History of Newark Charter School

In 1999, a group of Newark parents and teachers committed to providing an educational alternative within the public school system established Newark Charter School. In the year 2000, Delaware’s State Board of Education approved the school’s charter.

Unable to secure a permanent facility at that time, in September 2001 we opened our doors in rented trailers on lands leased from the International Reading Association, on Barksdale Road, in the City of Newark. The first year’s enrollment was 435 students in grades 5-7.

The following year we added grade eight, and enrollment reached 541 students. Still unable to find a permanent home for the school, the Board of Directors sought permission from the State Board of Education to remain in the trailers for a second year. To accommodate the additional students, four additional classrooms were leased from the Newark Day Nursery located directly across the street.

In time for the 2003-2004 school year we were able to purchase property located off of Elkton Road. A two-story middle school was constructed and parents, students and community volunteers moved everything from the Barksdale Road trailers to the new facility. We finally had a permanent campus and facility.

Our students selected the Patriot as the school’s mascot and our street address was named Patriot Way. The new campus and school building now had many amenities the school previously had to do without, such as a library, gymnasium, and a band room.

In 2005, the State Board of Education renewed Newark Charter School’s charter for an additional five years and the following year our Board of Directors sought and received a modification allowing the school to expand its grade configuration from grades 5-8 to grades Kindergarten to 8. With this expansion, and the construction of a new three-story elementary school on the campus, our enrollment increased from 648 students to 1,286 students in 2007.

In 2010, the school’s charter was again renewed by the State Board of Education. In 2011, our Board of Directors again requested approval to expand enrollment. In 2012, we received unanimous approval to expand all grades to 190 students and to add a high school. This new school opened in 2013.

In 2022, Newark Charter School received approval to expanded to a total enrollment of nearly 3,000 students and opened a new Junior High School servicing students in grades 6, 7 and 8.

Most recently, through the efforts of the Capital Campaign and the entire Newark Charter Community, we opened up the Robert W. Gore Stadium on Friday, September 8th, 2023 at our “Under the Lights” event. The entire complex, complete with a competitive track, turf field, and video scoreboard, is one of the best facilities in the state. Our inaugural night kicked off with announcements of all Fall sports teams, a performance from the Marching Band, a few words from new Head of School, Sam Golder, and ended with a Field Hockey victory over Padua in front of a sellout crowd.