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Decatur City

At a glance

87^thof 140 Alabama districts▼ 5

Better than 37% of Alabama districts

Elementary 12 Middle 2 High 5 Alternative 1Grades PK, KG-12

212 4th Ave SE
Decatur, AL 35601·(256) 552-3000·All Alabama district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 37.9% of districts

Schools

8,902

Students

5-star school

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

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Biggest riser

Oak Park Elementary School up 118 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Career Academies of Decatur 9.9 students per teacher

✦

Newly ranked this year

Career Academies of Decatur

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

2★

1★

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

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

Summary:

The Decatur City school district in Alabama includes 19 schools serving roughly 8,000 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and it presents a striking mix of standout performers and schools facing significant challenges. The district overall ranks in the 37th percentile statewide, but that average hides a wide gap between its best and most struggling campuses.

At the top, Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary School is the clear crown jewel, ranking 37th out of 686 elementary schools in Alabama (95th percentile) with test scores nearly double the district average in every subject and the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at just 1.3%. Eastwood Elementary School and Julian Harris Elementary School also perform well, with Julian Harris showing strong improvement and 4th grade science scores 17 points above the state average. On the other end, Oak Park Elementary School and West Decatur Elementary School struggle significantly, with proficiency rates 20-30 points below state averages in core subjects. Among high schools, Austin High School leads with a 96.7% graduation rate and the strongest test scores, while Career Academies of Decatur shows critically low performance, ranking in the 19th percentile with math proficiency at just 11%.

One of the most concerning patterns is the sharp decline in math proficiency between 6th and 7th grade at both Decatur Middle School and Austin Middle School, with Austin Middle dropping from 34.9% to just 14.9% proficiency. Chronic absenteeism is generally well-controlled across the district—most schools sit between 3-7%, well below the 12% state average—but Austin High School stands out at 13.4%. Interestingly, per-student spending shows no clear relationship with performance: Eastwood spends the most ($15,088) and performs well, but Oak Park spends nearly as much ($14,212) and struggles, while Woodmeade Elementary School spends the least ($9,103) yet outperforms several schools with higher budgets. For parents, this means school-level leadership and programming matter more than district-wide policies, and the choice of school within Decatur City can dramatically affect a child's educational experience.

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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%)	41.7	264^th of 449 public middle schools	41.2%		45.6	240^th of 439 public middle schools	45.3%	24				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%)	48.9	184^th of 386 public high schools	52.3%		70.6	94^th of 374 public high schools	74.9%	90							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%)	41.3	423^rd of 686 public elementary schools	38.3%		38.7	436^th of 680 public elementary schools	35.9%	13	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%)	45.3	196^th of 386 public high schools	49.2%		66	107^th of 374 public high schools	71.4%	89							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%)	71.4	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%)	27.6	503^rd of 686 public elementary schools	26.7%		17.4	565^th of 680 public elementary schools	16.9%	62	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	269^th of 449 public middle schools	40.1%		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%)	23.3	530^th of 686 public elementary schools	22.7%		8.7	648^th of 680 public elementary schools	4.7%	118	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%)	13.2	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%)	63.6	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%)	40.2	431^st of 686 public elementary schools	37.2%		30.8	471^st of 680 public elementary schools	30.7%	40	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%)	33.1	472^nd of 686 public elementary schools	31.2%		22.8	523^rd of 680 public elementary schools	23.1%	51	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%)	62.7	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%)	45.8	392^nd of 686 public elementary schools	42.9%		42.5	406^th of 680 public elementary schools	40.3%	14	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)
Austin Junior High School	Public	8-9	1625 Danville Road SW	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	No	No	No	(256) 552-3060	664	48	13.9	64.6%	170 (25.6%)	197 (29.7%)	256 (38.6%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	29 (4.4%)								(n/a)						23.2			44.8							49.9		$10,858	$1,247	$9,610
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%)	21.4	309^th of 386 public high schools	19.9%					(n/a)							11.0			12.2							20.0
BEST Academy	Public	PK	514 4th Street SW	Decatur	35601	Morgan County	Decatur City	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(256) 552-3000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Morgan County	3.64 mi	18	46^th
Lawrence County	8.74 mi	16	106^th
Hartselle City	8.95 mi	6	9^th
Limestone County	12.28 mi	16	80^th
Madison City	15.41 mi	14	11^th

See the top AL Alabama districts

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.