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Unionville and Chadds Ford, PA (Unionville-Chadds Ford School District): What to Know

Unionville and Chadds Ford sit in the Brandywine Valley, in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District across Chester and Delaware counties. Here's where they are, which townships the district covers, what there is to do and how people get around.

Rolling green hills with a stone barn, split-rail fence and a creek

Unionville and Chadds Ford are communities in the Brandywine Valley of southeastern Pennsylvania, served by the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, which covers about 77 square miles of Chester County and Delaware County. Unionville is a historic village in East Marlborough Township, Chester County, surrounded by farms and preserved land. Chadds Ford, on US Route 1 along the Brandywine, is home to the Brandywine Museum of Art and Brandywine Battlefield Park. Living here generally means a rural, low-density setting with Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square and Wilmington within easy reach.

Last reviewed October 13, 2026. For current home prices, talk to a Foraker agent; this guide doesn't quote market figures because they go stale fast.

Where are Unionville and Chadds Ford?

Unionville isn't a borough; it's a village in East Marlborough Township, Chester County, which had 7,306 residents at the 2020 Census. At its center is the Unionville Village Historic District, more than sixty architecturally significant buildings, most of them private homes. They range from late-18th-century brick dwellings and 19th-century townhouses to Victorian residences.

Chadds Ford Township is in Delaware County, not Chester County; Delaware County lists it among its municipalities. The village of Chadds Ford sits along US Route 1 near Creek Road (formerly Route 100).

That county line matters more than the postal name. A "Chadds Ford" or "Kennett Square" mailing address doesn't tell you the township, the county or the school district; even the school district's own office has a Kennett Square address. Check the township on the tax record before you fall for a house.

What school district are Unionville and Chadds Ford in?

The Unionville-Chadds Ford School District (UCFSD) serves seven townships across two counties:

  • Chester County: Birmingham, East Marlborough, Newlin, Pennsbury, Pocopson and West Marlborough
  • Delaware County: Chadds Ford

One wrinkle: East Marlborough is split. Chester County's tax-rate chart shows part of the township in UCFSD and part in the Kennett Consolidated School District, so confirm the district for the specific parcel.

UCFSD runs six schools: four elementary schools (Chadds Ford, Hillendale, Pocopson and Unionville), Charles F. Patton Middle School and Unionville High School. The district reports serving about 3,586 students. Its roots go back to 1920, when East Marlborough, Newlin and Pocopson townships created the first joint school in Pennsylvania. The Unionville and Chadds Ford consolidated schools merged into one district in 1954.

What is there to do?

  • Brandywine Museum of Art (1 Hoffman's Mill Road, Chadds Ford): a renovated 19th-century mill with a steel-and-glass addition overlooking the Brandywine River. It's the place to see work by three generations of Wyeths (N.C., Andrew and Jamie). The museum also offers guided tours of the Andrew Wyeth Studio, the N.C. Wyeth House & Studio and Kuerner Farm, all National Historic Landmarks. It's part of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, which also works to preserve the region's land.
  • Brandywine Battlefield Park (1491 Baltimore Pike): interprets the Battle of Brandywine, which the park calls the largest single-day land battle of the American Revolution. It's open limited days (Thursday through Sunday at last check), so confirm before you go.
  • Chadds Ford Historical Society: three 18th-century houses and a Barn Visitors Center. Its yearly events include Battle at Chadds Ford / Historic Chadds Ford Days in September and the Great Pumpkin Carve.
  • Longwood Gardens: on US Route 1, about 3 miles northeast of Kennett Square. The Unionville-area comprehensive plan notes that part of Longwood's property lies in East Marlborough Township.
  • Unionville Community Fair: held the first weekend of October; 2026 was the 102nd fair, with an exhibit barn, farm animals, local food and live music.
  • ChesLen Preserve: Natural Lands' 1,282-acre preserve near Unionville includes part of the rare Unionville Serpentine Barrens. You can paddle the West Branch of Brandywine Creek through it, and there's parking off Cannery Road and Route 162.

How do you get around?

  • US Route 1 (Baltimore Pike) is the main road through Chadds Ford; Longwood Gardens and Kennett Square are on it too. Longwood lists Wilmington about 12 miles and Philadelphia about 30 miles from the gardens.
  • Routes 82 and 162, along with part of Route 926, are the main through roads in the Unionville area, according to the Unionville Area Regional Comprehensive Plan.
  • Transit is thin. The same plan acknowledges that mass transportation in the region is very limited, so plan on driving.

Who do Unionville and Chadds Ford suit?

The area tends to suit buyers who want:

  • space and privacy: much of the area is rural, and West Marlborough Township in particular is known for raising and breeding horses and cattle;
  • preserved countryside: large parts of West Marlborough are under conservation easement, which has kept much of it from being developed. If a property you like carries an easement, read it before you write an offer, because it can limit what you can build or subdivide;
  • history and the arts, with the Wyeth sites, the battlefield and 18th-century villages close by;
  • a drive to Wilmington, Kennett Square or the Route 1 corridor rather than a train commute.

For what homes cost right now, talk to a Foraker agent; we'll pull current sales for the specific township you're considering.

Talk to us about the Brandywine Valley

I'm Brian Foraker, owner of Foraker Realty Co. Our headquarters is at 135 E State St in Kennett Square, a short drive down Route 1 from Chadds Ford. We're licensed in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland, so if you're weighing Unionville against a house over the Delaware line, one agent can follow the search. Start on our buying page or selling page, browse listings at forakerrealty.com, or call (484) 406-3004.

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