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Julian Harris Elementary School

Q: Is Julian Harris Elementary School a good school?

Julian Harris Elementary School ranks 256 th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

256^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Julian Harris Elementary School is a PK-5 school in Decatur, AL, serving 349 students in the Decatur City district, and has recently climbed to a 3-star rating, ranking in the 63rd percentile statewide.

Julian Harris stands out as one of the strongest traditional (non-magnet) elementary schools in the district. Its overall ranking significantly exceeds most nearby peers, including Chestnut Grove Elementary School (43rd percentile), Austinville Elementary School (38th), and Oak Park Elementary School (23rd). Only the selective-enrollment Leon Sheffield Magnet Elementary School (95th percentile) outperforms it. One of the school's most impressive achievements is in 4th grade science, where 67.65% of students scored proficient—far exceeding the state average of 50.23% and the district average of 44.27%. This represents a remarkable 37-point improvement over three years. The school also excels in English Language Arts, outperforming the district by 6-10 percentage points in every grade level.

Perhaps the most striking success is the school's chronic absenteeism rate, which dropped to just 1.4% in 2024-2025—nearly nine times better than the state average of 12% and over four times better than the district average of 6%. This dramatic improvement from 14% in 2021-2022 points to highly effective attendance initiatives. Julian Harris also demonstrates exceptional effectiveness with African American students, ranking in the 77th percentile statewide—a 48-percentile-point jump in just two years. While math performance shows some variability, with a notable 5th grade decline, the school's overall trajectory is strongly positive. With a favorable 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio and a diverse student body where about 52% qualify for free or reduced lunch, Julian Harris proves that a neighborhood school can achieve strong academic outcomes through focused effort and effective practices.

349

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,318

Per pupil spending ?

51.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1922 McAuliffe Dr SW
Decatur, AL 35603-1051

(256) 552-3096

District: Decatur City

Students who attend Julian Harris Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Austin Middle School
High:	Austin High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.4%

African American:

37.8%

Two or more races:

10.3%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Julian Harris Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 64th percentile in 2016 → 63rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Alabama median (63rd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school58%

District avg50%

Alabama avg53%

256^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th 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	62.7	256 of 686	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.9	232 of 680	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.3	353 of 684	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.0	265 of 680	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.7	244 of 687	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.2	287 of 692	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.0	354 of 681	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	70.9	188 of 680	72.4%	★★★★☆
2017	59.1	274 of 688	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.3	248 of 691	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	54.8	290 of 691	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	69.5	176 of 695	74.7%	★★★★☆
2013	59.4	328 of 696	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.0	301 of 696	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	62.9	287 of 709	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.4	259 of 704	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	75.2	117 of 696	83.2%	★★★★☆
2008	66.8	214 of 698	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	72.0	166 of 698	76.2%	★★★★☆
2006	72.9	131 of 689	81.0%	★★★★☆
2005	71.1	160 of 688	76.7%	★★★★☆
2004	74.6	120 of 623	80.7%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	67.9	99 of 428	76.9%	★★★★☆
2025	68.6	95 of 427	77.8%	★★★★☆
2024	32.5	299 of 420	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	55.3	150 of 427	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.5	121 of 426	71.6%	★★★★☆
2021	42.1	223 of 426	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.7	181 of 426	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.7	76 of 423	82.0%	★★★★☆
2017	54.2	126 of 336	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	67.5	197 of 651	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.6	163 of 649	74.9%	★★★★☆
2024	55.4	282 of 650	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.7	202 of 645	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.5	171 of 656	73.9%	★★★★☆
2021	67.4	184 of 656	72.0%	★★★★☆
2019	47.7	355 of 646	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	69.9	171 of 640	73.3%	★★★★☆
2017	63.3	211 of 639	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	60.6	250 of 667	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.1	220 of 660	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.1	311 of 670	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.1	221 of 623	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.0	352 of 651	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.0	385 of 653	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.4	283 of 649	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.1	160 of 651	75.4%	★★★★☆
2017	61.6	186 of 567	67.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	56.6	297 of 659	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.8	283 of 651	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.5	369 of 655	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.9	335 of 649	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.0	345 of 669	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.0	376 of 669	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.6	329 of 650	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.7	220 of 650	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	49.8	338 of 639	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	43.1	31 of 64	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2017	78.3	31 of 280	88.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	68.2	144 of 501	71.3%	★★★★☆
2025	61.6	191 of 532	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.9	248 of 535	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.1	170 of 528	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.8	207 of 540	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.3	168 of 539	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.4	292 of 529	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.4	176 of 508	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.5	156 of 369	57.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2017)89th percentile+29 vs school

African American (2026)77th percentile+14 vs school

White (2026)71st percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)70th percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)63rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)55th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)52nd percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

Science68%+17 vs state

English65%~ state avg

Mathematics47%+5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Julian Harris 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 (2023)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
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	$11,318	$1,485	$9,829
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	$12,876	$2,436	$10,436
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	$11,435	$759	$10,673
West Morgan Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	571 Old Hwy 24	Trinity	35673	Morgan County	Morgan County	No	No	No	Yes	(256) 350-8818	512	33	15.3	71.7%	242 (47.3%)	35 (6.8%)	206 (40.2%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.5%)								(n/a)	62.6				70.1			$11,155	$2,880	$8,242
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	$12,399	$2,267	$10,127
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	$13,947	$3,482	$10,459
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)								$12,125	$1,205	$10,915
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	$14,452	$4,191	$10,256
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	$14,283	$4,664	$9,614
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	$11,778	$1,015	$10,758

Frequently Asked Questions about Julian Harris Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Julian Harris Elementary School?

Students at Julian Harris Elementary School are 38% White, 38% African American, 10% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 4% Asian.

What district is Julian Harris Elementary School in?

Decatur City

How many students attend Julian Harris Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 349 students attended Julian Harris Elementary School.

Is Julian Harris Elementary School a good school?

Julian Harris Elementary School ranks 256^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Julian Harris Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Julian Harris Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Austin Middle School
High : Austin High School

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2019–20 through 2022–23 school spending dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

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.