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Chipman (W.T.) Middle School

Q: Is Chipman (W.T.) Middle School a good school?

Chipman (W.T.) Middle School ranks 25 th of 60 Delaware middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

25^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 60 Delaware Middle Schools

Better than 58% of Delaware middle schools

Summary

Chipman (W.T.) Middle School in Harrington, DE, serves 905 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Lake Forest School District, and it's a school on the rise—earning its best state ranking in nearly a decade (25th out of 59 schools) with a 3-star rating for the 2025-2026 school year.

This is a school that's clearly heading in the right direction. After a few years of stagnant rankings, Chipman jumped from the 47th to the 58th percentile in just one year, and that improvement is showing up across the board. The school has made remarkable progress in reducing chronic absenteeism, dropping from a high of 33.9% in 2022-2023 to 21.3% in 2024-2025—a 12.6 percentage point improvement that appears to be directly driving academic gains. While the rate is still above the state average of 17.1%, the trend is very encouraging. Academically, Chipman is at or near state averages in math and English, but it truly shines in social studies, where 7th graders scored nearly 10 points above the state average (69.45% vs. 59.85%). The school also stands out for its work with Hispanic students, who rank in the 60th percentile statewide, and for its strong performance with military-connected families, a relevant point given the proximity to Dover Air Force Base.

When you compare Chipman to nearby schools, the picture is mixed but generally positive. It outperforms Milford Central Academy (8.3 miles away) in nearly every subject and grade level, despite Milford having a much lower chronic absenteeism rate. It's competitive with Fred Fifer III Middle School and F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School, though it trails top performer Magnolia Middle School in math. The school also far exceeds the Capital School District's middle schools by 15-20 percentage points in most subjects. With a student-to-teacher ratio of 18.8:1 and efficient resource use, Chipman is proving that it can achieve strong results. The main areas for continued focus are 8th grade ELA and science, where gaps remain, but the overall trajectory suggests this is a school worth watching.

905

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,729

Per pupil spending ?

40.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

101 West Center Street
Harrington, DE 19952

(302) 398-8197

District: Lake Forest School District

Students who attend Chipman (W.T.) Middle School usually attend:

High:

Lake Forest High School

Feeder schools for Chipman (W.T.) Middle School:

Elementary:	Lake Forest Central Elementary School
	Lake Forest East Elementary School
	Lake Forest North Elementary School
	Lake Forest South Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.5%

African American:

23.6%

Hispanic:

9.3%

See top rated Delaware middle schools

Compare Chipman (W.T.) Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 57th percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Delaware median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg42%

Delaware avg39%

25^th of 60

Delaware public middle schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Delaware Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 34Lake Forest 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	50.0	25 of 60	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.4	31 of 59	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.5	34 of 54	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.7	32 of 53	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.0	29 of 51	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.3	23 of 47	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.2	26 of 52	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.8	14 of 35	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	51.4	17 of 35	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.7	15 of 35	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.3	21 of 49	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	66.7	7 of 17	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	74.2	10 of 37	73.0%	★★★★☆
2012	66.7	15 of 38	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.7	15 of 38	60.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	43.5	25 of 46	45.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	38.0	28 of 49	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	30 of 42	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.1	32 of 43	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.9	26 of 41	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	12.7	20 of 20	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	48.2	23 of 44	47.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	52.7	23 of 53	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.0	34 of 55	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.0	30 of 49	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.8	34 of 50	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.2	29 of 50	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.0	17 of 38	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.3	26 of 49	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	53.1	17 of 42	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.6	24 of 42	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.7	23 of 37	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.9	30 of 37	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.1	29 of 37	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.2	14 of 35	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	22 of 46	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.1	31 of 48	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	24 of 39	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.1	27 of 40	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.5	20 of 38	47.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.9	11 of 19	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.6	12 of 41	70.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	38.9	30 of 53	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.0	26 of 55	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.4	33 of 49	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.6	31 of 50	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.7	33 of 50	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.1	22 of 38	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.0	23 of 49	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2023	45.1	2 of 4	50.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	50.1	9 of 17	47.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	32.8	12 of 15	20.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.8	6 of 7	14.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.4	4 of 4	0.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.2	2 of 4	50.0%	★★★★☆
2019	43.0	6 of 8	25.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	17 of 23	26.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	21.6	20 of 22	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Delaware percentile	Rating
2026	36.2	27 of 46	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.9	31 of 47	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.3	33 of 45	26.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.1	31 of 44	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	30 of 45	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.5	19 of 41	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.8	24 of 43	44.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile~ school

Female (2026)57th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)52nd percentile-6 vs school

Military Connected (2023)50th percentile+10 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)47th percentile-11 vs school

African American (2026)46th percentile-13 vs school

Male (2026)43rd percentile-15 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-17 vs school

Special Education (2026)26th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Delaware (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies53%~ state avg

English Language Arts38%-4 vs state

Mathematics31%~ state avg

Science15%-8 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, January 20, 2012

Our son was constantly bullied at WT Chipman, even having his gym clothes thrown in the trash can. Administration does nothing to stop this. We weren't even contacted by the school that his clothes has been thrown away by another student until our son told us and it was verified by a teacher.

Then a major thing happened and our 12 year old son (with Aspergers) asked his homeroom teacher if he could go talk to the principal. He was allowed to go. When he got to the principal's office, he told him of a situation with another student that had bullied and cussed at him. He then went on to tell the principal that he keeps having this reoccurring nightmare where he sees this student dead and then himself dead as well. The principal turned this into him being "homicidal & suicidal". I was not called by the school until almost 10am, after which our son spoke with the principal by 8:30am. The school counselor called and told me the situation. I said I would be right there to come pick him up. As soon as I hung up the phone with her, I got another call. It was a police officer at the school and he informed me that he was taking my son to the hospital. I said, "you are not taking my son anywhere." He said he was, end of story, and that I could meet them there. When I arrived at the hospital, my son was put in hospital scrubs, in a hospital bed, and had his blood and urine taken ALL WITHOUT MY PRESENCE OR CONSENT.

Keep in mind, my son did not make a threat. He did not have weapons. He did not say he was planning a threat. He wasn't even acting erratic or threatening. What's worse is the school knows he is autistic and they have met with my husband & I on other occasions. They know we take care of him. So why the principal decided to take such drastic measures is beyond me. THE SCHOOL VIOLATED HIS 504 PLAN AND AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT.

From the general hospital visit, I was forced to admit him to a psychiatric hospital where he spent a week as an inpatient and another week as an outpatient. Upon his discharge from there, the same police officer from the school calls to inform me I need to bring HIM in to be ARRESTED because he wants to put a no contact order on him with that other student. From there, we are still in court proceedings because the officer charged him with "terroristic threatening". There was no threat, only the dream that he freely went to the principal to tell. He went to him because he was an authoritative figure he thought he could trust. Rather than helping our son, he punished him. Close Quote

Schools Near Chipman (W.T.) Middle 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)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2026)						Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (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 5th Grade	DeSSA Science 8th Grade	DeSSA Social Studies 4th 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 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th 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 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th 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
Chipman (W.T.) Middle School	Public	5-8	101 West Center Street	Harrington	19952	Kent County	Lake Forest School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 398-8197	905	48	18.8	40.4%	502 (55.5%)	214 (23.6%)	84 (9.3%)	13 (1.4%)	8 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (9.3%)	50	25^th of 60 public middle schools	58.3%		42.4	31^st of 59 public middle schools	47.5%	6		14.8			50.5	69.5	40.6				36.6	43.5	34.3				32.4	30.7	28.9	$18,729
Milford Central Academy	Public	7-8	1021 N Walnut Street	Milford	19963	Sussex County	Milford School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 430-7900	1,013	54	18.7	42.4%	441 (43.5%)	279 (27.5%)	240 (23.7%)	7 (0.7%)	5 (0.5%)	4 (0.4%)	37 (3.7%)	31.8	38^th of 60 public middle schools	36.7%		26	42^nd of 59 public middle schools	28.8%	4		9.5				53.7	20.9					33.6	43.6					21.9	19.9	$14,818
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%)	77.3	14^th of 60 public middle schools	76.7%		67.8	16^th of 59 public middle schools	72.9%	2		27.3			57.3	68.8	51.5				57.3	51.6	53.9				55.6	46.8	40.1	$16,495
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	26.7%	265 (41.0%)	220 (34.0%)	87 (13.4%)	22 (3.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (7.6%)	41.5	31^st of 60 public middle schools	48.3%		43.3	30^th of 59 public middle schools	49.2%	1		15.3			38.4	56.7	41.0				27.0	40.0	48.0				17.7	28.6	28.6	$15,685
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	39.4%	423 (50.4%)	222 (26.5%)	103 (12.3%)	14 (1.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	74 (8.8%)	53.4	23^rd of 60 public middle schools	61.7%		51.7	22^nd of 59 public middle schools	62.7%	1		20.3			51.3	64.9	36.0				34.8	43.3	41.6				32.6	31.1	35.8	$14,663
Woodbridge Middle School	Public	6-8	307 Laws Street	Bridgeville	19933	Sussex County	Woodbridge School District	No	No	No	Yes	(302) 337-8289	596	40	14.9	51.2%	280 (47.0%)	116 (19.5%)	173 (29.0%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.5%)	36.3	35^th of 60 public middle schools	41.7%		30.9	37^th of 59 public middle schools	37.3%	2		7.3			50.7	58.9	32.2				31.7	39.5	30.2				26.1	25.3	15.2	$19,297
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	7.4%	64 (65.3%)	15 (15.3%)	9 (9.2%)	1 (1.0%)	1 (1.0%)	1 (1.0%)	7 (7.1%)	91.9	5^th of 60 public middle schools	91.7%		93.8	3^rd of 59 public middle schools	94.9%	2		39.7			76.3	75.0	58.9				57.1	66.7	72.4				61.9	60.7	54.4	$47,286
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%)	16.8	49^th of 60 public middle schools	18.3%		20.4	45^th of 59 public middle schools	23.7%	4		5.7			40.2	40.0	16.6				27.0	22.2	17.6				19.5	12.4	7.5
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%)	18	46^th of 60 public middle schools	23.3%		15	50^th of 59 public middle schools	15.3%	4		6.4			38.2	37.6	24.0				22.5	27.7	20.9				16.1	14.9	13.6	$17,525
Mariner Middle School	Public	6-8	16391 Harbeson Rd	Milton	19968	Sussex County	Cape Henlopen School District	No	No	No	No	(302) 685-8516	552	47	11.7	34.9%	302 (54.7%)	61 (11.1%)	151 (27.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (6.0%)	63.3	18^th of 60 public middle schools	70.0%		57.4	20^th of 59 public middle schools	66.1%	2		28.5			52.9	52.4	44.6				49.1	48.2	48.4				38.2	32.1	41.4	$21,633

Frequently Asked Questions about Chipman (W.T.) Middle School

Is Chipman (W.T.) Middle School a good school?

Chipman (W.T.) Middle School ranks 25^th of 60 Delaware middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Chipman (W.T.) Middle School in?

Lake Forest School District

What high school do graduates of Chipman (W.T.) Middle School attend?

Students who attend Chipman (W.T.) Middle School usually go on to attend Lake Forest High School

What is the racial makeup of Chipman (W.T.) Middle School?

Students at Chipman (W.T.) Middle School are 55% White, 24% African American, 9% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Chipman (W.T.) Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 905 students attended Chipman (W.T.) Middle School.

Rate Chipman (W.T.) 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.