Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Summary:

Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is a public middle school located in New Castle, Delaware, serving 936 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Colonial School District, which is ranked 28 out of 32 districts in the state.

Bedford (Gunning) Middle School faces significant challenges compared to its peers. The school has a much higher percentage of African American students (52.24%) than the state average for middle schools (around 30%), and consistently underperforms the state and district averages in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2023-2024, only 29.6% of 6th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 38.39%, and the math proficiency rates were even lower. The school also has a much higher chronic absenteeism rate of 27.6%, well above the state average for middle schools. When analyzing the performance of specific student groups, Bedford (Gunning) ranks in the bottom half of Delaware middle schools for all subgroups.

Interestingly, Bedford (Gunning) performs significantly worse than the nearby middle schools in the Appoquinimink School District, such as Meredith (Everett) Middle School and Cantwells Bridge Middle School, which consistently rank in the top 20 middle schools in the state and have much higher academic proficiency rates. The school's declining performance over the years, high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and relatively high student-teacher ratio may be contributing factors to its academic challenges.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 801 Cox Neck Road
       New Castle, DE  19720-5705


(302) 832-6280

District: Colonial School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
43rd of 54 Delaware Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $12,575 Help


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

Student/teacher ratio:  17.3 Help
Number of students:  936

Racial breakdown:

African American:
52.2%
White:
26.2%
Hispanic:
15.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  28.4% Help


 See top rated Delaware middle schools

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

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Bedford (Gunning) Middle School ranks worse than 79.6% of middle schools in Delaware. It also ranks first among 3 ranked middle schools in the Colonial School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 25.14. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a high 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
Help
Compare Details Bedford (Gunning) Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Colonial School District. Student population at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (52.2%), White (26.2%), Hispanic (15.3%). (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is 17.3, which is the highest among 3 middle schools in the Colonial School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Bedford (Gunning) Middle School employs 54 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is $12,575, which is the lowest among 3 middle schools in the Colonial School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Bedford (Gunning) Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Bedford (Gunning) Middle School 43rd of 54 Delaware public middle schools. (See Bedford (Gunning) Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


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


Colonial School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Colonial School District 28th of 32 Delaware school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2011 43.11 23rd 38 39.5%
2012 49.73 22nd 38 42.1%
2013 49.23 22nd 37 40.5%
2015 50.13 27th 49 44.9%
2016 49.42 20th 35 42.9%
2017 38.24 22nd 35 37.1%
2018 39.40 23rd 35 34.3%
2019 37.06 36th 52 30.8%
2021 28.62 33rd 47 29.8%
2022 26.19 38th 51 25.5%
2023 25.25 41st 53 22.6%
2024 25.14 43rd 54 20.4%
See the entire list of Delaware Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 41.13 22nd 41 46.3%
2021 29.88 15th 19 21.1%
2022 33.58 24th 38 36.8%
2023 33.28 28th 40 30.0%
2024 25.44 30th 39 23.1%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 37.52 34th 49 30.6%
2021 24.72 28th 38 26.3%
2022 27.17 37th 50 26.0%
2023 26.46 36th 50 28.0%
2024 23.86 40th 49 18.4%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 36.99 34th 49 30.6%
2021 27.95 27th 38 28.9%
2022 20.72 39th 50 22.0%
2023 21.35 41st 50 18.0%
2024 21.49 40th 49 18.4%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 59.86 13th 44 70.5%
2021 42.76 12th 20 40.0%
2022 37.01 24th 41 41.5%
2023 37.35 24th 43 44.2%
2024 35.55 28th 42 33.3%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 44.77 20th 35 42.9%
2022 39.28 22nd 37 40.5%
2023 36.34 23rd 37 37.8%
2024 32.92 27th 37 27.0%
See the entire list of Best Delaware Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools DE State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 36.73 31st 43 27.9%
2021 22.96 35th 41 14.6%
2022 21.37 37th 45 17.8%
2023 19.04 41st 44 6.8%
2024 15.27 40th 45 11.1%
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.

Bedford (Gunning) 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 Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 724 256 6 13 2 n/a n/a 0 1001
1989 745 256 10 10 1 n/a n/a 0 1022
1990 644 290 8 11 1 n/a n/a 0 954
1991 669 306 8 20 0 n/a n/a 0 1003
1992 647 337 15 21 0 n/a n/a 0 1020
1993 694 373 16 25 0 n/a n/a 0 1108
1994 688 406 30 25 1 n/a n/a 0 1150
1995 757 463 20 33 0 n/a n/a 0 1273
1996 757 463 20 33 0 n/a n/a 0 1273
1997 612 406 21 24 1 n/a n/a 0 1064
1998 599 440 20 31 0 n/a n/a 0 1090
1999 585 426 20 41 1 n/a n/a 0 1073
2000 587 449 24 54 7 n/a n/a 0 1121
2001 577 469 18 68 10 n/a n/a 0 1142
2002 562 501 20 71 3 n/a n/a 0 1157
2003 562 501 20 71 3 n/a n/a 0 1157
2004 568 543 24 62 4 n/a n/a 0 1201
2005 528 605 34 77 3 n/a n/a 0 1247
2006 510 607 42 91 2 n/a n/a 0 1252
2007 506 593 39 93 4 n/a n/a 0 1235
2008 413 441 33 72 6 n/a n/a 0 965
2009 406 447 34 75 7 n/a n/a 0 969
2010 384 451 39 68 5 n/a n/a 0 947
2011 425 496 40 92 3 1 12 0 1069
2012 440 492 39 86 3 0 20 0 1080
2013 391 409 34 78 3 1 20 0 936
2014 365 473 46 79 2 1 18 0 984
2015 372 467 43 89 1 1 18 0 991
2016 372 501 46 94 2 1 18 0 1034
2017 372 548 45 101 3 1 23 0 1093
2018 356 547 42 90 3 2 27 0 1067
2019 333 540 43 111 3 1 23 0 1054
2020 328 532 34 109 1 2 29 0 1035
2021 318 535 40 141 2 1 32 0 1069
2022 353 574 36 163 2 2 34 0 1164
2023 245 489 25 143 4 2 28 0 936

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 Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1001 65.0 15.4 12.6
1989 1022 66.0 15.4 12.1
1990 954 66.0 14.4 12.7
1991 1003 62.0 16.1 16.1
1992 1020 62.0 16.4 19.3
1993 1108 62.0 17.9 20.8
1994 1150 62.0 18.5 22.8
1995 1273 71.0 17.9 31.2
1996 1273 71.0 17.9 31.2
1997 1064 59.0 18.0 27.8
1998 1090 59.0 18.5 33.2
1999 1073 59.0 18.2 39.1
2000 1121 60.0 18.7 35
2001 1142 62.0 18.4 34.5
2002 1157 63.0 18.4 36.8
2003 1157 63.0 18.4 36.8
2004 1201 61.0 19.7 30.3
2005 1247 60.0 20.8 32.6
2006 1252 65.0 19.3 31.5
2007 1235 66.0 18.7 33.8
2008 965 50.0 19.3 43.3
2009 969 48.0 20.2 27.1
2010 947 47.0 20.1 37.7
2011 1069 56.0 19.0 41.5
2012 1080 54.0 20.0 42.5
2013 936 49.0 19.1 44.1
2014 984 47.0 20.9 27.8
2015 991 53.0 18.6 24.4
2016 1034 55.0 18.8 28.4
2017 1093 54.0 20.2 n/a
2018 1067 52.0 20.5 n/a
2019 1054 54.0 19.5 n/a
2020 1035 56.0 18.4 n/a
2021 1069 57.0 18.7 n/a
2022 1164 65.0 17.9 n/a
2023 936 54.0 17.3 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 Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1001 65.0 15.4 12.6
1989 1022 66.0 15.4 12.1
1990 954 66.0 14.4 12.7
1991 1003 62.0 16.1 16.1
1992 1020 62.0 16.4 19.3
1993 1108 62.0 17.9 20.8
1994 1150 62.0 18.5 22.8
1995 1273 71.0 17.9 31.2
1996 1273 71.0 17.9 31.2
1997 1064 59.0 18.0 27.8
1998 1090 59.0 18.5 33.2
1999 1073 59.0 18.2 39.1
2000 1121 60.0 18.7 35
2001 1142 62.0 18.4 34.5
2002 1157 63.0 18.4 36.8
2003 1157 63.0 18.4 36.8
2004 1201 61.0 19.7 30.3
2005 1247 60.0 20.8 32.6
2006 1252 65.0 19.3 31.5
2007 1235 66.0 18.7 33.8
2008 965 50.0 19.3 43.3
2009 969 48.0 20.2 27.1
2010 947 47.0 20.1 37.7
2011 1069 56.0 19.0 41.5
2012 1080 54.0 20.0 42.5
2013 936 49.0 19.1 44.1
2014 984 47.0 20.9 27.8
2015 991 53.0 18.6 24.4
2016 1034 55.0 18.8 28.4
2017 1093 54.0 20.2 n/a
2018 1067 52.0 20.5 n/a
2019 1054 54.0 19.5 n/a
2020 1035 56.0 18.4 n/a
2021 1069 57.0 18.7 n/a
2022 1164 65.0 17.9 n/a
2023 936 54.0 17.3 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 Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $547 (4.3%) $14,382 (114.4%) $12,575

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Bedford (Gunning) 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 36th of 52 Middle schoolsRanks 41st of 53 Middle schools
 8.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Bedford (Gunning) Middle School)55.124
 31.1%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Colonial School District)45.418.8
 26.6%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Delaware)51.935
 16.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (Bedford (Gunning) Middle School)29.816.3
 13.5%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Colonial School District)2210.7
 11.4%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Delaware)37.626.5
 11.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Bedford (Gunning) Middle School)5337.8
 15.2%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Colonial School District)38.826.7
 12.1%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Delaware)54.642.6
 12%
7th Grade Mathematics (Bedford (Gunning) Middle School)31.713.5
 18.2%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Colonial School District)23.29.5
 13.6%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Delaware)4128.9
 12.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Bedford (Gunning) Middle School)49.935.3
 14.6%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Colonial School District)40.627.8
 12.8%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Delaware)52.141.3
 10.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Bedford (Gunning) Middle School)30.616.9
 13.8%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Colonial School District)22.313.1
 9.2%
   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 Students1054936
 11.2%
African American540489
 9.4%
American Indian34
 33.3%
Asian4325
 41.9%
Hispanic111143
 28.8%
Pacific Islander12
 100%
White333245
 26.4%
Two or More Races2328
 21.7%


Schools Near Bedford (Gunning) Middle School









Frequently Asked Questions about Bedford (Gunning) Middle School

Bedford (Gunning) Middle School ranks in the bottom 20.4% of Delaware middle schools.

Students at Bedford (Gunning) Middle School are 52% African American, 26% White, 15% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

In the 2022-23 school year, 936 students attended Bedford (Gunning) Middle School.

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