Summary:
Zip code 30087 in Stone Mountain, GA, is home to one middle school, Stephenson Middle School, which serves grades 6–8 and is part of the DeKalb County School District.
Stephenson Middle School serves a high-need population, with 100% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch and a chronic absenteeism rate of 30.7%—nearly double the state average of 17.7%. The school has seen a steady decline in its state ranking over three years, falling from the 29th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 19th percentile in 2025–2026. Despite spending a substantial $20,960 per student, proficiency rates in most subjects lag well behind state averages. For example, only 13.2% of 8th graders are proficient in Science (state: 29.7%) and 16.4% in Social Studies (state: 40.2%). Grade-level math proficiency is also low, ranging from 16.4% in 7th grade to 26.3% in 8th grade, compared to state averages of 42.0% and 46.3%, respectively.
There are notable bright spots. Algebra I proficiency stands at 58.4%, significantly outperforming the district (38.0%) and state (48.1%), though this represents a sharp 17.6-point drop from the previous year. Similarly, 52.8% of 8th graders are proficient in High School Physical Science, above the state average of 60.9% but below the district's 64.1%. The only meaningful improvement came in 6th-grade math, which rose from 11.5% to 19.3% proficiency year-over-year. However, 7th and 8th-grade math, Science, and Social Studies all declined. With a student-teacher ratio of 12.9:1, the school has relatively small class sizes, yet the combination of high poverty, elevated absenteeism, and declining rankings suggests that financial resources alone are not translating into broad academic gains. Parents should expect a school facing significant challenges, with isolated areas of strength in advanced coursework.
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