Decatur Middle School

Summary:

Decatur Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Decatur, Alabama, which is part of the Decatur City School District. The school has a diverse student population, with 33.13% White, 26.26% African American, and 36.32% Hispanic students.

Academically, Decatur Middle School faces challenges, with proficiency rates in Mathematics and English Language Arts generally below the state and district averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's Mathematics proficiency rates ranged from 10.28% to 25.18% across the grades, compared to the state averages of 22.06% to 31.56%. The school's performance in English Language Arts is slightly better, but still below the state averages. Decatur Middle School's statewide ranking among Alabama middle schools has fluctuated, currently standing at 243 out of 442 schools and rated 2 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Hartselle Junior High School in the higher-performing Hartselle City School District, Decatur Middle School's academic performance is generally lower. Despite having a lower student-teacher ratio and higher spending per student than some nearby schools, these factors do not seem to translate into significantly better academic outcomes for Decatur Middle School, suggesting that other factors may be influencing the school's challenges.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 1011 Prospect Drive SE
       Decatur, AL  35601-4357


(256) 552-3035

District: Decatur City

SchoolDigger Rank:
243rd of 442 Alabama Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,092 Help


Students who attend Decatur Middle School usually attend:

High:    Decatur High School

Feeder schools for Decatur Middle School:

Elementary:    BanksCaddell Elementary School
    Eastwood Elementary School
    Frances Nungester Elementary School
    Oak Park Elementary School
    More...

Student/teacher ratio:  14.8 Help
Number of students:  792

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
36.2%
White:
33.3%
African American:
25.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  63.6% Help


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 Compare Decatur Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Decatur Middle School ranks worse than 55% of middle schools in Alabama. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 43.6. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Decatur Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (36.2%), White (33.3%), African American (25.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 63.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Decatur Middle School is 14.8. (See more...)
Help
Compare Decatur Middle School employs 53.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Decatur Middle School is $11,092.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Decatur Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Decatur Middle School 243rd of 442 Alabama public middle schools. (See Decatur Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Decatur City:

SchoolDigger ranks Decatur City 92nd of 137 Alabama school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Decatur Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 59.30 154th 407 62.2%
2005 57.54 162nd 415 61.0%
2006 68.82 94th 409 77.0%
2007 69.14 107th 412 74.0%
2008 74.92 69th 417 83.5%
2009 80.10 50th 425 88.2%
2010 78.76 68th 435 84.4%
2011 76.89 74th 435 83.0%
2012 64.34 145th 436 66.7%
2013 62.52 158th 436 63.8%
2014 57.81 164th 438 62.6%
2015 57.46 160th 430 62.8%
2016 59.46 155th 432 64.1%
2017 59.43 152nd 432 64.8%
2018 65.16 133rd 423 68.6%
2019 57.74 171st 437 60.9%
2021 49.61 210th 440 52.3%
2022 44.35 236th 432 45.4%
2023 51.03 202nd 437 53.8%
2024 43.60 243rd 442 45.0%
See the entire list of Alabama Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 51.89 29th 61 52.5%
2022 47.86 30th 60 50.0%
2023 49.08 34th 72 52.8%
2024 30.90 53rd 78 32.1%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.08 8th 25 68.0%
2019 40.75 15th 31 51.6%
2021 37.91 44th 70 37.1%
2022 41.54 43rd 81 46.9%
2023 49.79 30th 94 68.1%
2024 32.90 76th 106 28.3%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 49.59 74th 195 62.1%
2018 63.63 49th 223 78.0%
2019 66.88 44th 254 82.7%
2021 27.01 224th 274 18.2%
2022 35.98 165th 256 35.5%
2023 39.43 154th 281 45.2%
2024 46.19 129th 281 54.1%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 48.03 211th 396 46.7%
2019 43.19 242nd 396 38.9%
2021 40.58 251st 415 39.5%
2022 36.29 277th 421 34.2%
2023 46.38 207th 410 49.5%
2024 40.37 262nd 437 40.0%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 57.46 147th 380 61.3%
2018 67.68 107th 392 72.7%
2019 58.74 147th 399 63.2%
2021 52.98 184th 415 55.7%
2022 46.68 222nd 423 47.5%
2023 48.96 206th 417 50.6%
2024 42.43 239th 426 43.9%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 57.86 136th 380 64.2%
2018 59.65 149th 397 62.5%
2019 56.53 165th 399 58.6%
2021 45.51 215th 418 48.6%
2022 41.37 239th 427 44.0%
2023 51.71 186th 419 55.6%
2024 43.98 232nd 428 45.8%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 39.53 111th 205 45.9%
2018 61.97 67th 247 72.9%
2019 48.32 113th 252 55.2%
2021 40.86 128th 266 51.9%
2022 38.52 153rd 271 43.5%
2023 45.17 119th 263 54.8%
2024 39.56 141st 269 47.6%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 34.32 71st 108 34.3%
2018 40.81 61st 113 46.0%
2019 39.14 75th 124 39.5%
2021 40.14 86th 154 44.2%
2022 33.85 98th 157 37.6%
2023 46.56 80th 166 51.8%
2024 38.01 94th 164 42.7%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Decatur Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AL State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 75.21 42nd 247 83.0%
2018 77.96 53rd 331 84.0%
2019 55.36 123rd 343 64.1%
2021 46.29 176th 369 52.3%
2022 39.32 213th 376 43.4%
2023 47.24 175th 370 52.7%
2024 39.02 225th 373 39.7%
See the entire list of Best Alabama Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Alabama State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Decatur Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Alabama State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Decatur Middle School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 869 869
1989 613 272 4 1 1 n/a n/a 0 891
1990 586 282 2 3 1 n/a n/a 0 874
1991 546 279 4 4 1 n/a n/a 0 834
1992 547 271 2 6 3 n/a n/a 0 829
1993 523 191 5 7 0 n/a n/a 0 726
1994 515 175 3 6 0 n/a n/a 0 699
1995 468 204 4 15 2 n/a n/a 0 693
1996 468 204 4 15 2 n/a n/a 0 693
1997 463 187 3 23 4 n/a n/a 0 680
1998 443 190 5 33 1 n/a n/a 0 672
1999 425 168 3 43 0 n/a n/a 0 639
2000 413 162 3 65 0 n/a n/a 0 643
2001 416 176 6 41 0 n/a n/a 0 639
2002 419 199 6 62 3 n/a n/a 0 689
2003 419 199 6 62 3 n/a n/a 0 689
2004 421 185 4 76 5 n/a n/a 1 692
2005 412 188 3 61 5 n/a n/a 0 669
2006 397 167 4 61 3 n/a n/a 1 633
2007 390 153 4 72 2 n/a n/a 4 625
2008 396 151 5 70 2 n/a n/a 0 624
2009 368 153 3 101 0 n/a n/a 0 625
2010 386 151 6 94 0 n/a n/a 7 644
2012 341 165 6 95 1 0 8 0 616
2013 370 170 4 102 5 2 14 0 667
2014 353 203 3 117 5 0 21 0 702
2015 333 165 4 121 6 1 23 0 653
2016 325 176 6 134 2 1 18 0 662
2017 317 147 3 154 2 2 18 0 643
2018 329 130 2 158 3 5 18 0 645
2019 349 208 4 229 3 5 27 0 825
2020 335 211 6 271 2 1 31 0 857
2021 296 246 6 307 3 3 32 0 893
2022 278 226 7 313 2 1 29 0 856
2023 270 214 6 296 3 1 25 0 815
2024 264 201 6 287 2 0 32 0 792

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Decatur Middle School

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 869 53.0 16.3 0
1989 891 50.0 17.8 n/a
1990 874 50.0 17.4 0
1991 834 50.0 16.6 n/a
1992 829 49.0 16.9 n/a
1993 726 45.0 16.1 n/a
1994 699 44.8 15.6 n/a
1995 693 46.0 15.1 n/a
1996 693 46.0 15.1 n/a
1997 680 46.0 14.8 40.3
1998 672 47.0 14.3 42
1999 639 46.0 13.9 45.9
2000 643 44.0 14.6 48.2
2001 639 44.3 14.4 40.7
2002 689 46.0 15.0 46.2
2003 689 46.0 15.0 46.2
2004 692 45.0 15.4 54.1
2005 669 44.0 15.2 53.1
2006 633 43.0 14.7 54.7
2007 625 43.6 14.3 52.3
2008 624 45.0 13.9 47
2009 625 44.5 13.9 52.5
2010 644 56.5 11.4 60
2012 616 54.5 11.3 59.7
2013 667 53.5 12.4 63.6
2014 702 41.0 17.1 65.2
2015 653 38.0 17.1 59.1
2016 662 39.0 16.9 63.7
2017 643 37.0 17.3 41.1
2018 645 37.0 17.4 63.6
2019 825 49.5 16.6 63
2020 857 53.5 16.0 66.9
2021 893 53.5 16.6 70.3
2022 856 48.5 17.6 53.5
2023 815 54.5 14.9 76.6
2024 792 53.5 14.8 63.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Decatur Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 869 53.0 16.3 0
1989 891 50.0 17.8 n/a
1990 874 50.0 17.4 0
1991 834 50.0 16.6 n/a
1992 829 49.0 16.9 n/a
1993 726 45.0 16.1 n/a
1994 699 44.8 15.6 n/a
1995 693 46.0 15.1 n/a
1996 693 46.0 15.1 n/a
1997 680 46.0 14.8 40.3
1998 672 47.0 14.3 42
1999 639 46.0 13.9 45.9
2000 643 44.0 14.6 48.2
2001 639 44.3 14.4 40.7
2002 689 46.0 15.0 46.2
2003 689 46.0 15.0 46.2
2004 692 45.0 15.4 54.1
2005 669 44.0 15.2 53.1
2006 633 43.0 14.7 54.7
2007 625 43.6 14.3 52.3
2008 624 45.0 13.9 47
2009 625 44.5 13.9 52.5
2010 644 56.5 11.4 60
2012 616 54.5 11.3 59.7
2013 667 53.5 12.4 63.6
2014 702 41.0 17.1 65.2
2015 653 38.0 17.1 59.1
2016 662 39.0 16.9 63.7
2017 643 37.0 17.3 41.1
2018 645 37.0 17.4 63.6
2019 825 49.5 16.6 63
2020 857 53.5 16.0 66.9
2021 893 53.5 16.6 70.3
2022 856 48.5 17.6 53.5
2023 815 54.5 14.9 76.6
2024 792 53.5 14.8 63.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Decatur Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,135 (10.2%) $9,958 (89.8%) $11,092

Data source: Alabama Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Decatur Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 171st of 437 Middle schoolsRanks 202nd of 437 Middle schools
 7.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade Mathematics (Decatur Middle School)47.733.3
 14.4%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Decatur City)52.230.9
 21.3%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)45.330.8
 14.5%
7th Grade Mathematics (Decatur Middle School)50.215.4
 34.8%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Decatur City)47.915.2
 32.7%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)43.121
 22.1%
8th Grade Mathematics (Decatur Middle School)46.213.7
 32.5%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Decatur City)4818.8
 29.1%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Alabama)44.721.1
 23.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students825815
 1.2%
African American208214
 2.9%
American Indian33
Asian46
 50%
Hispanic229296
 29.3%
Pacific Islander51
 80%
White349270
 22.6%
Two or More Races2725
 7.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients63%76.6%
 13.5%


Schools Near Decatur Middle School









Frequently Asked Questions about Decatur Middle School

Students who attend Decatur Middle School usually go on to attend Decatur High School

In the 2023-24 school year, 792 students attended Decatur Middle School.

Students at Decatur Middle School are 36% Hispanic, 33% White, 25% African American, 4% Two or more races.

Decatur Middle School ranks 243rd of 442 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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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.





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