Stephen Decatur High

Stephen Decatur High in Berlin, MD, is a large high school serving 1,462 students in grades 9-12 as part of the highly-rated Worcester County Public Schools district, which ranks 1st out of 25 districts in Maryland. The school holds a 4-star rating and ranks in the 82nd percentile statewide, with a diverse student body where 44% qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Stephen Decatur is an "ELA powerhouse," with 71.7% of students proficient in English Language Arts—well above the state average of 51.7%. However, it faces a significant challenge in Mathematics, where only 28.5% of students are proficient, barely above the state average. This 43-point gap between ELA and Math proficiency is a key area for improvement. Compared to nearby Snow Hill High, Stephen Decatur is much larger and spends less per student ($19,242 vs. $30,738), yet achieves slightly higher test scores in both subjects, suggesting an efficient model. However, Stephen Decatur has a higher chronic absenteeism rate (18.0% vs. 14.7% at Snow Hill), which may be linked to its larger, less personalized environment.

Despite these challenges, Stephen Decatur boasts a strong graduation rate of 94.8% in 2023-2024, indicating robust support systems and credit recovery programs that help students succeed even when academic performance is uneven. The school has also made remarkable progress in reducing chronic absenteeism from a post-pandemic peak of 40.4% in 2021-2022 to 18.0% in 2024-2025, showing effective interventions are working. While older subgroup data from 2020-2021 raised concerns about equity, current leadership is likely focused on closing any remaining gaps. Overall, Stephen Decatur offers a strong literacy program and a commitment to graduation, but families should be aware of the math proficiency gap and the ongoing efforts to improve attendance.