Summary:
Decatur, Michigan is served by three schools—Decatur Junior Senior High School, Davis Elementary School, and Volinia Outcome Base School—which together educate roughly 795 students in grades K-12 across two districts, Decatur Public Schools and Marcellus Community Schools.
For parents, the standout story is Decatur Junior Senior High School, which posts a strong 92.3% graduation rate and a 0% dropout rate—both far better than state averages. Its 11th-grade social studies proficiency (51.2%) also beats the state, and its chronic absenteeism (24.5%) is below the state norm. However, math is a serious weakness, with 8th-grade PSAT proficiency at just 13.1% versus the state’s 33.2%. Davis Elementary School shows bright spots in upper-elementary ELA and had a stellar 5th-grade science year (61.3% proficiency), but scores are volatile—science plunged to 33.3% the next year, and 3rd-grade ELA sits at a concerning 19.6%. Volinia Outcome Base School is the smallest and most challenged, with an 85% free/reduced lunch rate and a staggering 68.7% chronic absenteeism rate, yet its 10th-grade ELA proficiency (66.7%) exceeds both its district and the state.
Comparing the two districts, Marcellus Community Schools ranks higher statewide (60th percentile) than Decatur Public Schools (36th percentile), though Volinia itself drags down its district’s averages. Spending does not predict success: Davis spends the most per student ($19,130) yet shows declining scores, while Volinia spends the least ($13,920) but achieves competitive ELA results. A clear “middle school dip” emerges at Decatur Junior Senior High, where 6th and 7th-grade ELA proficiency (28.8%) lags both the elementary and high school levels, marking a critical intervention point for families and educators alike.
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