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Stephen Decatur Middle School

Q: Is Stephen Decatur Middle School a good school?

Stephen Decatur Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.4% of Illinois middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Stephen Decatur Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 413 students attended Stephen Decatur Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Stephen Decatur Middle School?

Students at Stephen Decatur Middle School are 53% African American, 29% White, 14% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

Q: What high school do graduates of Stephen Decatur Middle School attend?

Students who attend Stephen Decatur Middle School usually go on to attend Eisenhower High School

Public Grades 7-8

1122^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,126 Illinois Middle Schools

Better than 0% of Illinois middle schools

Summary

Stephen Decatur Middle School serves 413 students in grades 7–8 in Decatur, Illinois. Its most important finding is that proficiency is low in every reported subject, and the school trails every nearby school with a reported result in the comparisons provided.

Science is Stephen Decatur’s closest result to its district and the state, while ELA has the widest gap to nearby schools and math has the lowest proficiency. In 2025–2026, ELA proficiency was 13%, compared with 18% in Decatur School District 61 and 56% statewide; nearby schools ranged from 51.1% to 82.4%. Math was 4%, versus 8% in the district and 40% statewide, while nearby results ranged from 21.3% to 49.5%. Eighth-grade science was 22%, compared with 24% in the district and 52% statewide; nearby eighth-grade results ranged from 40.0% to 61.9%. Attendance is also a serious concern: chronic absenteeism was 62%, compared with 43% districtwide and 24% statewide, and nearby schools reporting that year ranged from 9.8% to 22.1%.

ELA has improved from 7% in 2023–2024 to 13% in 2025–2026, a gain of 6 points, but its gap to the state widened by 9 points. Math declined from 6% in 2024–2025 to 4% in 2025–2026. SchoolDigger ranked Stephen Decatur 1,122nd of 1,126 Illinois schools in 2025–2026, at the 0th percentile with 0 stars; the eight nearby schools with ranking records were at the 29th–77th percentiles with 1–4 stars. Context measures are also notable: in 2024–2025, 86% of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, compared with nearby schools’ range of 26.7% to 62.8%. The school’s student–teacher ratio was 17.9:1, and spending was $26,682 per student—above nearby schools’ reported range of $10,646–$20,316. These figures describe the school’s context but do not establish what caused its results.

413

Students ?

17.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,999

Per pupil spending ?

85.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

99.1%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

1 Educational Park
Decatur, IL 62526-2548

(217) 362-3251

District: Decatur School District 61

Students who attend Stephen Decatur Middle School usually attend:

High:	Eisenhower High School
	MacArthur High School

Feeder schools for Stephen Decatur Middle School:

Elementary:	Franklin Grove Elementary School
	Michael E Baum Elementary School
	Muffley Elementary School
	Parsons Elementary School
	More...
	South Shores Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

53.0%

White:

29.1%

Two or more races:

13.6%

See top rated Illinois middle schools

Compare Stephen Decatur Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 7th percentile in 2016 → <1st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (13% vs 49% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (<1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (62% vs 24% Illinois)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school13%

District avg17%

Illinois avg49%

1,122^nd of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 7% (2016) to bottom 1% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

726^th of 738Decatur School District 61 among Illinois 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	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	1.8	1122 of 1126	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.6	1321 of 1368	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	1356 of 1363	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	1343 of 1367	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	1355 of 1369	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.9	1200 of 1241	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	1219 of 1356	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.7	1217 of 1293	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.4	1253 of 1293	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.8	1205 of 1294	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.8	1245 of 1302	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	10.1	1227 of 1322	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	7.9	1297 of 1367	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	15.6	1214 of 1365	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.3	1092 of 1344	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.9	1107 of 1327	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	13.1	1174 of 1318	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	17.6	1097 of 1293	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	12.3	1138 of 1287	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	10.6	1141 of 1272	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	14.3	1027 of 1209	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	17.8	981 of 1204	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	15.5	991 of 1185	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	542 of 574	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	547 of 548	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.6	569 of 569	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	569 of 573	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.9	355 of 385	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.2	498 of 565	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.2	504 of 511	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	638 of 694	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	584 of 639	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	621 of 674	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	0.7	865 of 867	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.5	1196 of 1248	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.9	1245 of 1251	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.6	1260 of 1275	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.9	1272 of 1286	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.5	999 of 1017	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	1137 of 1276	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	1150 of 1226	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	3.3	782 of 788	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.3	1175 of 1229	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	1217 of 1219	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	1220 of 1234	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	1216 of 1221	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.2	1000 of 1019	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.4	1108 of 1217	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	1105 of 1161	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	1.7	825 of 829	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.6	1219 of 1271	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	1234 of 1264	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	1250 of 1292	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	1225 of 1286	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	1008 of 1048	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	1200 of 1296	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.3	1151 of 1223	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	193 of 204	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.8	179 of 184	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	183 of 194	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	195 of 195	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.2	97 of 97	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.8	176 of 179	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.4	162 of 164	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	783 of 812	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	773 of 802	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	788 of 805	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	734 of 781	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	472 of 548	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	756 of 792	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.6	570 of 602	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	3.8	875 of 884	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.5	872 of 875	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.9	892 of 895	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.8	895 of 898	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.6	812 of 813	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	866 of 905	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	862 of 889	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2025)8th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2025)6th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)5th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)4th percentile~ school

White (2025)1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)<1st percentile~ school

Female (2026)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

Science22%-30 vs state

English Language Arts13%-43 vs state

Mathematics4%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Stephen Decatur 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ISA Science (2026)		IAR English Language Arts (2026)						IAR Mathematics (2026)						Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Stephen Decatur Middle School	Public	7-8	1 Educational Park	Decatur	62526	Macon County	Decatur School District 61	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 362-3251	413	23	17.9	85.7%	120 (29.1%)	219 (53.0%)	18 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (13.6%)	1.8	1122^nd of 1126 public middle schools	0.4%		9.6	1321^st of 1368 public middle schools	3.4%	199		21.9				11.1	14.6	12.8						3.9	99.1%		$21,999	$1,485	$20,514
Warrensburg-Latham Middle School	Public	6-8	425 W North St	Warrensburg	62573	Macon County	Warrensburg-Latham CUSD 11	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 672-3531	203	15	13.7	51.7%	156 (76.8%)	11 (5.4%)	7 (3.4%)	7 (3.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (10.3%)	63.9	355^th of 1126 public middle schools	68.5%		75.2	296^th of 1368 public middle schools	78.4%	59		60.0			73.3	71.0	73.8	72.7			51.7	32.3	46.2	43.3	99%		$12,747	$235	$12,512
Mt Zion Junior High School	Public	7-8	315 S Henderson St	Mount Zion	62549	Macon County	Mt Zion CUSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 864-2369	378	23	16.3	26.7%	330 (87.3%)	9 (2.4%)	13 (3.4%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.0%)	55.3	456^th of 1126 public middle schools	59.5%		64.2	434^th of 1368 public middle schools	68.3%	22		61.9				58.3	72.8	64.9				44.1	33.7	39.4	99.2%		$12,331	$458	$11,872
Mt Zion Intermediate School	Public	4-6	310 S Henderson St	Mount Zion	62549	Macon County	Mt Zion CUSD 3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 864-2921	557	32	17.2	30.5%	507 (91.0%)	14 (2.5%)	9 (1.6%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.6%)								(n/a)	63.5		69.4	61.6	63.3			64.7	55.9	41.2	43.8			46.9	98.9%		$12,064	$731	$11,333
Argenta-Oreana Middle School	Public	6-8	200 E East St	Argenta	62501	Macon County	Argenta-Oreana CUSD 1	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 795-2163	180	14	13.1	60.0%	144 (80.0%)	9 (5.0%)	10 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (9.4%)	41.2	643^rd of 1126 public middle schools	42.9%		49.9	623^rd of 1368 public middle schools	54.5%	20		40.0			53.5	61.5	68.9	60.2			35.2	36.9	33.3	35.4	98.9%		$13,761	$442	$13,319
Maroa-Forsyth Middle School	Public	6-8	101 S Cedar St	Maroa	61756	Macon County	Maroa Forsyth CUSD 2	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 794-5115	271	15	18.2	31.0%	217 (80.1%)	9 (3.3%)	7 (2.6%)	22 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.5%)	74.5	254^th of 1126 public middle schools	77.4%		74.7	301^st of 1368 public middle schools	78.0%	47		61.6			82.0	82.6	82.6	82.4			47.2	57.3	41.9	49.5	97.6%		$10,936	$265	$10,671
Meridian Middle School	Public	6-8	728 S Wall St	Macon	62544	Macon County	Meridian CUSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 764-3367	195	16	12.1	42.6%	178 (91.3%)	4 (2.1%)	5 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	32.8	754^th of 1126 public middle schools	33.0%		42.8	732^nd of 1368 public middle schools	46.5%	22		47.3			53.1	50.8	50.0	51.4			32.8	34.4		27.6	99.5%		$14,115	$105	$14,010
Sangamon Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	341 Matilda St	Illiopolis	62539	Sangamon County	Sangamon Valley CUSD 9	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 486-2241	145	13	11.1	62.8%	138 (95.2%)	2 (1.4%)	3 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	35.3	720^th of 1126 public middle schools	36.1%		48.4	645^th of 1368 public middle schools	52.9%	75		58.5			60.0	35.7	63.4	51.1			30.0	19.6		21.3	98.6%		$17,933	$735	$17,198
Clinton Junior High School	Public	6-8	701 Illini Dr	Clinton	61727	De Witt County	Clinton CUSD 15	No	(n/a)	No	No	(217) 935-2103	385	35	10.9	53.8%	335 (87.0%)	3 (0.8%)	29 (7.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.2%)	28.7	805^th of 1126 public middle schools	28.5%		39.9	775^th of 1368 public middle schools	43.3%	30		40.4			58.3	51.8	61.8	57.6			23.5	27.3	15.3	21.5	97.9%		$21,437	$1,606	$19,831
Bement Middle School	Public	6-8	201 S Champaign St	Bement	61813	Piatt County	Bement CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(217) 678-4200	63	5	11.8	33.3%	60 (95.2%)	1 (1.6%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.6%)	69.2	301^st of 1126 public middle schools	73.3%		64.3	433^rd of 1368 public middle schools	68.3%	132		45.8			84.2	86.7	58.3	74.1			52.6	66.7		46.6	98.4%		$14,590	$62	$14,528

Frequently Asked Questions about Stephen Decatur Middle School

What high school do graduates of Stephen Decatur Middle School attend?

Students who attend Stephen Decatur Middle School usually go on to attend Eisenhower High School

How many students attend Stephen Decatur Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 413 students attended Stephen Decatur Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Stephen Decatur Middle School?

Students at Stephen Decatur Middle School are 53% African American, 29% White, 14% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

Is Stephen Decatur Middle School a good school?

Stephen Decatur Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.4% of Illinois middle schools.

What district is Stephen Decatur Middle School in?

Decatur School District 61

Rate Stephen Decatur Middle School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board 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.