Southern Elementary School

As a roomy elementary-level community in New Castle, Delaware, Southern Elementary School instructs 729 students from grades K through 5, overseen by Colonial School District. Compared to the state average of about 461 students per school, that is 58% above typical.

Within Colonial School District, which oversees 14 schools and 8,575 students, Southern Elementary School is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Southern Elementary School logs that the most-represented group is Black (50%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school logs 34% White, 9% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 2% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 26% Black, putting the school's mix considerably more Black than the area baseline.

On the resource side, Southern Elementary School reports 57 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 12.8:1. The state averages around 13.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical.

Around the school, community-level numbers for New Castle County indicate median household earnings sit near $91,166, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. In all, New Castle County runs 129 public schools (combined enrollment of about 78,534 students), of which Southern Elementary School is one.

Bedford (Gunning) Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 5 other public schools cluster around Southern Elementary School.

Southern Elementary School operates from a countryside location.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Southern Elementary School has declined 13%, going from 838 students in 2018 to 729 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share grew from 45% to 50%.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.