Penn (William) High School

Located at 713 East Basin Road, in New Castle, Delaware, Penn (William) High School is a high-enrollment four-year high school that caters to 2,069 students (grades 9 through 12), operated by Colonial School District. By comparison, Delaware's public schools average about 1,068 students each, so Penn (William) High School sits 94% above that benchmark.

Penn (William) High School is one of 14 schools operated by Colonial School District, a district that serves 8,575 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Penn (William) High School shows that the largest single group is Black at 50%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest is composed of 23% Hispanic, 21% White, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 26% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 117 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.7:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 16.6:1 average.

Around the school, census data for New Castle County shows median household income runs about $91,166, about 40% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. Across New Castle County's 129 public schools (combined enrollment of about 78,534 students), Penn (William) High School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Downie (Carrie) Elementary School, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The campus sits in an outer-ring setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Penn (William) High School's enrollment has changed only slightly since 2018, when it stood at 2,070 (now 2,069). Class-load math has rose: from 16.6:1 in 2018 to 17.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.