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Columbia Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

536^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 584 Georgia Middle Schools

Better than 8% of Georgia middle schools

Summary

Columbia Middle School is a public middle school located in Decatur, Georgia, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 564 students. The school is part of the DeKalb County School District, which is ranked 131 out of 206 school districts in Georgia and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

According to the data, Columbia Middle School consistently underperforms compared to the DeKalb County and Georgia state averages on the Milestones Assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts ranged from 11.3% to 23% at Columbia Middle School, compared to 29.5% to 31.6% for DeKalb County and 39.8% to 41.3% for the state. The performance gap is even more pronounced in Mathematics, where Columbia Middle School's proficiency rates ranged from 5.9% to 21.5%, compared to 22.8% to 33.7% for DeKalb County and 37.3% to 47% for the state. The school has also consistently ranked in the bottom half of Georgia middle schools, with a ranking between 466 and 547 out of 539 to 588 schools over the past 10 years, and has received a 0 or 1 out of 5 star rating from SchoolDigger.

When comparing Columbia Middle School to other nearby middle schools in the DeKalb County district, the performance gap is still evident. Schools like Redan Middle School, Salem Middle School, and Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School also underperform compared to the county and state averages, but generally outperform Columbia Middle School across most subject areas and grade levels. Additionally, the Wadsworth Magnet School for High Achievers, located within a few miles, stands out as an exceptional performer, consistently ranking among the top 1-5 middle schools in the state.

571

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,381

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3001 Columbia Dr
Decatur, GA 30034

(678) 875-0502

District: DeKalb County

Students who attend Columbia Middle School usually attend:

High:

Columbia High School

Feeder schools for Columbia Middle School:

Elementary:	Columbia Elementary School
	Snapfinger Elementary School
	Toney Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.8%

Hispanic:

4.9%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

Compare Columbia Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (13% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Social Studies scores 35 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school13%

District avg28%

Georgia avg40%

536^th of 584

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 21Middle 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	13.2	536 of 584	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.8	547 of 588	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	490 of 577	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	475 of 567	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.8	529 of 542	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	491 of 559	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.7	489 of 543	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	10.9	498 of 539	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	15.3	466 of 545	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.3	471 of 537	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	8.6	495 of 521	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.9	503 of 527	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	16.1	455 of 508	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	22.6	439 of 504	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	17.2	449 of 494	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	21.4	413 of 466	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	16.6	422 of 462	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	19.1	403 of 445	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	17.7	386 of 420	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Georgia (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts18%-23 vs state

Science16%-13 vs state

Mathematics12%-30 vs state

Social Studies4%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbia Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2025)	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2025)					Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2025)					Milestones Assessment Science (2025)		Milestones Assessment Social Studies (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 Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	13.2	536^th of 584 public middle schools	8.2%		11.8	547^th of 588 public middle schools	7.0%	11				23.0	18.9	11.3			7.2	5.9	21.5		15.6	3.6	$22,381	$2,054	$20,327
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%)	19	474^th of 584 public middle schools	18.8%		23	455^th of 588 public middle schools	22.6%	19				24.0	19.3	19.9			13.4	16.5	29.0		17.6	9.0	$21,186	$1,983	$19,204
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%)	14	526^th of 584 public middle schools	9.9%		13.9	521^st of 588 public middle schools	11.4%	5				20.1	14.1	14.8				0.0			14.6	9.8	$20,339	$1,890	$18,449
McNair Middle School	Public	6-8	2190 Wallingford Dr	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-5102	701	52	13.4	100.0%	6 (0.9%)	604 (86.2%)	71 (10.1%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.1%)	15.7	507^th of 584 public middle schools	13.2%		21.1	469^th of 588 public middle schools	20.2%	38	95.5			17.2	18.9	19.5			11.1	9.2	28.8		15.5	6.5	$20,408	$1,893	$18,515
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 584 public middle schools	99.8%		99.9	1^st of 588 public middle schools	99.8%		100.0	100.0	91.8	95.5	96.2	92.7	96.6	91.9	97.0	100.0	100.0	96.7	87.3	100.0	$17,904	$1,600	$16,304
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%)	13.2	537^th of 584 public middle schools	8.0%		17.3	498^th of 588 public middle schools	15.3%	39				14.5	16.1	19.9			5.7	11.7	14.8		14.7	13.1	$21,424	$1,769	$19,655
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%)	11.2	547^th of 584 public middle schools	6.3%		13.5	527^th of 588 public middle schools	10.4%	20				18.5	17.7	15.4			7.2	10.0	12.2		8.9	8.2	$20,575	$2,197	$18,378
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%)	9.7	556^th of 584 public middle schools	4.8%		13.7	524^th of 588 public middle schools	10.9%	32				13.9	11.8	14.5			6.9	7.9	12.4		10.4	6.9	$20,629	$2,108	$18,522
Beacon Hill Middle School	Public	6-8	220 W College Ave	Decatur	30030	DeKalb County	City Schools of Decatur	No	No	No	No	(404) 370-4440	1,285	101	12.7	15.3%	808 (62.9%)	232 (18.1%)	54 (4.2%)	60 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	131 (10.2%)	97.6	14^th of 584 public middle schools	97.6%		97.1	18^th of 588 public middle schools	96.9%	4	95.1			76.3	75.4	78.6			77.0	78.3	84.3		70.6	65.5	$17,382	$215	$17,168
KIPP VISION Charter School	Public, Charter	6-8	1820 Henry Thomas Dr SE	Atlanta	30315	Fulton County	Atlanta Public Schools	Yes	No	No	Yes	(404) 537-5252	300	25	11.9	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	281 (93.7%)	13 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	29.2	416^th of 584 public middle schools	28.8%		15.8	511^th of 588 public middle schools	13.1%	95				19.4	21.4	26.1			9.7	27.6	39.8		25.0	31.0	$27,678	$1,974	$25,704

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia Middle School

What district is Columbia Middle School in?

DeKalb County

How many students attend Columbia Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 571 students attended Columbia Middle School.

Is Columbia Middle School a good school?

Columbia Middle School ranks in the bottom 8.2% of Georgia middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Columbia Middle School attend?

Students who attend Columbia Middle School usually go on to attend Columbia High School

What is the racial makeup of Columbia Middle School?

Students at Columbia Middle School are 90% African American, 5% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% White, 1% Asian.

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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.