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Decatur Middle School

Q: Is Decatur Middle School a good school?

Decatur Middle School ranks 267 th of 443 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

267^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 443 Alabama Middle Schools

Better than 40% of Alabama middle schools

Summary

Decatur Middle School serves 818 students in grades 6-8 in Decatur, AL, as part of the Decatur City district, which currently holds a 2-star rating.

One of the most impressive things happening at Decatur Middle is the dramatic improvement in student attendance. Chronic absenteeism has plummeted from 21.2% in 2021-2022 to just 3.3% in 2024-2025—far better than the state average of 12.0% and the lowest among comparable schools in the area. This suggests the school has implemented highly effective initiatives to get kids to class. Academically, 8th-grade science is a consistent bright spot, with 51.31% of students proficient in 2025-2026, beating the district average of 47.73% for the third straight year. However, math proficiency declines as students advance: 27.62% of 6th graders are proficient, but that drops to 18.9% in 7th grade and 19.17% in 8th grade. This pattern has persisted for several years, suggesting the curriculum becomes more challenging without enough support. The school also spends more per student ($11,092) than nearby schools like Danville Middle School ($8,068) and Williams Middle School ($7,969), yet outcomes haven't improved proportionally.

Compared to its district sibling, Austin Middle School, the two schools rank nearly identically statewide (267th vs. 262nd). Austin outperforms Decatur in 6th-grade math (34.91% vs. 27.62%), but Decatur actually does better in 7th-grade math (18.9% vs. 14.85%). The gap with higher-performing Priceville Junior High School is stark—Priceville achieves 72.26% proficiency in 8th-grade math versus Decatur's 19.17%. Areas needing attention include English Language Learner students (ranking in the 20th percentile) and a sharp decline in special education performance, which dropped from a 3-star to a 1-star rating in two years. With a student-to-teacher ratio of 16:1, the school has a solid foundation to build on, particularly given its remarkable attendance success.

818

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,092

Per pupil spending ?

63.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1011 Prospect Drive SE
Decatur, AL 35601-4357

(256) 552-3035

District: Decatur City

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...
	Walter Jackson Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

37.7%

White:

32.2%

African American:

23.8%

See top rated Alabama middle schools

Compare Decatur Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 64th percentile in 2016 → 40th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (37% vs 44% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 24 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg37%

Alabama avg44%

267^th of 443

Alabama public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Decatur City

88^th of 139Decatur City among Alabama districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	267 of 443	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.9	268 of 439	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.6	243 of 442	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.0	202 of 437	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.3	236 of 432	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.6	210 of 440	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.7	171 of 437	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.2	133 of 423	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.4	152 of 432	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.5	155 of 432	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.5	160 of 430	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	57.8	164 of 438	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.5	158 of 436	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.3	145 of 436	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	76.9	74 of 435	83.0%	★★★★☆
2010	78.8	68 of 435	84.4%	★★★★☆
2009	80.1	50 of 425	88.2%	★★★★☆
2008	74.9	69 of 417	83.5%	★★★★☆
2007	69.1	107 of 412	74.0%	★★★★☆
2006	68.8	94 of 409	77.0%	★★★★☆
2005	57.5	162 of 415	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	59.3	154 of 407	62.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	33.8	171 of 266	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.5	151 of 259	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.6	141 of 269	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.2	119 of 263	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.5	153 of 271	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.9	128 of 266	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.3	113 of 252	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	67 of 247	72.9%	★★★★☆
2017	39.5	111 of 205	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	31.0	82 of 103	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.0	71 of 117	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.9	76 of 106	28.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.8	30 of 94	68.1%	★★★★☆
2022	41.5	43 of 81	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.9	44 of 70	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.7	15 of 31	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.1	8 of 25	68.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	36.9	270 of 422	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.7	271 of 415	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.4	239 of 426	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.0	206 of 417	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.7	222 of 423	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.0	184 of 415	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.7	147 of 399	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.7	107 of 392	72.7%	★★★★☆
2017	57.5	147 of 380	61.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	36.3	56 of 82	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.8	104 of 173	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.0	94 of 164	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.6	80 of 166	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.8	98 of 157	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.1	86 of 154	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	75 of 124	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.8	61 of 113	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.3	71 of 108	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	34.8	289 of 432	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.8	284 of 428	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.4	262 of 437	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.4	207 of 410	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	277 of 421	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.6	251 of 415	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.2	242 of 396	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.0	211 of 396	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	251 of 421	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.6	241 of 422	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.0	232 of 428	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.7	186 of 419	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.4	239 of 427	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.5	215 of 418	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.5	165 of 399	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.6	149 of 397	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.9	136 of 380	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	55.6	57 of 145	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	31.5	71 of 92	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	53 of 78	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.1	34 of 72	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.9	30 of 60	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.9	29 of 61	52.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	27.8	206 of 266	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.0	215 of 271	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.2	129 of 281	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.4	154 of 281	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	165 of 256	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.0	224 of 274	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.9	44 of 254	82.7%	★★★★☆
2018	63.6	49 of 223	78.0%	★★★★☆
2017	49.6	74 of 195	62.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	94 of 355	73.5%	★★★★☆
2025	36.4	247 of 377	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.0	225 of 373	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.2	175 of 370	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.3	213 of 376	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.3	176 of 369	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.4	123 of 343	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	78.0	53 of 331	84.0%	★★★★☆
2017	75.2	42 of 247	83.0%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2026)74th percentile+34 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)61st percentile+21 vs school

Male (2026)40th percentile~ school

Female (2026)36th percentile-4 vs school

African American (2026)36th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)32nd percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2026)23rd percentile-17 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)20th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science51%-3 vs state

English47%-10 vs state

Mathematics22%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Decatur Middle School

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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	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 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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
West Morgan Middle School	Public	4-8	261 South Greenway Drive	Trinity	35673	Morgan County	Morgan County	No	No	No	No	(256) 353-5214	561	29	19.6	75.0%	287 (51.2%)	36 (6.4%)	225 (40.1%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	6 (1.1%)	58.8	160^th of 443 public middle schools	63.9%		46.8	230^th of 439 public middle schools	47.6%	70	20.3	48.7	31.9	21.0	31.0	26.3	56.6	41.5	66.1	64.9	58.0	54.9	$5,994	$143	$5,835
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
Hartselle Junior High School	Public	7-8	904 Sparkman Street	Hartselle	35640	Morgan County	Hartselle City	No	No	No	No	(256) 773-5426	553	37	15.0	35.1%	478 (86.4%)	23 (4.2%)	33 (6.0%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.2%)	94.7	19^th of 443 public middle schools	95.7%		93	25^th of 439 public middle schools	94.3%	6				54.6	60.5		83.0				81.9	75.6	$9,433	$622	$8,797
East Lawrence Middle School	Public	5-8	99 County Road 370	Trinity	35673	Lawrence County	Lawrence County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 905-2420	409	20	20.2	68.2%	316 (77.3%)	49 (12.0%)	26 (6.4%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	23.5	341^st of 443 public middle schools	23.0%		25.9	325^th of 439 public middle schools	26.0%	16		23.4	10.6	11.3	5.5		40.0		60.8	41.2	43.0	41.8	$7,270	$485	$6,770
Hartselle Intermediate School	Public	5-6	130 Petain Street SW	Hartselle	35640	Morgan County	Hartselle City	No	No	No	No	(256) 773-6094	522	34	15.2	34.9%	453 (86.8%)	33 (6.3%)	20 (3.8%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.9%)								(n/a)		65.1	60.4						90.0	75.2			$8,011	$898	$7,097
Danville Middle School	Public	5-8	5933 Highway 36 W	Danville	35619	Morgan County	Morgan County	No	No	No	No	(256) 773-7723	372	19	20.1	57.3%	312 (83.9%)	13 (3.5%)	34 (9.1%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.3%)	46.7	234^th of 443 public middle schools	47.2%		47.5	227^th of 439 public middle schools	48.3%	7		59.3	10.5	17.2	26.4		57.1		73.5	46.3	55.2	60.4	$8,068	$456	$7,595
Williams Middle School	Public	6-8	155 Barren Fork Blvd SW	Huntsville	35824	Madison County	Huntsville City	No	No	No	No	(256) 428-7330	659	30	21.9	49.9%	106 (16.1%)	397 (60.2%)	84 (12.7%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	9 (1.4%)	57 (8.6%)	35.6	288^th of 443 public middle schools	35.0%		36.9	289^th of 439 public middle schools	34.2%	1			21.7	9.1	14.4		43.6			54.7	45.2	52.3	$7,969	$169	$7,799
Journey Middle School	Public	6-8	217 Celtic Drive	Madison	35758	Madison County	Madison City	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(256) 464-8370	903	48	19.0	26.7%	424 (47.0%)	206 (22.8%)	90 (10.0%)	91 (10.1%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	87 (9.6%)	90.3	36^th of 443 public middle schools	91.9%		86.8	46^th of 439 public middle schools	89.5%	10			62.7	46.2	43.3		68.4			82.6	75.8	80.6

Frequently Asked Questions about Decatur Middle School

What high school do graduates of Decatur Middle School attend?

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

How many students attend Decatur Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 818 students attended Decatur Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Decatur Middle School?

Students at Decatur Middle School are 38% Hispanic, 32% White, 24% African American, 5% Two or more races.

Is Decatur Middle School a good school?

Decatur Middle School ranks 267^th of 443 Alabama middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Decatur Middle School in?

Decatur City

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresNewAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

2021–22 through 2023–24 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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.