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Martin Luther King- Junior High School

Public Grades 9-12

393^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 452 Georgia High Schools

Better than 13% of Georgia high schools

Summary

Martin Luther King- Junior High School is a public high school located in Lithonia, Georgia, serving grades 9-12 with 1,431 students as part of the DeKalb County School District.

Despite receiving consistent 1-star ratings from SchoolDigger, Martin Luther King- Junior High School has struggled with low performance, with its ranking falling between 373rd and 403rd out of 429-458 Georgia high schools over the past 5 years. The school's 4-year graduation rate has ranged from 75.8% to 85.4%, below the state average and lower than many nearby schools. Additionally, the school significantly underperforms the DeKalb County and Georgia state averages on the Milestones Assessments across all subject areas, with proficiency rates typically 10-20 percentage points below the district and state.

While Martin Luther King- Junior High School serves a high-poverty student population, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 80.99% to 100% over the past 3 years, its per-student spending of $8,589 to $10,539 is not dramatically different from the other schools in the area. The one bright spot is the strong performance of Arabia Mountain High School, which is also in the DeKalb County district but significantly outperforms Martin Luther King- Junior High School and the other nearby schools.

1,370

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,800

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3991 Snapfinger Rd
Lithonia, GA 30038

(678) 874-5402

District: DeKalb County

Feeder schools for Martin Luther King- Junior High School:

Elementary:	Browns Mill Elementary School
	Chapel Hill Elementary School
Middle:	Salem Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

91.5%

Hispanic:

4.8%

Two or more races:

2.1%

See top rated Georgia high schools

Compare Martin Luther King- Junior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 14th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (17% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (50% vs 20% Georgia)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school17%

District avg33%

Georgia avg42%

393^rd of 452

Georgia public high schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Georgia High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 23High Schools in the DeKalb County

131^st of 206DeKalb 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
2025	14.5	393 of 452	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.6	403 of 458	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	375 of 442	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	373 of 429	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.5	327 of 410	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.4	345 of 438	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.2	339 of 428	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.2	326 of 420	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.1	348 of 426	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.0	376 of 435	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.7	346 of 425	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	32.5	317 of 425	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	35.7	281 of 396	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	44.5	255 of 402	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	29.8	310 of 384	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.2	283 of 372	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.0	302 of 370	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.9	286 of 358	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.8	276 of 335	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Georgia (2024-2025) ?

United States History20%-19 vs state

Algebra I18%-27 vs state

American Literature and Composition18%-23 vs state

Biology13%-31 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, July 31, 2011

I hesitantly give MLK three stars. As a parent, I think that the teachers and administrators are there to "do a job" more so than focus on connecting with parents and students. Just a parent's intuition. The school is not that old so the facilities appear to be well maintained. I think some kids may really like the school if they get involved in extracurricular activities. I guesstimate there are 2100 kids enrolled. Perhaps, I simply long for the days of old when you didn't hear all the profanity that can be heard when kids are changing classes or when school is dismissed. And my son has had to deal with some minor cases of bullying, though I suppose that could happen at any school. What bothers me most is the time it takes to connect with teachers. I have had a horrible time reaching my son's teachers. It can take a week just to get a return phone call. I know that's not every teacher, but that has been my experience for the last two years at MLK. I don't blast the whole school because I have to balance it with my own personal experience. I can say that I have overheard the frustrations of several other parents in PTA meetings and the like. I hope others who send their children there will have a better experience. I have applied to transfer my son to a nearby school in order to be in a somewhat smaller setting. School is not to blame for all the problems our students incur. Nor is transferring schools always "the answer" but it may be what's right for my son at this point in his school career. Close Quote

Schools Near Martin Luther King- Junior High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Milestones Assessment American Literature and Composition (2025)	Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2025)	Milestones Assessment Biology (2025)	Milestones Assessment United States History (2025)	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2025)		Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2025)		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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment American Literature and Composition End of Course	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment Biology End of Course	Milestones Assessment United States History End of Course	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	14.5	393^rd of 452 public high schools	13.1%		13.6	403^rd of 458 public high schools	12.0%	10	17.6	17.8	13.4	19.8					$18,800	$2,089	$16,710
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%)	36.7	254^th of 452 public high schools	43.8%		34.9	271^st of 458 public high schools	40.8%	17	35.2	18.8	27.9	44.5					$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)					20.5	33.0	3.4	15.4	$14,927	$2,325	$12,602
Arabia Mountain High School - Academy of Engineering- Medic	Public	9-12	6610 Browns Mill Rd	Lithonia	30038	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-3602	1,224	73	16.7	65.2%	1 (0.1%)	1,148 (93.8%)	43 (3.5%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	23 (1.9%)	55.4	146^th of 452 public high schools	67.7%		50.4	184^th of 458 public high schools	59.8%	38	58.4	41.6	45.5	22.4					$17,247	$1,601	$15,646
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%)	30.2	295^th of 452 public high schools	34.7%		20.1	360^th of 458 public high schools	21.4%	65	29.7	33.4	18.6	36.0					$19,071	$1,964	$17,108
Morrow High School	Public	9-12	4930 Steele Road	Ellenwood	30294	Clayton County	Clayton County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 473-3241	2,077	104	19.9	100.0%	19 (0.9%)	1,390 (66.9%)	466 (22.4%)	151 (7.3%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	46 (2.2%)	19.6	362^nd of 452 public high schools	19.9%		22.2	342^nd of 458 public high schools	25.3%	20	23.8	20.1	18.0	24.1					$12,665	$1,229	$11,436
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)
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%)	17.1	375^th of 452 public high schools	17.0%		14.7	398^th of 458 public high schools	13.1%	23	16.1	15.2	18.5	25.0					$20,258	$2,270	$17,988
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%)	13.7	397^th of 452 public high schools	12.2%		11.3	415^th of 458 public high schools	9.4%	18	11.4	23.8	12.3	21.3					$18,965	$2,012	$16,954
Lithonia High School	Public	9-12	2440 Phillips Rd	Lithonia	30058	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-2902	1,547	95	16.2	100.0%	24 (1.6%)	1,362 (88.0%)	105 (6.8%)	14 (0.9%)	8 (0.5%)	2 (0.1%)	32 (2.1%)	23.3	341^st of 452 public high schools	24.6%		23.2	336^th of 458 public high schools	26.6%	5	17.2	26.3	24.1	31.7					$17,439	$1,887	$15,552

Frequently Asked Questions about Martin Luther King- Junior High School

How many students attend Martin Luther King- Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,370 students attended Martin Luther King- Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of Martin Luther King- Junior High School?

Students at Martin Luther King- Junior High School are 92% African American, 5% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is Martin Luther King- Junior High School a good school?

Martin Luther King- Junior High School ranks in the bottom 13.1% of Georgia high schools.

What schools feed into Martin Luther King- Junior High School?

Martin Luther King- Junior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Browns Mill Elementary School
Elementary : Chapel Hill Elementary School
Middle : Salem Middle School

What district is Martin Luther King- Junior High School in?

DeKalb County

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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.