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Sussex Central High School

Q: Is Sussex Central High School a good school?

Sussex Central High School ranks 29 th of 41 Delaware high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

29^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 41 Delaware High Schools

Better than 29% of Delaware high schools

Summary

Sussex Central High School is a large public high school in Georgetown, DE, serving about 2,012 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Indian River School District. The school has a 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio and has consistently held a 2-star rating over the past decade, ranking 29th out of 41 Delaware high schools in the most recent data.

The most pressing concern for parents to know is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 33.4%—nearly double the state average of 17.1% and significantly higher than nearby Sussex Technical High School (6.2%) and Cape Henlopen High School (10.7%). This attendance challenge likely contributes to the school's graduation rate of 79.3%, which trails the state average of 88.9%, and a dropout rate of 8.6% that is more than double the state's 3.9%. On a positive note, attendance has been improving from a peak of 45.2% in 2020-2021, and the school shows relative strength in math—actually exceeding state averages in 2022-2023 and 2024-2025—as well as in 9th-grade science, where scores beat the district average.

Parents comparing schools in the area will notice that Indian River High School, just 8 miles away in the same district, dramatically outperforms Sussex Central across nearly every metric, including ELA proficiency (44.0% vs. 29.5%), graduation rate (89.3% vs. 79.3%), and chronic absenteeism (25.5% vs. 33.4%). Sussex Central does outperform Seaford Senior High School and Laurel Senior High School in overall ranking, but lags behind Woodbridge High School, Delmar High School, and Sussex Technical High School. The school spends $14,583 per student—more than several better-performing nearby schools—suggesting the challenges are more about student engagement and support services than resources. The persistent gap in writing proficiency (29.1% vs. 43.0% statewide) and declining outcomes for certain student groups are areas parents may want to ask about during school visits.

2,012

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,152

Per pupil spending ?

35.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

26026 Patriots Way
Georgetown, DE 19947-2399

(302) 934-3166

District: Indian River School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.8%

White:

32.7%

African American:

13.0%

See top rated Delaware high schools

Compare Sussex Central High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Delaware average (20% vs 31% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Delaware average (79% vs 89%)

!Dropout rate above the Delaware average (9% vs 4%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school20%

District avg25%

Delaware avg31%

29^th of 41

Delaware public high schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Delaware High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Indian River School District

10^th of 34Indian River 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
2026	28.1	29 of 41	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.7	24 of 41	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.7	25 of 41	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.3	25 of 39	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	28 of 39	28.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.1	23 of 39	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.9	24 of 40	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.9	16 of 30	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	33.4	20 of 30	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.4	20 of 31	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	35.2	23 of 35	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.9	9 of 14	35.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.6	13 of 26	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.1	10 of 27	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	71.7	6 of 27	77.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	10.9	33 of 35	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	40.7	16 of 35	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.8	15 of 31	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	27.2	23 of 31	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.1	28 of 35	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	70.2	6 of 27	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	28.8	24 of 33	27.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	30 of 39	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.8	24 of 40	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.9	23 of 39	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	27 of 38	28.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.2	30 of 37	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.1	24 of 36	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.2	27 of 41	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	26 of 33	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.0	19 of 32	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.4	27 of 31	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.1	23 of 27	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	21 of 22	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.6	17 of 19	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	20 of 24	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	23.0	28 of 31	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.2	24 of 33	27.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.4	13 of 32	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	19.0	26 of 29	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.7	14 of 28	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.0	9 of 24	62.5%	★★★★☆
2019	47.7	15 of 29	48.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	30 of 39	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.5	22 of 40	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.8	28 of 39	28.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.0	26 of 38	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.2	24 of 37	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.0	21 of 36	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.6	21 of 41	48.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	7 of 9	22.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	22.8	28 of 36	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.6	29 of 35	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.2	23 of 35	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.2	25 of 34	26.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	22 of 33	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.8	17 of 34	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.1	23 of 36	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)23rd percentile-6 vs school

Male (2026)23rd percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)22nd percentile-19 vs school

White (2026)22nd percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)21st percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile-20 vs school

African American (2026)6th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts29%-15 vs state

Essay29%-14 vs state

Science16%-12 vs state

Mathematics15%-3 vs state

Social Studies15%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sussex Central High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				DeSSA Science (2026)				DeSSA Social Studies (2026)	SAT English Language Arts (2026)	SAT Mathematics (2026)	SAT Essay (2026)	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 (2016)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	DeSSA Science 9th Grade	DeSSA Science 10th Grade	DeSSA Science 11th Grade	DeSSA Science 12th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 11th Grade	SAT English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	SAT Essay 11th Grade	Total
Sussex Central High School	Public	9-12	26026 Patriots Way	Georgetown	19947	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 934-3166	2,012	131	15.3	35.3%	657 (32.7%)	262 (13.0%)	982 (48.8%)	25 (1.2%)	8 (0.4%)	1 (0.0%)	77 (3.8%)	28.1	29^th of 41 public high schools	29.3%		37.7	24^th of 41 public high schools	41.5%	5	24.7	14.4			14.6	29.5	14.7	29.1	$20,152
Sussex Technical High School	Public	9-12	17099 County Seat Highway	Georgetown	19947	Sussex County	Sussex Technical School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 856-0961	1,341	87	15.4	19.0%	671 (50.0%)	218 (16.3%)	366 (27.3%)	17 (1.3%)	9 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	57 (4.3%)	57.4	15^th of 41 public high schools	63.4%		54.3	16^th of 41 public high schools	61.0%	1		37.6			26.8	43.2	11.4	39.9	$24,815
Indian River High School	Public	9-12	29772 Armory Road	Dagsboro	19945	Sussex County	Indian River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 732-1500	1,073	81	13.2	28.1%	653 (60.9%)	92 (8.6%)	281 (26.2%)	10 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.5%)	30 (2.8%)	59.7	14^th of 41 public high schools	65.9%		67.9	9^th of 41 public high schools	78.0%	5		27.0			26.0	44.0	15.6	51.9	$21,869
Cape Henlopen High School	Public	9-12	1250 Kings Highway	Lewes	19958	Sussex County	Cape Henlopen School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 645-7711	1,889	125	15.1	28.9%	1,181 (62.5%)	178 (9.4%)	394 (20.9%)	31 (1.6%)	11 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	93 (4.9%)	71.6	9^th of 41 public high schools	78.0%		69.5	8^th of 41 public high schools	80.5%	1	42.7				27.6	59.4	28.4	46.4	$19,808
Laurel Senior High School	Public	9-12	1133 South Central Avenue	Laurel	19956	Sussex County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 875-6120	753	41	18.3	47.4%	300 (39.8%)	185 (24.6%)	188 (25.0%)	7 (0.9%)	13 (1.7%)	3 (0.4%)	57 (7.6%)	26	31^st of 41 public high schools	24.4%		16.9	36^th of 41 public high schools	12.2%	5		20.6			11.0	28.6	4.8	31.5	$16,787
Seaford Senior High School	Public	9-12	399 North Market Street Ext	Seaford	19973	Sussex County	Seaford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 629-4587	960	45	21.3	47.7%	229 (23.9%)	377 (39.3%)	285 (29.7%)	6 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (6.4%)	15.6	36^th of 41 public high schools	12.2%		19.3	35^th of 41 public high schools	14.6%	1		17.4			10.6	15.0	2.8	20.4	$17,873
Delmar High School	Public	9-12	200 North Eighth Street	Delmar	19940	Sussex County	Delmar School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 846-9544	713	35	20.3	14.5%	415 (58.2%)	112 (15.7%)	110 (15.4%)	27 (3.8%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (6.3%)	55.4	16^th of 41 public high schools	61.0%		34.2	27^th of 41 public high schools	34.1%	11		22.0			26.4	49.7	19.0	36.4	$15,249
Woodbridge High School	Public	9-12	14712 Woodbridge Road	Greenwood	19950	Sussex County	Woodbridge School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 232-3333	728	47	15.4	42.4%	298 (40.9%)	169 (23.2%)	211 (29.0%)	9 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (5.5%)	32.5	26^th of 41 public high schools	36.6%		24.5	32^nd of 41 public high schools	22.0%	6		20.6			19.9	28.6	9.7	31.0	$19,239

Frequently Asked Questions about Sussex Central High School

What schools feed into Sussex Central High School?

Sussex Central High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : East Millsboro Elementary School
Elementary : Georgetown Elementary School
Elementary : Long Neck Elementary School
Elementary : North Georgetown Elementary School
Middle : Georgetown Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Sussex Central High School?

Students at Sussex Central High School are 49% Hispanic, 33% White, 13% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Sussex Central High School in?

Indian River School District

Is Sussex Central High School a good school?

Sussex Central High School ranks 29^th of 41 Delaware high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sussex Central High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,012 students attended Sussex Central High School.

Rate Sussex Central High School!

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DEDelaware High School Rankings

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Schools in Georgetown, DE

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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.