Summary:
The two middle schools in the Decatur City district—Decatur Middle School (grades 6-8, 818 students) and Austin Middle School (grades 6-7, 727 students)—serve a community where over 63% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, yet both schools maintain remarkably low chronic absenteeism rates (3.3% and 5.3%, respectively) compared to the state average of 12%.
Academically, the two schools show distinct strengths. Austin Middle School leads in 6th-grade math, with a 34.91% proficiency rate that nearly matches the state average (35.22%) and clearly beats Decatur Middle School’s 27.62% in the same subject. However, Decatur Middle School is the only school serving 8th grade, and it shines there: its 8th-grade science proficiency (51.31%) exceeds the district average (47.73%), and its 8th-grade math (19.17%) shows strong year-over-year growth from 14.13%. In English Language Arts, Austin Middle School performs better in 6th grade (45.88%), while Decatur Middle School is stronger in 7th grade (49.6%).
A key concern is the dramatic drop in math proficiency from 6th to 7th grade at both schools—Austin Middle School falls from 34.91% to 14.85%, and Decatur Middle School falls to 18.9%—suggesting a systemic challenge in 7th-grade math instruction. Both schools hold stable 2-star ratings and rank in the 37th-45th percentile statewide. Decatur Middle School spends slightly more per student ($11,092 vs. $10,392), while Austin Middle School has a better student-teacher ratio (14.7:1 vs. 16:1). Overall, these schools are relative bright spots within the Decatur City district, which ranks 88th out of 139 districts in Alabama.
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