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What's the most underrated thing about Stephen Decatur Middle School that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
413
Middle
DISTRICT 523 · STATE 462
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DECATUR SD 61·NCES 171185004100
Stephen Decatur Middle School
1 Educational Park, Decatur, IL 62526 · (217) 362-3251 · Macon County
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL413 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 3% of Illinois public middle schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public middle schools
Student : Teacher
18.0:1
23 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.3:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
86%
354 students
DISTRICT 81% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 217 | 53% |
| Grade 8 | 196 | 47% |
Student demographics
61%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 65% · STATE 69% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Decatur SD 61. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
12.8%
IL avg 51.0% . +6.3pp since 2023
Math
5.5%
IL avg 37.9% . +4.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 13 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 6 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 6 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 12.8% | 5.5% |
| 2023-24 | 6.5% | 1.2% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. 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
11.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
22.0%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 11% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 22% typical for Illinois 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 Illinois'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 Stephen Decatur Middle School
Stephen Decatur Middle School's state test result (11.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Decatur Middle School this school | 413 | 85.7% | 11.2% |
| Jefferson Middle School Springfield | 517 | 80.7% | 12.1% |
| Washington Middle School Springfield | 516 | 79.8% | 8.3% |
| Von Steuben Middle School Peoria | 266 | 87.6% | 15.3% |
| North Ridge Middle School Danville | 740 | 88.2% | 16.3% |
| South View Upper Elementary School Danville | 664 | 93.1% | 12.2% |
Matched among Illinois middle 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 Stephen Decatur Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Macon County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 11.2% | #572 of 578 | #7 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 5.5% | #626 of 640 ▲ 10 | #7 of 7 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 12.8% | #638 of 640 ▲ 2 | #7 of 7 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 413 | #353 of 691 | #2 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.0:1 | #532 of 558 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.4% | #134 of 560 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 85.7% | #51 of 581 | #1 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +20.1% | #23 of 127 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle 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
413
-214 (-34%) vs 2020
-26% since 2000-01, when it was 561
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 | 413 | 23 | 18.0:1 | 86% (354) |
| 2023-24 | 467 | 23 | 20.3:1 | 66% (310) |
| 2022-23 | 459 | 29 | 15.8:1 | 83% (381) |
| 2020-21 | 627 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 344 | 27.2 | 12.6:1 | 76% (263) |
| 2015-16 | 337 | 4 | 84.3:1 | 80% (271) |
| 2010-11 | 494 | 35 | 14.1:1 | 78% (383) |
| 2000-01 | 561 | 29 | 19.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Stephen Decatur Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 20% (344 to 413); teachers down 15% (27.2 to 23).
About Stephen Decatur Middle School
Stephen Decatur Middle School is a middle-grades school in Decatur, Illinois, according to federal school records. It teaches 413 students in grades 7 through 8.
The district, Decatur SD 61, operates 15 schools serving 7,840 students.
The student body at Stephen Decatur Middle School is 53% Black. Other reported shares: 29% White, 14% multiracial, and 4% Hispanic. Macon County's residents are about 16% Black, 37 points below the school's share. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 61, compared with 70 nationally.
The school had 23 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25. Its student-to-teacher ratio is 18.0:1. The school's 18.0:1 compares with an average of 13.0:1 for middle schools in Illinois. The eligibility rate for free or reduced-price meals is 86%. That rate is above the 61% average among public schools in Macon County.
Among Illinois public middle schools, Stephen Decatur Middle School outscored 3%, which works out to an F on the allk12 Grade.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Stephen Decatur Middle School is 22.0%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 11.2%.
For Macon County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $62,666 a year, roughly 24% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Stephen Decatur Middle School, Macon County has 43 public schools.
Stephen Decatur Middle School's nearest public school is Parsons Elementary School (about 1.2 miles). There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Stephen Decatur Middle School places 5th of 8 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
Locale data from NCES put Stephen Decatur Middle School inside a principal city with a population under 100,000 (City: Small).
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Stephen Decatur Middle School had a net loss of 214 students, or 34%.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on special education services, counseling, and support programs here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Macon County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
101,849
Census ACS
Median income
$62,666
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
43
14,702 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Decatur SD 61
- MacArthur High SchoolHigh · 1,059 students
- Eisenhower High SchoolHigh · 909 students
- Johns Hill Magnet SchoolElementary · 627 students
- Montessori Academy for PeaceElementary · 586 students
- Dennis Lab SchoolElementary · 579 students
- Parsons Elementary SchoolElementary · 505 students
Other schools in Decatur
- MacArthur High SchoolHigh · 1,059 students
- Eisenhower High SchoolHigh · 909 students
- Johns Hill Magnet SchoolElementary · 627 students
- Montessori Academy for PeaceElementary · 586 students
- Dennis Lab SchoolElementary · 579 students
- Parsons Elementary SchoolElementary · 505 students
Other Stephen Decatur Middle schools
2 other US public schools in 2 states are named Stephen Decatur Middle. Stephen Decatur Middle School is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Stephen Decatur MiddleClinton, MD · 751 students
- Stephen Decatur MiddleBerlin, MD · 665 students
Nearby schools
- Parsons Elementary School1.2 mi · 505
- Pershing Early Learning Center1.9 mi · 416
- Robertson Charter School2.1 mi · 327
- Hope Academy2.4 mi · 501
- Franklin Grove Elementary School2.6 mi · 461
- MacArthur High School3.0 mi · 1,059
Frequently asked questions
About Stephen Decatur Middle SchoolHow many students attend Stephen Decatur Middle School?
Stephen Decatur Middle School enrolls approximately 413 students in grades 07-08.
What age range does Stephen Decatur Middle School serve?
Stephen Decatur Middle School serves students from grade 07 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Stephen Decatur Middle School?
Approximately 18.0:1 students per teacher at Stephen Decatur Middle School.
How diverse is Stephen Decatur Middle School?
Stephen Decatur Middle School reports a student body of 29% White, 4% Hispanic, 53% Black, 14% Two or more.
Who oversees Stephen Decatur Middle School?
Stephen Decatur Middle School is overseen by Decatur SD 61 in Macon County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.