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Walter Jackson Elementary School

Q: Is Walter Jackson Elementary School a good school?

Walter Jackson Elementary School ranks 247 th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

247^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Walter Jackson Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Decatur, AL, serving 251 students in the Decatur City district, where about 60% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school has some real bright spots. Most notably, 4th and 5th graders are strong in math—in the most recent school year, 4th graders scored 62% proficient compared to a 42% district average, and 5th graders hit 50% versus 41% district-wide. Early-grade English is also a plus: 3rd and 4th graders both outperformed state averages by roughly 5 to 16 points. Another standout is attendance. Chronic absenteeism sits at just 5.1%, about half the state average, which points to strong family engagement and a welcoming environment. The school also does particularly well with male students, who ranked in the 78th percentile statewide, and 4th grade science scores were 15 points above the state average.

That said, there are a few areas to watch. Third grade math is a concern, with only 26% proficiency—well below the district average—though the dramatic jump by 4th grade suggests interventions are working. Fifth grade English has been inconsistent, sometimes falling below state averages. The school has also slipped from a former 4-star rating (85th-89th percentile) to a steady 3-star rating in the low-to-mid 60s percentile over the last few years. Compared to nearby schools, Walter Jackson outperforms Oak Park Elementary by 30+ points in most subjects, and it actually beats Eastwood Elementary in 4th grade math and English, despite serving a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students. It trails the selective magnet school Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary, but that school has admission requirements. Overall, Walter Jackson is a solid mid-tier school with clear strengths in math, early literacy, and attendance—and a few areas where extra support could help.

251

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

59.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1950 Park St SE
Decatur, AL 35601-5262

(256) 552-3031

District: Decatur City

Students who attend Walter Jackson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Decatur Middle School
High:	Decatur High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.0%

African American:

22.3%

Hispanic:

20.3%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Walter Jackson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 89th percentile in 2016 → 64th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (59% vs 53% meeting standards)

✓Above the Alabama median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 25 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg50%

Alabama avg53%

247^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▼ down 25 pts since 2016

From top 11% (2016) to top 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 11Elementary Schools in the Decatur City

87^th of 140Decatur 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	63.6	247 of 686	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.8	248 of 680	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.8	272 of 684	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.8	222 of 680	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	81.5	103 of 687	85.0%	★★★★☆
2021	81.8	91 of 692	86.8%	★★★★☆
2019	69.8	177 of 681	74.0%	★★★★☆
2018	75.9	155 of 680	77.2%	★★★★☆
2017	82.1	102 of 688	85.2%	★★★★☆
2016	85.9	75 of 691	89.1%	★★★★☆
2015	75.5	143 of 691	79.3%	★★★★☆
2014	77.1	113 of 695	83.7%	★★★★☆
2013	72.1	141 of 696	79.7%	★★★★☆
2012	80.0	64 of 696	90.8%	★★★★★
2011	66.2	242 of 709	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	73.5	145 of 704	79.4%	★★★★☆
2009	83.7	48 of 696	93.1%	★★★★★
2008	77.5	102 of 698	85.4%	★★★★☆
2007	71.1	179 of 698	74.4%	★★★★☆
2006	65.9	206 of 689	70.1%	★★★★☆
2005	56.2	306 of 688	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	69.5	157 of 623	74.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2019	41.9	237 of 426	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.4	201 of 423	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.9	110 of 336	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	348 of 651	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.5	272 of 649	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.5	225 of 650	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.3	307 of 645	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	73.0	144 of 656	78.0%	★★★★☆
2021	82.1	86 of 656	86.9%	★★★★☆
2019	59.5	248 of 646	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.1	268 of 640	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	83.9	76 of 639	88.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	62.8	221 of 667	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.4	189 of 660	71.4%	★★★★☆
2024	62.3	250 of 670	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.7	185 of 623	70.3%	★★★★☆
2022	85.4	46 of 651	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	81.2	73 of 653	88.8%	★★★★☆
2019	66.4	176 of 649	72.9%	★★★★☆
2018	75.4	115 of 651	82.3%	★★★★☆
2017	80.8	57 of 567	89.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	75.5	148 of 659	77.5%	★★★★☆
2025	66.3	222 of 651	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.2	209 of 655	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.6	162 of 649	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	98 of 669	85.4%	★★★★☆
2021	78.2	108 of 669	83.9%	★★★★☆
2019	75.2	126 of 650	80.6%	★★★★☆
2018	82.1	94 of 650	85.5%	★★★★☆
2017	74.1	134 of 639	79.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	195 of 403	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	86.3	20 of 344	94.2%	★★★★★
2017	86.1	16 of 280	94.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	66.1	153 of 501	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.6	234 of 532	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.5	143 of 535	73.3%	★★★★☆
2023	58.7	199 of 528	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.4	122 of 540	77.4%	★★★★☆
2021	82.7	73 of 539	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	70.1	126 of 529	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	80.2	81 of 508	84.1%	★★★★☆
2017	79.8	59 of 369	84.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2026)78th percentile+14 vs school

White (2026)69th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)67th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2025)52nd percentile-12 vs school

Female (2026)47th percentile-17 vs school

African American (2019)44th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English69%+4 vs state

Science66%+15 vs state

Mathematics46%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Walter Jackson Elementary 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 (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 Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Jackson Elementary School

What district is Walter Jackson Elementary School in?

Decatur City

What schools do graduates of Walter Jackson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Walter Jackson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Decatur Middle School
High : Decatur High School

Is Walter Jackson Elementary School a good school?

Walter Jackson Elementary School ranks 247^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Walter Jackson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 251 students attended Walter Jackson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Walter Jackson Elementary School?

Students at Walter Jackson Elementary School are 45% White, 22% African American, 20% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 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.