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Best Public Schools in Decatur, AL

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Alabama rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

9,901

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedLeon Sheffield Magnet Elementary School37^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Oak Park Elementary School up 117 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Career Academies of Decatur 9.9 students per teacher

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Newly ranked this year

Career Academies of Decatur

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

3★

2★

1★

4 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Alabama cities →See the top-ranked Alabama schools →

Summary:

The city of Decatur, Alabama, is served by 22 schools across the Decatur City and Morgan County districts, offering a range of elementary, middle, and high school options for approximately 10,000 students.

For parents, the standout choice at the elementary level is Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary School, which ranks in the 95th percentile statewide with 3rd-grade English proficiency at 93.55% and remarkably low chronic absenteeism of just 1.3%. At the middle and high school levels, the Morgan County schools in Priceville lead the way: Priceville Junior High School achieves 72.26% proficiency in 8th-grade math (nearly triple the state average), while Priceville High School boasts a 98.3% graduation rate. In contrast, West Decatur Elementary School struggles significantly, with only 13.11% proficiency in 4th-grade science and 81.08% of students on free/reduced lunch. Among the larger high schools, Austin High School posts a strong 96.7% graduation rate, while Decatur High School stands out for its exceptionally low chronic absenteeism at 4.0% despite serving a high-poverty population.

Several patterns emerge for families comparing options. The socioeconomic achievement gap is evident: schools with higher poverty rates like BanksCaddell Elementary School and Frances Nungester Elementary School generally rank lower, though Leon Sheffield proves that effective programming can overcome economic challenges. Middle school math is a district-wide weakness, with Decatur Middle School and Austin Middle School both falling well below state averages. Notably, per-student spending shows no correlation with outcomes—Eastwood Elementary School spends the most ($15,088/student) while Priceville Junior High spends the least ($7,526) yet achieves top rankings. Finally, Oak Park Elementary School shows promising improvement, jumping from the 3rd to 23rd percentile in one year, suggesting that turnaround is possible even in challenging circumstances.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)							Summative Assessment Science (2026)			Summative Assessment English (2026)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 11th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 11th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Austin Middle School	Public	6-7	2715 Danville Rd SW	Decatur	35603	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-4622	727	49	14.7	64.8%	156 (21.5%)	201 (27.6%)	283 (38.9%)	16 (2.2%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	66 (9.1%)	41.6	262^nd of 443 public middle schools	40.9%		45.6	240^th of 439 public middle schools	45.3%	22				34.9	14.9									45.9	49.3			$10,392	$1,438	$8,954
Austin High School	Public	9-12	3004 Modaus Road	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3060	999	61	16.3	56.6%	236 (23.6%)	368 (36.8%)	339 (33.9%)	11 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.5%)	39 (3.9%)	48.6	183^rd of 380 public high schools	51.8%		70.6	94^th of 374 public high schools	74.9%	89							23.1			27.4							31.0	$12,464	$964	$11,500
Austinville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2320 Clara Ave SW	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 552-3050	463	28	16.3	67.6%	51 (11.0%)	119 (25.7%)	265 (57.2%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.8%)	41.2	424^th of 686 public elementary schools	38.2%		38.7	436^th of 680 public elementary schools	35.9%	12	47.6	36.7	43.1					40.0			41.3	53.3	60.3					$9,969	$885	$9,084
Decatur High School	Public	9-12	910 Somerville Road	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3011	915	66	13.8	63.3%	283 (30.9%)	225 (24.6%)	361 (39.5%)	8 (0.9%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	33 (3.6%)	45	195^th of 380 public high schools	48.7%		66	107^th of 374 public high schools	71.4%	88							22.8			29.8							24.4	$12,970	$1,553	$11,379
Eastwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1802 26th Ave SE	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3043	272	18	15.2	37.1%	179 (65.8%)	46 (16.9%)	22 (8.1%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.4%)	71.3	184^th of 686 public elementary schools	73.2%		73.1	167^th of 680 public elementary schools	75.4%	17	50.0	50.0	58.3					52.5			70.0	67.5	88.9					$15,088	$3,262	$11,825
Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary School	Public, Magnet	3-5	801 Wilson St NW	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	Yes	No	No	(256) 552-3056	297	17	17.1	45.8%	144 (48.5%)	85 (28.6%)	49 (16.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.1%)	92.2	37^th of 686 public elementary schools	94.6%		92	40^th of 680 public elementary schools	94.1%	3	74.2	70.7	64.0					73.7			93.6	86.9	89.9
BanksCaddell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	211 Gordon Dr SE	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 552-3040	477	29	16.7	76.5%	59 (12.4%)	130 (27.3%)	262 (54.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.2%)	27.5	504^th of 686 public elementary schools	26.5%		17.4	565^th of 680 public elementary schools	16.9%	61	28.6	40.9	18.5					36.6			50.7	51.4	37.7					$11,826	$2,971	$8,854
Decatur Middle School	Public	6-8	1011 Prospect Drive SE	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3035	818	51	16.0	63.6%	263 (32.2%)	195 (23.8%)	308 (37.7%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (5.4%)	40.5	267^th of 443 public middle schools	39.7%		40.9	268^th of 439 public middle schools	39.0%	1				27.6	18.9	19.2			51.3					41.3	49.6	49.1		$11,092	$1,135	$9,958
Oak Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1218 16th Ave SE	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 552-3033	481	36	13.5	70.9%	76 (15.8%)	133 (27.7%)	236 (49.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	29 (6.0%)	23.2	531^st of 686 public elementary schools	22.6%		8.7	648^th of 680 public elementary schools	4.7%	117	28.1	45.6	32.7					20.0			27.0	38.6	41.7					$14,212	$2,829	$11,384
West Decatur Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	708 Memorial Dr Sw	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 552-3027	407	25	16.6	81.1%	41 (10.1%)	76 (18.7%)	276 (67.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	12 (2.9%)	13.1	613^th of 686 public elementary schools	10.6%		14.9	588^th of 680 public elementary schools	13.5%	25	24.6	16.7	22.5					13.1			40.6	30.0	46.0					$10,695	$1,257	$9,437
Walter Jackson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1950 Park St SE	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3031	251	17	14.9	59.8%	113 (45.0%)	56 (22.3%)	51 (20.3%)	4 (1.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (10.4%)	63.5	247^th of 686 public elementary schools	64.0%		62.8	248^th of 680 public elementary schools	63.5%	1	26.2	62.1	50.0					65.5			69.1	75.9	61.8
Benjamin Davis Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-2	417 Monroe Dr NW	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	Yes	No	No	(256) 552-3025	251	19	13.4	55.4%	96 (38.2%)	85 (33.9%)	52 (20.7%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.0%)								(n/a)
Woodmeade Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 19th Ave SW	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 552-3023	361	24	15.0	67.6%	55 (15.2%)	93 (25.8%)	179 (49.6%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.1%)	26 (7.2%)	40.1	432^nd of 686 public elementary schools	37.0%		30.8	471^st of 680 public elementary schools	30.7%	39	47.4	20.0	33.3					37.5			66.7	55.0	57.5					$9,103	$1,156	$7,947
Frances Nungester Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	726 Tammy St SW	Decatur	35603	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 552-3079	428	27	16.1	75.5%	68 (15.9%)	203 (47.4%)	114 (26.6%)	9 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.5%)	33	473^rd of 686 public elementary schools	31.0%		22.8	523^rd of 680 public elementary schools	23.1%	50	38.9	22.2	37.5					33.3			58.3	42.9	58.9					$10,759	$2,768	$7,991
Long Term Case	Public, Alternative	K-12	406 2nd Ave SE	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 308-2308																			(n/a)
Julian Harris Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1922 McAuliffe Dr SW	Decatur	35603	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3096	349	23	15.5	51.9%	134 (38.4%)	132 (37.8%)	33 (9.5%)	13 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	36 (10.3%)	62.6	256^th of 686 public elementary schools	62.7%		64.9	232^nd of 680 public elementary schools	65.9%	24	48.0	52.9	40.0					67.7			66.0	66.2	63.6
Chestnut Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3205 Cedarhurst Dr SW	Decatur	35603	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3092	436	33	13.4	58.3%	154 (35.3%)	117 (26.8%)	112 (25.7%)	15 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	35 (8.0%)	45.7	393^rd of 686 public elementary schools	42.7%		42.5	406^th of 680 public elementary schools	40.3%	13	49.2	32.2	37.7					36.7			72.1	47.5	63.9					$10,662	$27	$10,635
Decatur High Developmental	Public	9-12	910 Somerville Road SE	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3008	37			75.7%	9 (24.3%)	16 (43.2%)	11 (29.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.7%)								(n/a)
Career Technical Center	Public	9-12	1625 Danville Road SW	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3060																			(n/a)
Career Academies of Decatur	Public	9-12	1229 Westmead Street SW	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(256) 560-6821	269	27	9.9	73.2%	80 (29.7%)	64 (23.8%)	110 (40.9%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	21.1	307^th of 380 public high schools	19.2%					(n/a)							11.0			12.2							20.0
Priceville High School	Public	9-12	2650 N Bethel Rd	Decatur	35603	Morgan County	Morgan County	No	No	No	No	(256) 353-1950	506	27	18.7	27.3%	435 (86.0%)	11 (2.2%)	30 (5.9%)	17 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.4%)	88.3	34^th of 380 public high schools	91.1%		87.2	40^th of 374 public high schools	89.3%	6							43.0			60.4							41.5	$10,170	$759	$9,395
Priceville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	438 Cave Springs Road	Decatur	35603	Morgan County	Morgan County	No	No	No	No	(256) 341-9202	674	41	16.2	34.0%	576 (85.5%)	16 (2.4%)	47 (7.0%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	26 (3.9%)	87.8	67^th of 686 public elementary schools	90.2%		82.1	98^th of 680 public elementary schools	85.6%	31	68.9	72.0						72.8			84.9	73.4						$8,081	$1,211	$6,853
Priceville Junior High School	Public	5-8	311 Highway 67 South	Decatur	35603	Morgan County	Morgan County	No	No	No	No	(256) 355-5104	483	26	18.5	38.9%	422 (87.4%)	6 (1.2%)	33 (6.8%)	8 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.7%)	90.9	34^th of 443 public middle schools	92.3%		93.1	23^rd of 439 public middle schools	94.8%	11			45.7	49.6	45.6	72.3			80.9				88.2	77.4	77.8	76.6		$7,526	$751	$6,758

Cities Near Decatur

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Trinity	4.66 mi	7	194^th
Tanner	9.78 mi	2	273^rd
Hartselle	9.91 mi	7	10^th
Madison	12.43 mi	15	17^th
Danville	12.59 mi	4	130^th

See the top AL Alabama cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alabama State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.