Summary:
There are three middle schools serving the city of Decatur, Alabama, spanning grades 5 through 8 and enrolling roughly 2,028 students across two districts: Decatur City and Morgan County.
For parents, the standout choice in this area is clearly Priceville Junior High School, which has earned a 5-star rating for three straight years and ranks in the top 8% of all Alabama middle schools. Its academic performance is exceptional across the board—8th-grade math proficiency is 72.26% compared to roughly 19% at Decatur Middle School, and its English proficiency ranges from 76.64% to 88.19%, far outpacing the 41-49% range seen at both Decatur City schools. Priceville also has remarkably low chronic absenteeism at just 2.5%, versus 3.3% at Decatur Middle and 5.3% at Austin Middle School. Interestingly, Priceville achieves these results while spending about 30% less per student ($7,526 vs. $10,392-$11,092) and maintaining larger class sizes, challenging the idea that more funding automatically means better outcomes.
The two Decatur City schools, Decatur Middle School and Austin Middle School, both hold 2-star ratings and sit in the 37th-45th percentile statewide. A key concern is a "7th-grade math cliff"—Austin Middle drops from 34.91% proficiency in 6th grade to just 14.85% in 7th grade, while Decatur Middle falls from 27.62% to 18.9%. English is a relative strength for both, with proficiency rates near state averages. All three schools beat the state's 12% chronic absenteeism average, suggesting strong community support for attendance even where academics lag.
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