Summary:
Decatur Junior Senior High School is the sole high school within Decatur Public Schools, serving grades 6 through 12 in Decatur, Michigan, with 399 students and a moderate-to-high level of economic disadvantage (58.4% free/reduced lunch).
For parents, the most striking feature of this school is its exceptional student retention: the graduation rate is 92.3% (well above the state’s 84.0%), and the dropout rate is 0.0% compared to the state’s 7.1%. This suggests a highly supportive environment that keeps students engaged through completion. However, academic proficiency generally trails state averages, with the most severe gaps in mathematics. Across every grade level, math proficiency lags the state by 13 to 20 percentage points—most dramatically in 8th grade, where only 13.1% of students are proficient versus 33.2% statewide. English Language Arts is comparatively stronger, with 8th and 9th grade PSAT scores near 55%, though still below state levels. Science and social studies in 11th grade hover close to state averages, though scores dropped notably from the prior year, likely reflecting small cohort sizes.
Chronic absenteeism (24.5%) is slightly better than the state average (27.9%), but still affects nearly one in four students. Per-student spending is robust at $17,322, yet the student-teacher ratio of 19.5:1 is relatively high, which may dilute the impact of that investment. The school’s state ranking has been volatile—rising from the 41st to 53rd percentile, then falling back to the 43rd—underscoring how small enrollment can cause large year-to-year swings. For parents, the key takeaway is that this school excels at keeping students on track to graduate, but incoming middle schoolers, particularly in math, will likely need targeted support to build the foundational skills necessary for high school and post-secondary success.
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