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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.

Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

538^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 578 Georgia Middle Schools

Better than 7% of Georgia middle schools

Summary

Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School serves 655 students in grades 6-8 in Decatur, Georgia, as part of the DeKalb County School District, where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Bethune Middle School currently ranks in the bottom 15% of Georgia middle schools, sitting at the 7th percentile statewide. Academic proficiency is significantly below district and state averages across subjects—for example, 8th grade math proficiency is 10.9% compared to the state average of 46.3%, and social studies proficiency is just 5.6% versus 40.2% statewide. The most pressing challenge is chronic absenteeism: 41.7% of students are chronically absent, which is 2.4 times the state average and 1.6 times the district average. This rate spiked dramatically from 22.6% in 2022-2023 to 44.7% in 2023-2024 and remains elevated. On a positive note, the student-teacher ratio has improved to 12.5:1, and 8th grade math has shown slight gains over the past few years. The school spends $21,424 per student, which is higher than many nearby schools, though this investment has not yet translated into stronger academic results.

A stark comparison can be drawn with The Champion Middle Theme School, located just over five miles away. Champion serves a similarly high-poverty population (87% free/reduced lunch) yet ranks in the 56th percentile with a 7.3% chronic absenteeism rate and 54.9% 8th grade math proficiency—a five-fold difference from Bethune. This demonstrates that high poverty does not have to determine outcomes. Meanwhile, Wadsworth Magnet School for High Achievers, ranked #1 in the state, has a 1.2% absenteeism rate, though it is a selective magnet school. For parents considering Bethune, the data suggests that attendance is the critical lever—addressing the absenteeism crisis could be the most impactful step toward improving academic outcomes for all students.

655

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,424

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5200 Covington Hwy
Decatur, GA 30035

(678) 875-0302

District: DeKalb County

Students who attend Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School usually attend:

High:

Towers High School

Feeder schools for Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School:

Elementary:	Canby Lane Elementary School
	Peachcrest Elementary School
	Rowland Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

74.4%

Hispanic:

14.4%

Asian:

5.5%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

Compare Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2016 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (10% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 18% Georgia)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school10%

District avg26%

Georgia avg40%

538^th of 578

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th 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	11.0	538 of 578	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.2	538 of 585	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	494 of 578	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	494 of 569	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	503 of 558	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.2	504 of 542	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.3	526 of 559	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	509 of 543	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	14.7	479 of 539	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.2	479 of 545	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.8	482 of 537	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	7.6	496 of 521	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	9.7	495 of 527	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.7	474 of 508	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	27.8	419 of 504	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	16.2	451 of 494	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	21.5	412 of 466	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	14.7	427 of 462	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	17.7	406 of 445	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	12.2	397 of 420	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	16.9	434 of 480	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.2	427 of 494	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.2	352 of 489	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.7	357 of 485	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	397 of 482	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	7.2	82 of 89	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.6	89 of 90	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	154 of 166	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	26.7	177 of 199	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.8	99 of 200	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	25.0	151 of 166	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	113 of 157	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	502 of 550	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.9	509 of 567	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	478 of 558	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	473 of 553	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	497 of 544	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	3.7	372 of 374	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.0	379 of 400	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	362 of 381	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	333 of 380	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.5	353 of 367	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	9.0	524 of 550	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.9	529 of 569	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.6	488 of 561	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	499 of 559	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.1	498 of 553	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	20.0	398 of 442	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	388 of 437	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	409 of 429	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	405 of 431	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)10th percentile~ school

African American (2026)10th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)9th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)8th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)7th percentile~ school

Male (2026)5th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)1st percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Science16%-14 vs state

Mathematics10%-33 vs state

Social Studies6%-35 vs state

4.7

3 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, July 21, 2017

This school is not as bad as the reviews say. The faculty and staff are trying their best to make a positive change! They really just need to rid the school of the disrespectful children who don't care about learning. There are negatives about the school, but there is also good. Please consider going here.
Sincerly,
A student Close Quote

Schools Near Mary McLeod Bethune 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)	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 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
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
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
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
Freedom Middle School	Public	6-8	505 S Hairston Rd	Stone Mountain	30088	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-8702	1,272	78	16.3	100.0%	115 (9.0%)	626 (49.2%)	102 (8.0%)	407 (32.0%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (1.2%)	22.6	446^th of 578 public middle schools	22.8%		22	455^th of 585 public middle schools	22.2%	9				20.5	25.9	25.7		16.4	17.0	$17,715	$1,845	$15,869
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
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
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
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
The Champion Middle Theme School	Public	6-8	5265 Mimosa Dr	Stone Mountain	30083	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 504-4302	782	50	15.6	87.2%	1 (0.1%)	742 (94.9%)	16 (2.0%)	6 (0.8%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.5%)	51.3	256^th of 578 public middle schools	55.7%		56	233^rd of 585 public middle schools	60.2%	23	86.5			36.6	37.8	54.9		23.4	33.4	$18,104	$1,846	$16,258
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School

What district is Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School in?

DeKalb County

Is Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School a good school?

Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School ranks in the bottom 6.9% of Georgia middle schools.

How many students attend Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 655 students attended Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School?

Students at Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School are 74% African American, 14% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

What high school do graduates of Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School attend?

Students who attend Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School usually go on to attend Towers High 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.