To ease the burden on residents hit with higher-than-expected tax bills due to the recent reassessment, at the August meeting, the Colonial Board of Education approved a revision to the 2025-26 tax rate. This vote allows a separate rate to be set for residential properties and non-residential properties. This action by the Board follows the Delaware General Assembly’s special session earlier this month, in which legislation was passed to allow school districts in New Castle County to set these split rates.
The special session was called to address widespread concerns over the outcome of the reassessment in New Castle County, which showed a swing in the tax burden between commercial and residential properties. The reassessment was conducted after a successful lawsuit argued that property taxes weren’t fair and equitable because property assessments hadn’t been systematically updated in more than 40 years.
- For Residents:
- The new residential rate is decreasing from $0.5517 to $0.45230 per $100 of assessed value
- While this change will decrease the amount due this year from the bill issued in July, it will not eliminate all increases from last year’s tax bills.
- By making this change, residents will see their bills drop from an average increase of 42% to an average of 16% compared to last year.
- For Commercial, Industrial, Etc.:
- Rates for non-residential parcels will increase from $0.5517 to $0.74294
New Castle County will issue supplemental bills for taxpayers with the changes incorporated and a new due date of November 30, 2025.
Next Steps and Important Notes:
- Below is a link to a Google Sheet calculator to determine how the adjusted rates will impact your property. Before clicking on the link, be sure to have your School Taxable Assessed Value available. This information can be found on your bill from New Castle County or you can use the Parcel Search tool on their website: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TrNwtBiVzL-8Kf-rauobI_CzRjRXM4JZ2W_8_mSrsq4/edit?usp=sharing
- If you believe your home’s value was reassessed incorrectly, you can appeal this value through New Castle County for the next tax year. You can find more information on this here: https://www.newcastlede.gov/390/Board-of-Assessment-Review
- Exemptions are also available to various groups. To get more information about those programs, click here: https://www.newcastlede.gov/182/Tax-Exemptions
I have more questions . . .
Please visit https://www.colonialschooldistrict.org/contact/ask-a-question/