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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.

Southwest DeKalb High School

Q: Is Southwest DeKalb High School a good school?

Southwest DeKalb High School ranks 289 th of 455 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

289^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 455 Georgia High Schools

Better than 36% of Georgia high schools

Summary

Southwest DeKalb High School is a large public high school in Decatur, GA, serving 1,237 students in grades 9-12 within the DeKalb County School District, where nearly all students (99%) qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The school's standout strength is its graduation rate. For the 2024-2025 school year, 90.6% of students graduated—well above both the district average (81.4%) and the state average (87.2%). This represents a remarkable jump of nearly 9 percentage points from the prior year. The school also shows genuine academic bright spots. In U.S. History, students have consistently outperformed district averages for four straight years, and in the most recent testing cycle, 44.5% scored proficient—beating both district and state averages. Algebra I proficiency also improved dramatically, jumping from 18.8% to 40.1% in a single year, now slightly above the district average. Additionally, African American students at this school rank in the 58th percentile statewide, earning a 3-star rating—a sign of strong educational equity. When compared to nearby traditional high schools, Southwest DeKalb ranks ahead of Redan High School, Cedar Grove High School, Towers High School, Martin Luther King- Junior High School, and Columbia High School, with only Lithonia High School ranking higher.

The most significant challenge is chronic absenteeism. At 47.1%, the rate is nearly double the district average (26.7%) and nearly triple the state average (17.7%). This has been a persistent issue for five years, though nearby schools face similar struggles—all but the selective DeKalb School of the Arts exceed 40%. Despite this, the school's ability to maintain strong graduation rates suggests that students who attend regularly receive solid support. With per-student spending of $18,040 and a favorable 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio, the school has resources in place. The combination of rising Algebra scores, strong U.S. History results, and a dramatically improved graduation rate points to a school on an upward trajectory, even as it works to tackle attendance.

1,237

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,040

Per pupil spending ?

99.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2863 Kelley Chapel Rd
Decatur, GA 30034

(678) 874-1902

District: DeKalb County

Feeder schools for Southwest DeKalb High School:

Elementary:	Bob Mathis Elementary School
	Rainbow Elementary School
Middle:	Chapel Hill Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

94.1%

Hispanic:

3.1%

Two or more races:

1.9%

See top rated Georgia high schools

Compare Southwest DeKalb High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 53rd percentile in 2016 → 36th in 2026

Strengths

✓91% graduate in 4 years — above the Georgia average (87%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (33% vs 45% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (47% vs 18% Georgia)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg37%

Georgia avg45%

289^th of 455

Georgia public high schools ?

Bottom 36%▼ down 17 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to bottom 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 23High 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	29.2	289 of 455	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.7	253 of 451	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	270 of 454	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.0	263 of 448	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	256 of 431	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.4	216 of 410	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.7	262 of 438	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.1	201 of 428	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	33.9	247 of 420	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.2	199 of 426	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	40.4	218 of 435	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	38.2	281 of 425	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.0	278 of 425	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.2	262 of 396	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	49.5	227 of 402	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.3	185 of 384	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	43.5	243 of 372	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.7	224 of 370	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	42.3	228 of 358	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.4	245 of 335	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	44.7	159 of 376	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.5	126 of 391	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	136 of 382	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	130 of 384	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.5	120 of 372	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	267 of 431	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.3	248 of 438	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.7	263 of 435	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.7	270 of 433	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.8	258 of 430	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2023	48.1	129 of 308	58.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	27.2	300 of 436	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.3	258 of 442	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	262 of 436	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	252 of 436	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.4	253 of 427	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	177 of 338	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.1	286 of 347	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	245 of 344	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.6	128 of 343	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.4	201 of 331	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2023)58th percentile+17 vs school

African American (2026)58th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)38th percentile~ school

Male (2026)31st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I40%-8 vs state

United States History32%-7 vs state

Biology26%-21 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, April 25, 2019

Great teachers, bright and ambitious students, and a community who cares. Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, November 7, 2010

I just enrolled my daughter in SW Dekalb and from what I thought it would be a good school, my daughter has a 3.9167 GPA and has made honor roll since she has been kindergarten. My daughter loves school and this has been an unwelcoming experience for her where does not want to go to school. I believe that daughter would be an asset to the school with her test scores and character when it comes to education; whereas before we moved this year she would be taking college courses.

The hallways do not stay clear, children need to be in class. There needs to be better monitoring, what I have seen that works is that when the bell rings classroom doors need to shut and lock so that the teacher can be aware who is in class and who is not and with no pass they are redirected to an administrator or caught in the hall sweep it is senseless when the parents come in and see this type of behavior.

I am not used to this type of school environment and neither is my daughter, there should be a type of respect and dignity when it comes to education and schooling which is not all the teachers or administrators responsibility, there should be stricter consequences when it comes to discipline in the school environment and parents should be notified of their child's behavior and actions. It reminded me of a milder school within Lean on Me (the movie). To the point I am getting ready to find a better school for my daughter and address the school board here, I know what corrupt schools are like I come from Washington, DC and North Carolina dealing with the school system and abrupt changes can be made, I have already spoken with the principle there and I do not know what actions will be taken but I hope some are taken for the sake of the children. Close Quote

by a teacher
Wednesday, April 14, 2010

As a former graduate and now an employee of Southwest DeKalb High School, I must say that I am so excited about the new programs and initiatives at the school. I think since the school has gotten a new principal (A. Bethea) the school is now moving back in the positive direction it was once in. There is no easy solution to any problem but the new administrative team is great! They seem to handle parent and student concerns with effective means to getting problems resolved. I think that with the principal that is currently in place Southwest DeKalb will rise in rankings not only for test scores but for the overall well-being of the students herein. Great job SWD! Close Quote

Schools Near Southwest DeKalb High 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 Biology (2026)	Milestones Assessment United States History (2026)	Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Milestones Assessment Social Studies (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 (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	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment United States History End of Course	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southwest DeKalb High School	Public	9-12	2863 Kelley Chapel Rd	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-1902	1,237	81	15.2	99.4%	2 (0.2%)	1,164 (94.1%)	38 (3.1%)	6 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (1.9%)	29.2	289^th of 455 public high schools	36.5%		36.7	253^rd of 451 public high schools	43.9%	36	40.1	25.8	31.5						$18,040	$1,913	$16,127
The Anchor School	Public, Charter	6-12	2460 Wesley Chapel Road	Decatur	30035	DeKalb County	State Specialty Schools II- The Anchor School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(678) 503-4880	208	15	13.5	100.0%	4 (1.9%)	182 (87.5%)	7 (3.4%)	13 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	33.4			14.4	11.0	22.1	19.5	2.4	$14,927	$2,325	$12,602
Columbia High School	Public	9-12	2106 Columbia Dr	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-0802	877	63	13.9	100.0%	3 (0.3%)	803 (91.6%)	47 (5.4%)	10 (1.1%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.4%)	27.4	303^rd of 455 public high schools	33.4%		17.1	374^th of 451 public high schools	17.1%	71	27.9	34.5	29.7						$20,258	$2,270	$17,988
DeKalb Regional Youth Detention Center	Public	5-12	2946 Clifton Springs Rd	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	Department of Juvenile Justice	No	No	No	Yes	(404) 244-2183	11	5	2.2	72.7%	0 (0.0%)	9 (81.8%)	2 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Towers High School	Public	9-12	3919 Brookcrest Cir	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-2202	876	53	16.5	100.0%	21 (2.4%)	676 (77.2%)	121 (13.8%)	31 (3.5%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	19 (2.2%)	19.7	357^th of 455 public high schools	21.5%		15	388^th of 451 public high schools	14.0%	31	18.8	26.0	26.3						$18,332	$1,720	$16,613
Martin Luther King- Junior High School	Public	9-12	3991 Snapfinger Rd	Lithonia	30038	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-5402	1,370	84	16.3	100.0%	11 (0.8%)	1,254 (91.5%)	66 (4.8%)	6 (0.4%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (2.1%)	19.8	356^th of 455 public high schools	21.8%		14.5	392^nd of 451 public high schools	13.1%	36	22.0	28.9	22.1						$18,800	$2,089	$16,710
Miller Grove High School	Public	9-12	2645 Dekalb Medical Pkwy	Lithonia	30058	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-1102	1,073	72	14.9	100.0%	6 (0.6%)	983 (91.6%)	63 (5.9%)	7 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.1%)	25.4	316^th of 455 public high schools	30.5%		30.2	294^th of 451 public high schools	34.8%	22	32.1	30.9	25.1						$19,071	$1,964	$17,108
Cedar Grove High School	Public	9-12	2360 River Rd	Ellenwood	30294	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-4002	1,121	78	14.3	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	1,033 (92.1%)	64 (5.7%)	5 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.4%)	17	377^th of 455 public high schools	17.1%		13.7	396^th of 451 public high schools	12.2%	19	29.3	19.8	21.5						$18,965	$2,012	$16,954
DeKalb School of the Arts	Public	8-12	1192 Clarendon Ave	Avondale Estates	30002	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 676-2502	298	23	13.2	35.6%	72 (24.2%)	172 (57.7%)	24 (8.1%)	7 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.4%)	85	24^th of 455 public high schools	94.7%		93.2	11^th of 451 public high schools	97.6%	13	73.8	69.8	92.2						$25,160	$2,670	$22,490
Redan High School	Public	9-12	5247 Redan Rd	Stone Mountain	30088	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-3602	1,052	59	17.8	100.0%	12 (1.1%)	894 (85.0%)	96 (9.1%)	19 (1.8%)	5 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (2.4%)	22.1	344^th of 455 public high schools	24.4%		29.7	301^st of 451 public high schools	33.3%	43	28.6	24.9	26.1						$18,491	$1,960	$16,531

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest DeKalb High School

What is the racial makeup of Southwest DeKalb High School?

Students at Southwest DeKalb High School are 94% African American, 3% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is Southwest DeKalb High School a good school?

Southwest DeKalb High School ranks 289^th of 455 Georgia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Southwest DeKalb High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,237 students attended Southwest DeKalb High School.

What district is Southwest DeKalb High School in?

DeKalb County

What schools feed into Southwest DeKalb High School?

Southwest DeKalb High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bob Mathis Elementary School
Elementary : Rainbow Elementary School
Middle : Chapel Hill Middle School

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)Aug 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.