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Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Q: Is Bedford (Gunning) Middle School a good school?

Bedford (Gunning) Middle School ranks 43 rd of 59 Delaware middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

43^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 59 Delaware Middle Schools

Better than 27% of Delaware middle schools

Summary

Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is a public middle school located in New Castle, Delaware, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 908 students. The school is part of the Colonial School District, which is ranked 26 out of 32 districts in Delaware and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bedford (Gunning) Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom half of Delaware middle schools, typically in the 40s out of 50-60 schools. The school's proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments and DeSSA tests are significantly lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts ranged from 24.12% to 32.97%, compared to the state averages of 38.49% to 43.82%. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rates were 14.72% to 23.72%, compared to the state averages of 26.56% to 29.74%. The school's performance is particularly low in Science, with only 4.74% of 8th-grade students proficient or better, compared to the state average of 16.62%. Additionally, Bedford (Gunning) Middle School has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.3% to 29.7% in recent years, significantly higher than the state and district averages.

In contrast, the nearby schools in the Appoquinimink School District, such as Meredith (Everett) Middle School and Cantwells Bridge Middle School, consistently outperform Bedford (Gunning) Middle School and the state averages on academic measures. The school's per-student spending of $12,575 in the 2018-2019 school year is also lower than the nearby schools in the Appoquinimink School District, and its student-teacher ratio of 17.1 in 2023-2024 is higher than the nearby Appoquinimink and Christina School District schools, which may contribute to the lower academic performance.

846

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,405

Per pupil spending ?

28.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

801 Cox Neck Road
New Castle, DE 19720-5705

(302) 832-6280

District: Colonial School District

Students who attend Bedford (Gunning) Middle School usually attend:

High:

Penn (William) High School

Feeder schools for Bedford (Gunning) Middle School:

Elementary:	Southern Elementary School
	Wilbur (Kathleen H.) Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.5%

White:

26.0%

Hispanic:

15.5%

See top rated Delaware middle schools

Compare Bedford (Gunning) Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2015 → 27th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Delaware average (25% vs 36% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 17% Delaware)

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg22%

Delaware avg36%

43^rd of 59

Delaware public middle schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 45% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	24.5	43 of 59	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	43 of 54	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	41 of 53	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	38 of 51	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.6	33 of 47	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.1	36 of 52	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.4	23 of 35	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.2	22 of 35	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.4	20 of 35	42.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	50.1	27 of 49	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	49.2	22 of 37	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.7	22 of 38	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	43.1	23 of 38	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	38.8	27 of 49	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	28 of 42	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	24 of 43	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.0	24 of 41	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.8	12 of 20	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.9	13 of 44	70.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	24.3	41 of 55	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	40 of 49	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.5	36 of 50	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	37 of 50	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.7	28 of 38	26.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.5	34 of 49	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	27.3	31 of 42	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.9	27 of 37	27.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.3	23 of 37	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.3	22 of 37	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.8	20 of 35	42.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	35 of 48	27.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.4	30 of 39	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	28 of 40	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.6	24 of 38	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.9	15 of 19	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.1	22 of 41	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	19.0	44 of 55	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	40 of 49	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.4	41 of 50	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	39 of 50	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.0	27 of 38	28.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.0	34 of 49	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	18 of 22	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	43 of 47	8.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	40 of 45	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	41 of 44	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	37 of 45	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.0	35 of 41	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.7	31 of 43	27.9%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2025)45th percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)27th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile~ school

Female (2025)25th percentile~ school

Male (2025)20th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)18th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)9th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies36%-8 vs state

English Language Arts27%-14 vs state

Mathematics18%-10 vs state

Science5%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bedford (Gunning) 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
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
Waters (Alfred G.) Middle School	Public	6-8	1235 Cedar Lane Road	Middletown	19709	New Castle County	Appoquinimink School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 449-3490	935	55	17.0		401 (42.9%)	155 (16.6%)	45 (4.8%)	274 (29.3%)	8 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	50 (5.3%)	93.5	4^th of 59 public middle schools	93.2%		90.1	7^th of 54 public middle schools	87.0%	3	37.3	71.7	87.1	60.2	60.4	72.3	69.3	57.1	62.6	54.5	$18,142
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
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
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
Cantwells Bridge Middle School	Public	6-8	550 Tony Marchio Drive	Townsend	19734	New Castle County	Appoquinimink School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 376-4128	852	48	17.8		398 (46.7%)	267 (31.3%)	82 (9.6%)	48 (5.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (6.3%)	68.1	15^th of 59 public middle schools	74.6%		69.3	16^th of 54 public middle schools	70.4%	1	23.4	61.4	67.6	38.5	45.8	50.9	51.8	42.5	35.1	36.7	$16,853
Redding (Louis L.) Middle School	Public	6-8	201 New Street	Middletown	19709	New Castle County	Appoquinimink School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 378-5030	451	31	14.5		127 (28.2%)	203 (45.0%)	65 (14.4%)	29 (6.4%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.3%)	37	35^th of 59 public middle schools	40.7%		33.7	35^th of 54 public middle schools	35.2%		19.0	36.3	54.6	27.6	27.9	44.7	31.5	17.0	29.6	23.0	$94,844
Meredith (Everett) Middle School	Public	6-8	504 South Broad Street	Middletown	19709	New Castle County	Appoquinimink School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 378-5001	867	62	13.9		372 (42.9%)	274 (31.6%)	105 (12.1%)	59 (6.8%)	4 (0.5%)	4 (0.5%)	49 (5.7%)	58.3	19^th of 59 public middle schools	67.8%		56.9	18^th of 54 public middle schools	66.7%	1	16.8	53.4	69.1	31.5	48.8	48.9	45.6	39.0	30.5	29.0	$18,226
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

What high school do graduates of Bedford (Gunning) Middle School attend?

Students who attend Bedford (Gunning) Middle School usually go on to attend Penn (William) High School

What district is Bedford (Gunning) Middle School in?

Colonial School District

What is the racial makeup of Bedford (Gunning) Middle School?

Students at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School are 50% African American, 26% White, 15% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Bedford (Gunning) Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 846 students attended Bedford (Gunning) Middle School.

Is Bedford (Gunning) Middle School a good school?

Bedford (Gunning) Middle School ranks 43^rd of 59 Delaware middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Bedford (Gunning) 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.