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Salem Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

551^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 578 Georgia Middle Schools

Better than 5% of Georgia middle schools

Summary

Salem Middle School in Lithonia, GA, serves approximately 827 students in grades 6-8 as part of DeKalb County Schools, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school currently ranks in the bottom 5% of Georgia middle schools, with a 0-star rating, and its most recent test scores show significant gaps compared to state averages. For example, only 7.4% of 6th graders and 4.6% of 7th graders scored proficient in math, versus roughly 40% statewide, while 8th grade math proficiency was 14.4% compared to 46.3% statewide. Science and social studies proficiency rates were similarly low, at 10.5% and 7.3% respectively.

One notable bright spot is that Salem’s Special Education students rank in the 25th percentile statewide—the school’s strongest subgroup performance—suggesting that specialized support systems may be working well for these students. However, the school faces a serious attendance challenge: 27.4% of students are chronically absent, which is above the state average of 17.7% but actually better than several nearby schools like Cedar Grove Middle School (36.0%) and Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School (41.7%). The connection between attendance and achievement is clear when comparing Salem to Austin Road Middle School in Henry County, which serves a similar high-poverty population but achieves 37.2% proficiency in 8th grade math—more than 2.5 times Salem’s rate—with a chronic absenteeism rate of just 16.6%.

Salem spends $20,629 per student, which is higher than the state average and even exceeds Wadsworth Magnet School for High Achievers (the #1 ranked school in Georgia, located just 7 miles away) at $17,904 per student. Despite this substantial investment and a favorable 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio, academic outcomes have not improved correspondingly. The school has made some progress—chronic absenteeism dropped from 36.5% to 27.4% over two years, and 8th grade math proficiency improved from 8.4% to 14.4%—but overall rankings have declined as other schools improve faster. For parents, the key takeaway is that Salem is investing heavily in resources and showing early signs of improvement, but the school still faces significant academic and attendance challenges that will require sustained effort to overcome.

827

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,629

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5333 Salem Rd
Lithonia, GA 30038

(678) 676-9402

District: DeKalb County

Students who attend Salem Middle School usually attend:

High:

Martin Luther King- Junior High School

Feeder schools for Salem Middle School:

Elementary:	Browns Mill Elementary School
	Chapel Hill Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

91.7%

Hispanic:

5.3%

Two or more races:

1.5%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

Compare Salem Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 10th percentile in 2016 → 5th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (9% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 18% Georgia)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school9%

District avg26%

Georgia avg40%

551^st of 578

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 10% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st of 21Middle Schools in the DeKalb County

136^th of 201DeKalb County among Georgia 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	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	551 of 578	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.7	557 of 585	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	519 of 578	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	525 of 569	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	498 of 558	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.9	474 of 542	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.3	484 of 559	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.0	495 of 543	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.6	481 of 539	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.3	492 of 545	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.7	483 of 537	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	12.0	483 of 521	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	9.9	494 of 527	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	15.1	461 of 508	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	16.0	461 of 504	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	17.7	443 of 494	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	28.5	396 of 466	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	26.5	388 of 462	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	25.4	383 of 445	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	30.1	350 of 420	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	14.7	450 of 480	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.3	447 of 494	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.0	403 of 489	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	401 of 485	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.3	383 of 482	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	9.4	522 of 550	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.5	544 of 567	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	506 of 558	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.4	515 of 553	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	487 of 544	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	10.3	363 of 374	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.4	390 of 400	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	338 of 381	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	350 of 380	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	331 of 367	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	529 of 550	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.8	540 of 569	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	521 of 561	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	508 of 559	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.8	502 of 553	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2022	7.4	156 of 159	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	320 of 425	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.6	403 of 442	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	423 of 437	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	395 of 429	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.9	385 of 431	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2026)25th percentile+20 vs school

African American (2026)6th percentile~ school

Female (2026)5th percentile~ school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Migrant (2022)2nd percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Science10%-19 vs state

Mathematics9%-34 vs state

Social Studies7%-33 vs state

2.0

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★3

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Monday, August 8, 2022

Runs like a run-down prison. Extremely poor management.No respect for Latinos. Close Quote

by a student
Tuesday, March 21, 2017

this is the best school ever Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, December 27, 2012

This school is awful. The teachers have no control over the students. The teachers seem as they have an I don't care attitude in which rubs off on the students. The teachers don't work with the parents or return phone calls. It is the most disorganized and awful school I have ever encountered. I would not recommend you move anywhere near this district. Close Quote

Schools Near Salem 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)				Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2026)	Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)					Milestones Assessment Science (2026)		Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2026)	Milestones Assessment HS Physical Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment HS Physical Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Salem Middle School	Public	6-8	5333 Salem Rd	Lithonia	30038	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-9402	827	65	12.7	100.0%	4 (0.5%)	758 (91.7%)	44 (5.3%)	6 (0.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.5%)	9.1	551^st of 578 public middle schools	4.7%		9.7	557^th of 585 public middle schools	4.8%	6				7.4	4.6	14.4		10.5	7.3		$20,629	$2,108	$18,522
Chapel Hill Middle School	Public	6-8	3535 Dogwood Farm Rd	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-8502	614	45	13.6	100.0%	4 (0.7%)	559 (91.0%)	26 (4.2%)	9 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.3%)	26.4	421^st of 578 public middle schools	27.2%		19	474^th of 585 public middle schools	19.0%	53				21.5	17.7	28.2		22.7	25.2		$21,186	$1,983	$19,204
Miller Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	2215 Miller Rd	Decatur	30035	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-8902	625	47	13.2	100.0%	4 (0.6%)	540 (86.4%)	53 (8.5%)	12 (1.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.2%)	11.8	531^st of 578 public middle schools	8.1%		11.2	548^th of 585 public middle schools	6.3%	17				14.6	10.0	7.6		15.0	7.5		$20,575	$2,197	$18,378
Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School	Public	6-8	5200 Covington Hwy	Decatur	30035	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-0302	655	52	12.5	100.0%	15 (2.3%)	487 (74.4%)	94 (14.4%)	36 (5.5%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (2.9%)	11	538^th of 578 public middle schools	6.9%		13.2	538^th of 585 public middle schools	8.0%					9.8	8.4	10.9		16.0	5.6		$21,424	$1,769	$19,655
Lithonia Middle School	Public	6-8	2451 Randall Ave	Lithonia	30058	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-0702	1,062	72	14.7	100.0%	15 (1.4%)	926 (87.2%)	71 (6.7%)	15 (1.4%)	6 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	26 (2.4%)	10.9	540^th of 578 public middle schools	6.6%		11.9	543^rd of 585 public middle schools	7.2%	3				6.2	9.4	14.1		15.5	4.0		$17,381	$2,050	$15,330
Redan Middle School	Public	6-8	1775 Young Rd	Lithonia	30058	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-7902	623	49	12.7	100.0%	6 (1.0%)	507 (81.4%)	74 (11.9%)	16 (2.6%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.4%)	17.8	481^st of 578 public middle schools	16.8%		19.7	469^th of 585 public middle schools	19.8%	12				8.1	15.4	22.9		21.5	11.4		$21,337	$1,747	$19,590
Austin Road Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Austin Rd	Stockbridge	30281	Henry County	Henry County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 507-5407	550	36	15.4	72.5%	24 (4.4%)	411 (74.7%)	81 (14.7%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.9%)	39	332^nd of 578 public middle schools	42.6%		39.7	343^rd of 585 public middle schools	41.4%	11	97.2			19.5	26.2	37.2		28.0	37.6	80.0	$13,743	$749	$12,994
Columbia Middle School	Public	6-8	3001 Columbia Dr	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-0502	571	49	11.7	100.0%	7 (1.2%)	513 (89.8%)	28 (4.9%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.3%)	14.3	510^th of 578 public middle schools	11.8%		13.2	537^th of 585 public middle schools	8.2%	27				8.4	6.1	28.3		16.2	3.5		$22,381	$2,054	$20,327
Wadsworth Magnet School for High Achievers	Public, Magnet	4-8	3039 Santa Monica Dr	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(678) 874-2402	273	16	17.0	61.2%	16 (5.9%)	223 (81.7%)	16 (5.9%)	11 (4.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (1.8%)	99.9	1^st of 578 public middle schools	99.8%		99.9	1^st of 585 public middle schools	99.8%		100.0	95.7	94.7	100.0	98.5	100.0	97.4	98.1	100.0		$17,904	$1,600	$16,304
Cedar Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	2300 Wildcat Rd	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-4202	685	50	13.7	100.0%	4 (0.6%)	614 (89.6%)	47 (6.9%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.2%)	9.9	544^th of 578 public middle schools	5.9%		14	526^th of 585 public middle schools	10.1%	18				9.7	9.4	9.2		11.3	9.4		$20,339	$1,890	$18,449

Frequently Asked Questions about Salem Middle School

Is Salem Middle School a good school?

Salem Middle School ranks in the bottom 4.7% of Georgia middle schools.

What district is Salem Middle School in?

DeKalb County

What is the racial makeup of Salem Middle School?

Students at Salem Middle School are 92% African American, 5% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Salem Middle School attend?

Students who attend Salem Middle School usually go on to attend Martin Luther King- Junior High School

How many students attend Salem Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 827 students attended Salem Middle School.

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresNewAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)NewAug 6, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesFeb 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia 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.