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What's the biggest difference between Beacon Middle School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
427
Middle
DISTRICT 477 · STATE 655
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CAPE HENLOPEN SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 100017000037
Beacon Middle School
19483 John J. Williams Highway, Lewes, DE 19958 · (302) 645-6288 · Sussex County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL427 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.7:1
40 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.0:1 · STATE 16.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 133 | 31% |
| Grade 7 | 160 | 37% |
| Grade 8 | 134 | 31% |
Student demographics
44%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Beacon Middle School→Cape Henlopen High School
Based on grade levels within Cape Henlopen School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
DeSSA + SBAC 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
71.1%
DE avg 41.4% . +2.1pp since 2023
Math
55.8%
DE avg 34.0% . -0.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the DeSSA + SBAC, Delaware's statewide test, about 71 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 56 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Delaware schools, those numbers are about 41 and 34. Reading and writing scores are up about 2 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
DeSSA + SBAC results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 71.1% | 55.8% |
| 2023-24 | 69.0% | 56.1% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: DeSSA + SBAC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Beacon Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Delaware | In Sussex County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.8% | #2 of 38 ▼ 1 | #1 of 10 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 71.1% | #1 of 38 no change | #1 of 10 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 427 | #36 of 40 | #9 of 11 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.7:1 | #1 of 39 | #1 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.1% | #39 of 39 | #11 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -33.8% | #5 of 23 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
427
-252 (-37%) vs 2020
-19% since 1990-91, when it was 528
Student : Teacher
10.7:1
was 14.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 427 | 40 | 10.7:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 705 | 50 | 14.1:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 648 | 48 | 13.5:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 679 | 47 | 14.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 645 | 41 | 15.7:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 573 | 40 | 14.3:1 | 29% (164) |
| 2010-11 | 491 | 34 | 14.4:1 | 38% (187) |
| 2000-01 | 730 | 51 | 14.3:1 | 28% (202) |
| 1990-91 | 528 | 32 | 16.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Beacon Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 34% (645 to 427); teachers down 2% (41 to 40).
About Beacon Middle School
Beacon Middle School is a small middle-grades school in Lewes, Delaware, under Cape Henlopen School District. Enrollment is 427 students in 2024-25, and the school serves grades 6 through 8. Against the 655-student average for middle schools in Delaware, enrollment here is 35% lower.
Within Cape Henlopen School District, Beacon Middle School is one of 10 schools. The district enrolls 6,654 students.
At Beacon Middle School, White students make up 73% of the student body. It is also 12% Hispanic, 6% Black, and 6% multiracial. For comparison, Sussex County is about 74% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 44% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Its teaching staff equals 40 full-time positions, a ratio of 10.7:1. That is 5.7 students per teacher below the 16.4:1 average for middle schools in Delaware.
County data help place the school in context: in Sussex County, the median household income is $81,497, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 33%, and about 8% of people live in poverty. In all, Sussex County has 55 public schools and roughly 32,366 students.
Of nearby public schools, Love Creek Elementary School is the closest, at about 0.2 miles. In all, 5 other public schools sit within five miles of Beacon Middle School.
Its location is classified as Town: Distant by the National Center for Education Statistics.
2024-25 enrollment was 427, a 37% decrease from 679 in 2020-21. The number of students per teacher fell from 14.4 to 10.7 over 4 years.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Sussex County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
255,626
Census ACS
Median income
$81,497
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
55
32,366 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cape Henlopen School District
- Cape Henlopen High SchoolHigh · 1,889 students
- Love Creek Elementary SchoolElementary · 631 students
- Lewes Elementary SchoolElementary · 620 students
- Milton Elementary SchoolElementary · 582 students
- Rehoboth Elementary SchoolElementary · 557 students
- Mariner Middle SchoolMiddle · 552 students
Other schools in Lewes
- Cape Henlopen High SchoolHigh · 1,889 students
- Love Creek Elementary SchoolElementary · 631 students
- Lewes Elementary SchoolElementary · 620 students
- Frederick D Thomas Middle SchoolMiddle · 451 students
- Sussex ConsortiumCombined · 439 students
Nearby schools
- Love Creek Elementary School0.2 mi · 631
- Cape Henlopen High School3.0 mi · 1,889
- Rehoboth Elementary School3.3 mi · 557
- Frederick D Thomas Middle School3.7 mi · 451
- Lewes Elementary School3.7 mi · 620
- Sussex Consortium5.1 mi · 439
Frequently asked questions
About Beacon Middle SchoolHow many students attend Beacon Middle School?
Beacon Middle School enrolls approximately 427 students in grades 06-08.
Is Beacon Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Beacon Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Beacon Middle School have?
Beacon Middle School employs 40 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.7:1.
What is the student diversity at Beacon Middle School?
Student demographics at Beacon Middle School are roughly 73% White, 12% Hispanic, 6% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Beacon Middle School in?
Beacon Middle School is part of Cape Henlopen School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.