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Stephen Decatur Middle

Public Grades 7-8

9^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 337 Maryland Middle Schools

Better than 97% of Maryland middle schools

Summary

Stephen Decatur Middle is a highly-ranked public middle school located in Berlin, Maryland, serving grades 7-8 with an enrollment of 670 students. The school is part of the Worcester County Public Schools district, which is ranked 1st out of 25 districts in Maryland and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Stephen Decatur Middle consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Maryland, with a statewide ranking between 5th and 13th over the past 5 years. The school's performance on MCAP (Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program) tests is exceptional, with 57% of students proficient or better in Mathematics and 78.4% proficient or better in English Language Arts across all grades in 2024-2025, significantly outperforming the state and county averages. While the school performs well overall, there are some disparities in the performance of different student subgroups, with the school ranking highly for female students and low socioeconomic status students, but lower for African American, Hispanic, and multi-racial students.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Snow Hill Middle and Berlin Intermediate, both in the same district, Stephen Decatur Middle stands out as a top performer, with higher academic performance on MCAP tests and exceptional results in Algebra I, where 100% of students were proficient or better in 2024-2025. The school's efficient use of resources, with a high per-student spending and a low student-teacher ratio, likely contributes to its strong academic performance.

665

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,407

Per pupil spending ?

48.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9815 Seahawk Rd
Berlin, MD 21811-2956

(410) 641-2846

District: Worcester County Public Schools

Students who attend Stephen Decatur Middle usually attend:

High:

Stephen Decatur High

Feeder schools for Stephen Decatur Middle:

Elementary:	Buckingham Elementary
	Ocean City Elementary
	Showell Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.2%

Hispanic:

11.0%

Two or more races:

9.2%

See top rated Maryland middle schools

Compare Stephen Decatur Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 90th percentile in 2015 → 97th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (67% vs 37% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of Maryland middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

District avg55%

Maryland avg37%

9^th of 337

Maryland public middle schools ?

Top 3%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From top 10% (2015) to top 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle Schools in the Worcester County Public Schools

1^st of 25Worcester County Public Schools among Maryland 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	Maryland percentile	Rating
2025	95.7	9 of 337	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	94.0	12 of 328	96.3%	★★★★★
2023	93.3	13 of 322	96.0%	★★★★★
2022	97.5	5 of 333	98.5%	★★★★★
2021	78.8	51 of 303	83.2%	★★★★☆
2019	90.6	29 of 316	90.8%	★★★★★
2018	87.1	48 of 328	85.4%	★★★★☆
2017	93.4	18 of 317	94.3%	★★★★★
2016	88.7	24 of 314	92.4%	★★★★★
2015	88.6	31 of 315	90.2%	★★★★★
2014	86.8	33 of 339	90.3%	★★★★★
2013	89.6	12 of 316	96.2%	★★★★★
2012	89.2	11 of 314	96.5%	★★★★★
2011	90.6	6 of 309	98.1%	★★★★★
2010	88.4	10 of 324	96.9%	★★★★★
2009	86.2	22 of 301	92.7%	★★★★★
2008	88.0	18 of 283	93.6%	★★★★★
2007	6.6	247 of 264	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	13.2	221 of 254	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	14.0	222 of 255	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	29.0	189 of 252	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	52.5	113 of 259	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	81.4	42 of 303	86.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	57.0	69 of 207	66.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	79.5	19 of 273	93.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	71.9	71 of 288	75.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	30.9	88 of 136	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	40.8	71 of 120	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	65.0	72 of 210	65.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)93rd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2021)86th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2021)75th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2021)67th percentile-17 vs school

White (2021)66th percentile-17 vs school

African American (2021)56th percentile-27 vs school

Special Education (2021)41st percentile-42 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)35th percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2024-2025) ?

Algebra I100%+79 vs state

English Language Arts78%+28 vs state

Social Studies65%+26 vs state

Science60%+29 vs state

Mathematics57%+30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Stephen Decatur Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAP Mathematics (2025)						MCAP English Language Arts (2025)						MCAP Algebra I (2025)	MCAP Science (2025)		MCAP Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Algebra I End of Course	MCAP Science 5th Grade	MCAP Science 8th Grade	MCAP Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Stephen Decatur Middle	Public	7-8	9815 Seahawk Rd	Berlin	21811	Worcester County	Worcester County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 641-2846	665	52	12.7	48.9%	467 (70.2%)	55 (8.3%)	73 (11.0%)	9 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (9.2%)	95.7	9^th of 337 public middle schools	97.3%		94	12^th of 328 public middle schools	96.3%	3				47.7	61.4	57.0				80.7	76.2	78.4	100.0		60.4	64.9	$19,407	$1,814	$17,593
Berlin Intermediate	Public	5-6	309 Franklin Ave	Berlin	21811	Worcester County	Worcester County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 632-5320	613	51	12.0	46.8%	436 (71.1%)	55 (9.0%)	70 (11.4%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.2%)								(n/a)		49.7	51.2			50.4		59.6	78.2			68.7		35.9			$20,885	$2,025	$18,859
Pittsville Elementary & Middle	Public	4-8	34404 Old Ocean City Rd	Pittsville	21850	Wicomico County	Wicomico County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 677-5811	325	34	9.5	57.5%	247 (76.0%)	8 (2.5%)	37 (11.4%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.3%)	56.9	130^th of 337 public middle schools	61.4%		64.4	92^nd of 328 public middle schools	72.0%	38	39.7	20.3	10.1	33.3	51.2	31.5	51.5	45.3	43.5	60.0	50.9	50.2	75.0	18.8	25.5	24.6	$22,947	$1,904	$21,043
Snow Hill Middle	Public	4-8	522 Coulbourne Ln	Snow Hill	21863	Worcester County	Worcester County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(410) 632-5240	404	43	9.5	54.5%	239 (59.2%)	101 (25.0%)	31 (7.7%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (7.2%)	77.1	70^th of 337 public middle schools	79.2%		71	76^th of 328 public middle schools	76.8%	6	61.5	33.8	31.9	48.4	31.9	43.5	61.5	51.3	56.4	67.2	64.1	59.8	90.5	28.4	39.6	33.7	$25,293	$2,497	$22,795

Frequently Asked Questions about Stephen Decatur Middle

How many students attend Stephen Decatur Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 665 students attended Stephen Decatur Middle.

Is Stephen Decatur Middle a good school?

Yes! Stephen Decatur Middle is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 9^th of 337 Maryland middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Stephen Decatur Middle attend?

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

What district is Stephen Decatur Middle in?

Worcester County Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Stephen Decatur Middle?

Students at Stephen Decatur Middle are 70% White, 11% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 8% African American, 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 Maryland State 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.