Can I use Sussex County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Sussex County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Sussex County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Sussex County?

Start with the 49 listed public schools and 10 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Sussex County Schools & Education

Name: Sussex County, Delaware Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Sussex County, Delaware

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

58/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

87.1%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

87.1%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 88.3%

Per-Pupil Spending

$9,133

National avg $13,239

State avg $9,480

School Score

58/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 62/100

State Score Position

of 3 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Sussex County

Measured School Summary

Sussex County performs at an average level with a school score of 58/100 and a solid graduation rate of 87.1%.

Funding Context

Sussex County spends $9,133 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 7% below the Delaware average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 1.2 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 4% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Sussex County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

49 public schools and 10 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

58/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #3 of 3 Delaware counties with school score data.

Completion

87.1%

1.2 pts below the state average

Funding context

$9,133

$347 below the state average

School coverage

10 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Sussex County has 49 public schools across 10 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Sussex County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Mixed school landscape

Sussex County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.

State position

of 3 Delaware counties with school score data. The county score is 4 points below the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 98% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Indian River School District

Elementary to high school visible

10,799 students

Elementary 8Middle 3High 3Other 2

16 listed schools in this county slice.

Cape Henlopen School District

Elementary to high school visible

6,336 students

Elementary 5Middle 2High 1Other 1

9 listed schools in this county slice.

Seaford School District

Elementary to high school visible

3,410 students

Elementary 4Middle 1High 1Other 1

7 listed schools in this county slice.

Laurel School District

Elementary to high school visible

2,598 students

Elementary 2Middle 1High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

Indian River School District is the largest listed district slice, with 16 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Sussex County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Sussex County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

Which schools are missing enrollment or ratio fields, and does the district publish a newer local profile than the NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data?

Education Overview

About Schools in Sussex County, Delaware

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Primary Education Focus in Southern Delaware

Sussex County's education system consists of 49 schools and 31,516 students distributed among 10 school districts. The landscape is primarily focused on primary education, featuring 25 elementary schools alongside 9 middle and 9 high schools.

Indian River Leads the Local District Mix

Indian River School District is the largest provider, educating 10,799 students across 16 different schools. While charter schools are less frequent here, Sussex Academy serves over 1,100 students as a key alternative for local families.

Rural and Small-Town School Settings

Schools in Sussex offer a distinct rural and small-town feel, with 37 of the 49 schools located in these settings. Despite the rural footprint, the average school size is a substantial 671 students, led by Sussex Central High School's 2,039 enrollees.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Sussex County

Reported Enrollment

31,516

48 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

4% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary25

Middle9

High9

Other6

10 School Districts in Sussex County

Indian River School District

Cape Henlopen School District

Milford School District

Seaford School District

Laurel School District

4 schools

2,598 students

Woodbridge School District

4 schools

2,494 students

Delmar School District

3 schools

1,427 students

Sussex Technical School District

1 school

1,292 students

Sussex Academy

1 school

1,118 students

Sussex Montessori School

1 school

403 students

49 Public Schools in Sussex County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 6 high-enrollment schools; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 20 of 49 matching schools

Public schools in Sussex County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Sussex Central High School	Profile	Indian River School District	Georgetown, 19947Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	2,039
Cape Henlopen High School	Profile	Cape Henlopen School District	Lewes, 19958Town: Distant	9–12	High	1,813
Sussex Technical High School	Profile	Sussex Technical School District	Georgetown, 19947Rural: Distant	9–12	Vocational	1,292
Laurel Elementary School	Profile	Laurel School District	Laurel, 19956Suburb: Small	1–6	Primary	1,124
Sussex Academy	Profile	Sussex Academy	Georgetown, 19947Town: Fringe	KG–12	Charter	1,118
Indian River High School	Profile	Indian River School District	Dagsboro, 19945Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	1,088
Georgetown Middle School	Record	Indian River School District	Georgetown, 19947Town: Fringe	6–8	Middle	885
Seaford Senior High School	Record	Seaford School District	Seaford, 19973Suburb: Small	9–12	High	879
Georgetown Elementary School	Record	Indian River School District	Georgetown, 19947Town: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	840
Seaford Middle School	Record	Seaford School District	Seaford, 19973Suburb: Small	6–8	Middle	828
East Millsboro Elementary School	Record	Indian River School District	Millsboro, 19966Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	815
North Georgetown Elementary School	Record	Indian River School District	Georgetown, 19947Rural: Fringe	PK–5	Primary	774
Millsboro Middle School	Record	Indian River School District	Millsboro, 19966Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	771
Delmar Middle School	Record	Delmar School District	Delmar, 19940Suburb: Small	5–8	Middle	757
Laurel Senior High School	Record	Laurel School District	Laurel, 19956Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	747
Woodbridge High School	Record	Woodbridge School District	Greenwood, 19950Rural: Fringe	9–12	High	723
Selbyville Middle School	Record	Indian River School District	Selbyville, 19975Rural: Fringe	6–8	Middle	719
Long Neck Elementary School	Record	Indian River School District	Millsboro, 19966Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	693
Delmar High School	Record	Delmar School District	Delmar, 19940Suburb: Small	9–12	High	670
Ross (Lulu M.) Elementary School	Record	Milford School District	Milford, 19963Town: Fringe	1–5	Primary	668

Sussex Central High School

Indian River School District

Georgetown, 19947 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High2,039 students

Cape Henlopen High School

Cape Henlopen School District

Lewes, 19958 / Town: Distant

Profile9–12High1,813 students

Sussex Technical High School

Sussex Technical School District

Georgetown, 19947 / Rural: Distant

Profile9–12Vocational1,292 students

Laurel Elementary School

Laurel School District

Laurel, 19956 / Suburb: Small

Profile1–6Primary1,124 students

Sussex Academy

Georgetown, 19947 / Town: Fringe

ProfileKG–12Charter1,118 students

Indian River High School

Indian River School District

Dagsboro, 19945 / Rural: Fringe

Profile9–12High1,088 students

Georgetown Middle School

Indian River School District

Georgetown, 19947 / Town: Fringe

Record6–8Middle885 students

Seaford Senior High School

Seaford School District

Seaford, 19973 / Suburb: Small

Record9–12High879 students

Georgetown Elementary School

Indian River School District

Georgetown, 19947 / Town: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary840 students

Seaford Middle School

Seaford School District

Seaford, 19973 / Suburb: Small

Record6–8Middle828 students

East Millsboro Elementary School

Indian River School District

Millsboro, 19966 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary815 students

North Georgetown Elementary School

Indian River School District

Georgetown, 19947 / Rural: Fringe

RecordPK–5Primary774 students

Millsboro Middle School

Indian River School District

Millsboro, 19966 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle771 students

Delmar Middle School

Delmar School District

Delmar, 19940 / Suburb: Small

Record5–8Middle757 students

Laurel Senior High School

Laurel School District

Laurel, 19956 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High747 students

Woodbridge High School

Woodbridge School District

Greenwood, 19950 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12High723 students

Selbyville Middle School

Indian River School District

Selbyville, 19975 / Rural: Fringe

Record6–8Middle719 students

Long Neck Elementary School

Indian River School District

Millsboro, 19966 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary693 students

Delmar High School

Delmar School District

Delmar, 19940 / Suburb: Small

Record9–12High670 students

Ross (Lulu M.) Elementary School

Milford School District

Milford, 19963 / Town: Fringe

Record1–5Primary668 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$9,133

State avg $9,480

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Sussex County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Delaware counties have the highest graduation rates?

New Castle County (90.2%), Kent County (87.5%), and Sussex County (87.1%) currently lead Delaware among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Delaware?

Across Delaware counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $9,480. The highest current county values are New Castle County ($10,092), Kent County ($9,215), and Sussex County ($9,133). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Sussex County?

Sussex County has a school score of 58/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Sussex County?

The high school graduation rate in Sussex County is 87.1%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Sussex County spend per student?

Sussex County spends $9,133 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Sussex County, Delaware — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Sussex County, Delaware?

What are the major school districts in Sussex County, Delaware?

What is the school experience like in Sussex County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Kent County

Delaware

+1 pts

58/100

School score

New Castle County

Delaware

+13 pts

71/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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