Summary:
The 62526 zip code area is served by a single middle school, Stephen Decatur Middle School, which is part of the Decatur School District 61. This school has consistently low academic performance, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math significantly below state averages. The school also faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism and serves a high-need student population, with two-thirds of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.
Stephen Decatur Middle School's statewide ranking has been consistently low, placing between 1321-1356 out of 1363-1368 Illinois middle schools over the past 3 school years. The school's academic performance is very low, with only 12.8% of students proficient or better in ELA and 5.5% proficient or better in Math for all grades in 2024-2025, compared to state averages of 53.1% in ELA and 38.5% in Math. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 25.4% for the 2024-2025 school year.
Despite the school's relatively high spending per student ($22,355 for 2023-2024) and student-teacher ratio (20.3), these inputs do not appear to be translating into strong academic outcomes. The data suggests that the Decatur School District 61, of which Stephen Decatur Middle School is a part, faces systemic challenges that need to be addressed to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for students in this community.
Thank you for your feedback!