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If you could change one rule at West Decatur Elementary School, what would it be?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
407
Elementary
DISTRICT 373 · STATE 480
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DECATUR CITY·NCES 010117000435
West Decatur Elementary School
708 Memorial Dr Sw, Decatur, AL 35601 · (256) 552-3027 · Morgan County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL407 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 14% of Alabama public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Alabama public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.3:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
81%
330 students
DISTRICT 64% · STATE 58%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 18 | 4% |
| Kindergarten | 83 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 72 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 71 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 57 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 53 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 53 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (83) is 57% larger than its 5th grade class (53).
Student demographics
49%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
ACAP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
33.3%
AL avg 52.7%
Math
26.7%
AL avg 31.8%
What this means: On the ACAP, Alabama's statewide test, about 33 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Alabama schools, those numbers are about 53 and 32.
Source: ACAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
26.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
25.1%
based on AL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 26% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 25% typical for Alabama schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Alabama's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like West Decatur Elementary School
West Decatur Elementary School's state test result (26.1% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Decatur Elementary School this school | 407 | 81.1% | 26.1% |
| BanksCaddell Elementary School Decatur | 477 | 76.5% | 30.4% |
| Catoma Elementary School Montgomery | 216 | 76.9% | 16.4% |
| Ridgecrest Elementary School Huntsville | 463 | 69.8% | 28.8% |
| McDonnell Elementary School Huntsville | 511 | 66.5% | 20.7% |
| Austinville Elementary School Decatur | 463 | 67.6% | 41.9% |
Matched among Alabama elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where West Decatur Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Alabama | In Morgan County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 26.1% | #554 of 626 | #21 of 22 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.7% | #441 of 626 | #20 of 22 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 33.3% | #590 of 626 | #21 of 22 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 407 | #429 of 709 | #14 of 23 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.6:1 | #283 of 655 | #16 of 23 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 49.4% | #313 of 658 | #13 of 23 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 81.1% | #77 of 696 | #1 of 23 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +34.8% | #30 of 262 | #2 of 12 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
407
+87 (+27%) vs 2020
+43% since 1990-91, when it was 284
Student : Teacher
16.6:1
was 15.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 407 | 24.5 | 16.6:1 | 81% (330) |
| 2023-24 | 363 | 21.5 | 16.9:1 | 90% (326) |
| 2022-23 | 346 | 19.3 | 17.9:1 | 89% (309) |
| 2020-21 | 320 | 21 | 15.2:1 | 89% (285) |
| 2017-18 | 302 | 16.8 | 17.9:1 | 89% (269) |
| 2015-16 | 299 | 20 | 14.9:1 | 55% (163) |
| 2000-01 | 296 | 22 | 13.4:1 | 89% (262) |
| 1990-91 | 284 | 17 | 16.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Decatur Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 35% (302 to 407); teachers up 46% (16.8 to 24.5).
About West Decatur Elementary School
West Decatur Elementary School is a small elementary school in Decatur City, located in Decatur, Alabama. The school enrolls 407 students, from pre-K through 5.
Decatur City has 8,902 students in 19 schools, and West Decatur Elementary School is one of those schools.
A majority of students at West Decatur Elementary School, 68%, are Hispanic. Beyond that, enrollment is 19% Black, 10% White, and 3% multiracial. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 11%. West Decatur Elementary School has a diversity index of 49%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
The teaching staff at West Decatur Elementary School is 24.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 16.6:1. Across elementary schools in Alabama, the average ratio is about 17.0:1. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 81%. That is higher than the 56% average for public schools in Morgan County.
allk12 grades West Decatur Elementary School a D. The grade compares the school only with Alabama public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, West Decatur Elementary School falls in the middle 80% of Alabama schools: 26.1% actual against 25.1% predicted.
Census estimates describe Morgan County this way: median household income is about $68,845, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 23%, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. The public schools of Morgan County number 46 and enroll about 20,204.
BanksCaddell Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.8 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Among its closest neighbors with test data, West Decatur Elementary School is 6th of 6 on proficiency.
The school's locale code, City: Small, means it is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, West Decatur Elementary School went from 320 students to 407. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 15.2:1 to 16.6:1.
Threads on this page can be about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Morgan County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
124,471
Census ACS
Median income
$68,845
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
46
20,204 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Decatur City
- Austin High SchoolHigh · 999 students
- Decatur High SchoolHigh · 915 students
- Decatur Middle SchoolMiddle · 818 students
- Austin Middle SchoolMiddle · 727 students
- Austin Junior High SchoolHigh · 664 students
- Oak Park Elementary SchoolElementary · 481 students
Other schools in Decatur
- Austin High SchoolHigh · 999 students
- Decatur High SchoolHigh · 915 students
- Decatur Middle SchoolMiddle · 818 students
- Austin Middle SchoolMiddle · 727 students
- Austin Junior High SchoolHigh · 664 students
- Priceville High SchoolHigh · 506 students
Nearby schools
- BanksCaddell Elementary School0.8 mi · 477
- Benjamin Davis Elementary School1.0 mi · 251
- Career Academies of Decatur1.3 mi · 269
- Woodmeade Elementary School1.3 mi · 361
- Austin Junior High School1.4 mi · 664
- Decatur Middle School1.4 mi · 818
Frequently asked questions
About West Decatur Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at West Decatur Elementary School?
West Decatur Elementary School enrolls approximately 407 students in grades PK-05.
Is West Decatur Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
West Decatur Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at West Decatur Elementary School?
Approximately 16.6:1 students per teacher at West Decatur Elementary School.
How diverse is West Decatur Elementary School?
West Decatur Elementary School reports a student body of 10% White, 68% Hispanic, 19% Black, 3% Two or more.
Is West Decatur Elementary School public or private?
West Decatur Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Decatur City.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.