$60M investment will expand high school and college opportunities for Wilmington students

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

For decades, schools in Wilmington have faced funding and resource challenges, compounded by a complex governance structure that left many students, especially Latino and Black youth, with limited access to culturally responsive teaching and adequate resources. While systemic inequities in education have long impacted students of color and the community at large, recent efforts aim to shift the narrative toward greater opportunity and support for underserved communities.

Over a decade ago, the Longwood Foundation recognized the urgent need to address educational disparities affecting Wilmington’s inner-city students. To support this mission, they began assisting charter schools in finding spaces to operate, as many struggled to secure adequate facilities.

“The original impetus 12 years ago was the continued challenges of our inner city education system, and unfortunately, those continue to exist today,” said Thère du Pont, Longwood’s president and chair of the Community Education Building board. “[Longwood] had a number of charter schools that wanted to serve inner-city students and that couldn’t find a building that either the city or the Department of Education would approve.”

In 2014, the foundation established the CEB, a hub for local charter schools and the University of Delaware. The multi-story building on downtown Wilmington’s central Rodney Square was donated by credit card giant MBNA in 2012 and became a cornerstone for the community’s education efforts.

Now, a new $60 million plan will expand higher education access for Wilmington students, thanks to the recent donation of another building to the Longwood Foundation.

“The new one will add a high school … early college would be added, Delaware State will take a floor and operate their nursing program, it’s their college of Health and Sciences,” du Pont said. “And then very significantly Delaware Law School, which is operated by Widener University, will move from its suburban campus [to] downtown and bring 800 students into the building on day one.”

The project’s funding is a collective effort: $10 million from the city, $10 million from the donation of the Bank of America building, $23 million from the state, and possibly another $10 million from the county. The Longwood Foundation will fill in the remaining gap to ensure the building’s success.

“In the new building, it will mostly be university classrooms, maybe some lecture halls and specifically, we are already working with Delaware Law School to give them a 150 to 200-seat lecture hall,” he added.