F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Summary:

F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School is a public middle school located in Camden, Delaware, serving grades 6-8 and part of the Caesar Rodney School District, which is ranked 6th out of 32 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating. The school has a student population of 629, with a shifting racial makeup that has seen a decrease in White students and an increase in Hispanic students over the past few years.

While the school was previously ranked 10th out of 35 middle schools in the state in 2016-2017, its statewide ranking has since declined to 30th out of 54 in 2023-2024, and its SchoolDigger rating has decreased from 4 stars to 2 stars. Academically, the school's proficiency rates on Smarter Balanced Assessments and DeSSA tests are generally below the district and state averages, particularly in mathematics. Additionally, the school has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, from 9.2% in 2017-2018 to 26.1% in 2022-2023, which is much higher than the state average.

Interestingly, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Hispanic students performing relatively well and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds struggling the most. When compared to nearby schools within the same district, such as Dover Air Force Base Middle School, F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School consistently underperforms in both ELA and mathematics proficiency rates, as well as in overall statewide ranking and rating.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 2841 South State Street
       Camden, DE  19934-9627


(302) 698-8410

District: Caesar Rodney School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
30th of 54 Delaware Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,725 Help


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

Student/teacher ratio:  15.3 Help
Number of students:  629

Racial breakdown:

White:
45.3%
African American:
27.7%
Hispanic:
13.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  26.7% Help


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

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School ranks worse than 55.6% of middle schools in Delaware. It also ranks last among 3 ranked middle schools in the Caesar Rodney School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 40.03. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (45.3%), African American (27.7%), Hispanic (13.7%). (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School is 15.3, which is the highest among 3 middle schools in the Caesar Rodney School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School employs 41 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School is $10,725, which is the lowest among 3 middle schools in the Caesar Rodney School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School 30th of 54 Delaware public middle schools. (See F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Caesar Rodney School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Caesar Rodney School District 6th of 32 Delaware school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2011 78.89 10th 38 73.7%
2012 68.43 13th 38 65.8%
2013 63.93 15th 37 59.5%
2016 76.16 8th 35 77.1%
2017 74.68 9th 35 74.3%
2018 67.59 10th 35 71.4%
2019 60.22 18th 52 65.4%
2021 58.41 18th 47 61.7%
2022 47.35 23rd 51 54.9%
2023 40.11 29th 53 45.3%
2024 40.03 30th 54 44.4%
See the entire list of Delaware Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 64.24 2nd 8 75.0%
2024 30.79 4th 7 42.9%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 43.25 20th 41 51.2%
2022 27.31 27th 38 28.9%
2024 20.46 35th 39 10.3%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 56.47 22nd 49 55.1%
2021 58.00 13th 38 65.8%
2022 41.12 27th 50 46.0%
2023 35.97 33rd 50 34.0%
2024 32.56 33rd 49 32.7%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 56.65 2nd 3 33.3%
2022 50.07 2nd 4 50.0%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 65.16 16th 49 67.3%
2021 54.00 14th 38 63.2%
2022 44.98 22nd 50 56.0%
2023 39.81 26th 50 48.0%
2024 41.06 26th 49 46.9%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 53.50 4th 6 33.3%
2023 18.50 7th 8 12.5%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 57.35 15th 44 65.9%
2021 70.75 4th 20 80.0%
2022 42.72 18th 41 56.1%
2023 35.66 26th 43 39.5%
2024 35.24 29th 42 31.0%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 66.33 9th 35 74.3%
2022 83.99 4th 37 89.2%
2023 46.19 15th 37 59.5%
2024 63.25 10th 37 73.0%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 56.37 20th 43 53.5%
2021 43.97 22nd 41 46.3%
2022 37.66 25th 45 44.4%
2023 34.10 28th 44 36.4%
2024 34.95 27th 45 40.0%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Delaware Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Delaware Department of Education

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Enrollment information for F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2000 518 189 11 22 0 n/a n/a 0 740
2001 569 192 18 34 1 n/a n/a 0 814
2002 516 206 26 29 1 n/a n/a 0 778
2003 516 206 26 29 1 n/a n/a 0 778
2004 535 205 21 34 2 n/a n/a 0 797
2005 534 216 23 35 1 n/a n/a 0 809
2006 540 206 26 31 3 n/a n/a 0 806
2007 498 214 27 30 1 n/a n/a 0 770
2008 455 203 32 31 4 n/a n/a 0 725
2009 419 190 22 31 3 n/a n/a 0 665
2010 449 226 26 37 4 n/a n/a 0 742
2011 482 226 22 45 6 0 0 0 781
2012 499 221 36 44 5 1 3 0 809
2013 499 213 37 51 6 1 9 0 816
2014 467 234 42 48 4 1 20 0 816
2015 474 231 34 61 4 0 22 0 826
2016 474 225 35 54 3 0 27 0 818
2017 458 226 28 57 5 1 48 0 823
2018 492 214 35 60 6 1 62 0 870
2019 491 230 34 70 2 1 71 0 899
2020 513 268 45 71 1 0 70 0 968
2021 441 227 45 66 3 0 73 0 855
2022 291 166 44 55 0 1 51 0 608
2023 285 174 36 86 1 1 46 0 629

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2000 740 40.0 18.5 26.6
2001 814 42.0 19.4 28.4
2002 778 45.0 17.3 29
2003 778 45.0 17.3 29
2004 797 46.0 17.3 28
2005 809 46.0 17.6 26.7
2006 806 47.0 17.1 24.7
2007 770 50.0 15.4 24.7
2008 725 50.0 14.5 26.2
2009 665 48.0 13.9 28.3
2010 742 48.0 15.4 33.4
2011 781 47.0 16.6 36.1
2012 809 48.0 16.8 42.6
2013 816 48.0 17.0 40.7
2014 816 47.0 17.3 26.8
2015 826 48.0 17.2 28
2016 818 47.0 17.4 26.7
2017 823 45.0 18.2 n/a
2018 870 48.0 18.1 n/a
2019 899 49.0 18.3 n/a
2020 968 51.0 18.9 n/a
2021 855 50.0 17.1 n/a
2022 608 39.0 15.5 n/a
2023 629 41.0 15.3 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2000 740 40.0 18.5 26.6
2001 814 42.0 19.4 28.4
2002 778 45.0 17.3 29
2003 778 45.0 17.3 29
2004 797 46.0 17.3 28
2005 809 46.0 17.6 26.7
2006 806 47.0 17.1 24.7
2007 770 50.0 15.4 24.7
2008 725 50.0 14.5 26.2
2009 665 48.0 13.9 28.3
2010 742 48.0 15.4 33.4
2011 781 47.0 16.6 36.1
2012 809 48.0 16.8 42.6
2013 816 48.0 17.0 40.7
2014 816 47.0 17.3 26.8
2015 826 48.0 17.2 28
2016 818 47.0 17.4 26.7
2017 823 45.0 18.2 n/a
2018 870 48.0 18.1 n/a
2019 899 49.0 18.3 n/a
2020 968 51.0 18.9 n/a
2021 855 50.0 17.1 n/a
2022 608 39.0 15.5 n/a
2023 629 41.0 15.3 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $518 (4.8%) $10,242 (95.5%) $10,725

Data source: Delaware Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 18th of 52 Middle schoolsRanks 29th of 53 Middle schools
 20.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School)56.125.9
 30.2%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Caesar Rodney School District)63.735.5
 28.2%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Delaware)51.935
 16.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School)36.415.5
 20.8%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Caesar Rodney School District)38.420.7
 17.7%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Delaware)37.626.5
 11.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School)63.840.2
 23.6%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Caesar Rodney School District)62.342
 20.3%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Delaware)54.642.6
 12%
7th Grade Mathematics (F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School)41.928.8
 13.1%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Caesar Rodney School District)40.526.1
 14.5%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Delaware)4128.9
 12.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School)67.647.9
 19.6%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Caesar Rodney School District)61.244.2
 17%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Delaware)52.141.3
 10.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School)5922.5
 36.5%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Caesar Rodney School District)46.522.6
 24%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Delaware)3824.3
 13.7%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students899629
 30%
African American230174
 24.3%
American Indian21
 50%
Asian3436
 5.9%
Hispanic7086
 22.9%
Pacific Islander11
White491285
 42%
Two or More Races7146
 35.2%


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Frequently Asked Questions about F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School

F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School ranks 30th of 54 Delaware middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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

Students at F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School are 45% White, 28% African American, 14% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

In the 2022-23 school year, 629 students attended 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.





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