38	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	41 of 49	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	33.0	30 of 42	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.4	32 of 37	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.9	27 of 37	27.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	28 of 37	24.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.5	26 of 35	25.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	36.1	30 of 48	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.0	33 of 39	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.9	24 of 40	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	19 of 38	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.6	29 of 41	29.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	50 of 55	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	46 of 49	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	47 of 50	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	45 of 50	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.8	29 of 38	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	41 of 49	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	12.6	45 of 47	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	45 of 45	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	42 of 44	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.5	43 of 45	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.0	39 of 41	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.1	38 of 43	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)38th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)29th percentile+7 vs school

African American (2025)20th percentile~ school

Female (2025)20th percentile~ school

Male (2025)9th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)4th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies32%-12 vs state

English Language Arts23%-18 vs state

Mathematics12%-17 vs state

Science5%-12 vs state

1.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The inmates run the asylum! This is by far the worst school my child has ever had the misfortune of attending. This is a perfect example of what is undesirable in the public school system and how our tax dollars are wasted. Close Quote

by a student
Sunday, April 5, 2009

i hate this school i get bullied everyday Close Quote

Schools Near Read (George) 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 8th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 6th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 7th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 8th 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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Total
Read (George) Middle School	Public	6-8	314 East Basin Road	New Castle	19720	New Castle County	Colonial School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 323-2760	662	49	13.5		177 (26.7%)	278 (42.0%)	162 (24.5%)	11 (1.7%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (4.5%)	18	46^th of 59 public middle schools	22.0%		14.4	49^th of 54 public middle schools	9.3%	3	5.0	32.9	42.0	24.4	19.0	25.1	24.5	7.8	14.7	14.5	$24,736
McCullough (Calvin R. ) Middle School	Public	6-8	20 Chase Avenue	New Castle	19720	New Castle County	Colonial School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 429-4000	615	35	17.5		72 (11.7%)	279 (45.4%)	231 (37.6%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.2%)	8	57^th of 59 public middle schools	3.4%		7.6	54^th of 54 public middle schools	0.0%	3		21.9	30.8	7.9	15.9	11.2	13.3	9.2	7.7	5.6	$24,377
Stanton Middle School	Public	6-8	1800 Limestone Road	Wilmington	19804	New Castle County	Red Clay Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 992-5540	558	38	14.8		102 (18.3%)	114 (20.4%)	321 (57.5%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.7%)	9.5	55^th of 59 public middle schools	6.8%		12.9	51^st of 54 public middle schools	5.6%	4	2.3	17.5	30.1	12.2	11.8	24.7	19.3	4.9	13.7	5.8	$25,022
duPont (Alexis I.) Middle School	Public	6-8	3130 Kennett Pike	Greenville	19807	New Castle County	Red Clay Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 651-2690	455	35	13.0		71 (15.6%)	150 (33.0%)	210 (46.2%)	7 (1.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (3.1%)	10.7	54^th of 59 public middle schools	8.5%		11.9	52^nd of 54 public middle schools	3.7%	2	6.0	12.4	35.3	12.4	10.5	24.3	25.0	3.9	8.4	10.9	$26,133
Skyline Middle School	Public	6-8	2900 Skyline Drive	Wilmington	19808	New Castle County	Red Clay Consolidated School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-3410	408	35	11.6		69 (16.9%)	217 (53.2%)	96 (23.5%)	12 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.2%)	11.5	53^rd of 59 public middle schools	10.2%		10.7	53^rd of 54 public middle schools	1.9%		3.5	27.2	30.9	5.4	20.5	20.1	17.1	15.8	12.7	9.1	$28,582
Shue-Medill Middle School	Public	6-8	1500 Capitol Trail	Newark	19711	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-2171	763	64	11.9		203 (26.6%)	306 (40.1%)	183 (24.0%)	19 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (6.7%)	26.3	41^st of 59 public middle schools	30.5%		27.1	41^st of 54 public middle schools	24.1%		8.1	28.5	44.0	19.2	32.2	40.2	27.0	22.3	24.0	17.2	$29,022
Kirk (George V.) Middle School	Public	6-8	140 Brennen Drive	Newark	19713	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 722-2738	612	49	12.4		137 (22.4%)	257 (42.0%)	135 (22.1%)	48 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (5.6%)	15.4	49^th of 59 public middle schools	16.9%		20.8	48^th of 54 public middle schools	11.1%	1	7.0	32.3	31.1	10.2	23.7	24.3	21.0	16.6	12.9	12.8	$27,723
duPont (Pierre S.) Middle School	Public	6-8	701 West 34th Street	Wilmington	19802	New Castle County	Brandywine School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 762-7146	730	60	12.1		189 (25.9%)	358 (49.0%)	75 (10.3%)	53 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	53 (7.3%)	51.8	21^st of 59 public middle schools	64.4%		49.5	21^st of 54 public middle schools	61.1%		20.4	43.1	58.3	34.7	40.2	43.7	37.1	33.3	39.9	27.2	$26,286
Gauger-Cobbs Middle School	Public	6-8	50 Gender Road	Newark	19713	New Castle County	Christina School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 454-2358	681	62	10.9		136 (20.0%)	263 (38.6%)	228 (33.5%)	14 (2.1%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	35 (5.1%)	17.4	48^th of 59 public middle schools	18.6%		22	47^th of 54 public middle schools	13.0%	1	10.5	17.3	31.8	14.7	18.9	24.1	29.3	10.1	17.2	23.0	$29,391
Bedford (Gunning) Middle School	Public	6-8	801 Cox Neck Road	New Castle	19720	New Castle County	Colonial School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 832-6280	846	56	15.1		220 (26.0%)	427 (50.5%)	131 (15.5%)	21 (2.5%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (4.8%)	24.5	43^rd of 59 public middle schools	27.1%		25.1	43^rd of 54 public middle schools	20.4%		4.7	36.6	49.6	21.8	25.1	33.0	24.1	14.7	23.7	16.8	$24,405

Frequently Asked Questions about Read (George) Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Read (George) Middle School?

Students at Read (George) Middle School are 42% African American, 27% White, 24% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Read (George) Middle School a good school?

Read (George) Middle School ranks in the bottom 22.0% of Delaware middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Read (George) Middle School attend?

Students who attend Read (George) Middle School usually go on to attend Penn (William) High School

What district is Read (George) Middle School in?

Colonial School District

How many students attend Read (George) Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 662 students attended Read (George) Middle School.

Rate Read (George) 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.