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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WORCESTER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240072001335

Stephen Decatur High

9913 Seahawk Rd, Berlin, MD 21811 · (410) 641-2171 · Worcester County
GRADES 09–12HIGH32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,462 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 93% of Maryland public high schools
  • ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • ABeats 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 Maryland public high schools

Enrollment
1,462
High
DISTRICT 735 · STATE 1,185
Student : Teacher
17.4:1
84 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.4:1 · STATE 15.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
44%
644 students
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 54%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 937726%
Grade 1035524%
Grade 1135925%
Grade 1237125%
Student demographics
46%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 56% · STATE 73% · US 70%
White
1,04672%
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 31% · US 43%
Hispanic
14310%
DISTRICT 9% · STATE 24% · US 30%
Black
1319%
DISTRICT 18% · STATE 32% · US 15%
Asian
262%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 7% · US 6%
Two+
1148%
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
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
Male
76853%
Female
69447%

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Test scores

MCAP 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 3-4)
English Language Arts
73.5%
MD avg 50.6% . +1.4pp since 2023
Math
30.0%
MD avg 34.8% . +3.7pp since 2023

What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 74 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 30 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Maryland schools, those numbers are about 51 and 35. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.

MCAP results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2573.5%30.0%
2023-2472.1%26.3%
% Proficient (Levels 3-4), all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
50.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.1%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.3pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 50% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% typical for Maryland 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 Maryland'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 High

Stephen Decatur High's state test result (50.5% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Stephen Decatur High this school1,46244.0%50.5%
Northeast High
Pasadena
1,38742.8%37.9%
Queen Anne's County High School
Centreville
1,14542.4%36.1%
North East High
North East
1,05747.6%32.3%
Sparrows Point High
Sparrows Point
1,09538.5%35.2%
Chopticon High
Morganza
1,52634.7%41.9%
Matched among Maryland high 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 High ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn Maryland
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
50.5%#28 of 203
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
30.0%#13 of 206
▲ 7
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
73.5%#53 of 206
▼ 13
Enrollment
ranked largest first
1,462#82 of 234
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
17.4:1#152 of 210
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
46.4%#137 of 211
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
44.0%#130 of 212
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+8.5%#77 of 131
Ranked against other public high 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 2024-25
Enrollment
1,462
+93 (+7%) vs 2020
+76% since 1990-91, when it was 832
Student : Teacher
17.4:1
was 15.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-251,4628417.4:144% (644)
2023-241,40384.516.6:138% (538)
2022-231,4318716.4:142% (605)
2020-211,3698715.7:132% (434)
2017-181,34884.515.9:132% (435)
2015-161,3468515.8:129% (389)
2010-111,4368716.5:127% (387)
2000-011,2516818.4:120% (244)
1990-918325315.7:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Stephen Decatur High.

Since 2017-18: students up 8% (1,348 to 1,462); teachers down 1% (84.5 to 84).

About Stephen Decatur High

Stephen Decatur High is a high school located in Berlin, Maryland, in Worcester County. The school's 1,462 students are in grades 9 through 12. Statewide, high schools in Maryland average about 1,185 students each.

Stephen Decatur High is among 13 schools run by Worcester County Public Schools, which serves 7,002 students.

White students are the majority at Stephen Decatur High, with 72% of enrollment. Other groups include 10% Hispanic, 9% Black, and 8% multiracial. Pick two students at random and there is a 46% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.

The school reported 84 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 17.4:1. That is 2.1 students per teacher above the 15.3:1 average for high schools in Maryland. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 44%.

Measured against Maryland public high schools, Stephen Decatur High receives an A. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.

Test results at Stephen Decatur High are 2.3 points above what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (50.5% actual, 48.1% predicted).

In the county around the school, Worcester County, the median household income is $81,745, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. There are 14 public schools in Worcester County, enrolling about 7,002 students in all.

The closest public school to Stephen Decatur High is Stephen Decatur Middle, about 0.3 miles away. Stephen Decatur High has 5 other public schools within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Stephen Decatur High at 6th of 6.

Under the NCES locale system, Stephen Decatur High is Town: Distant.

2024-25 enrollment was 1,462, a 7% increase from 1,369 in 2020-21. The ratio was 15.7:1 in 2020-21 and 17.4:1 in 2024-25.

Community posts for Stephen Decatur High can cover school safety, transportation, and start times. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.

Worcester County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
53,700
Census ACS
Median income
$81,745
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
14
7,002 students

Quick facts

School name
Stephen Decatur High
District
Worcester County Public Schools
Address
9913 Seahawk Rd, Berlin, MD 21811
Phone
(410) 641-2171
County
Worcester County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
1,462
Teachers (FTE)
84
Student–teacher ratio
17.4:1
Free and reduced lunch
644 (44%)
Locale
32-Town: Distant
NCES ID
240072001335
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Worcester County Public Schools
Other schools in Berlin
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Stephen Decatur High
How large is Stephen Decatur High?
Stephen Decatur High enrolls approximately 1,462 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Stephen Decatur High serve?
Stephen Decatur High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Stephen Decatur High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Stephen Decatur High is approximately 17.4:1 (84 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Stephen Decatur High?
Stephen Decatur High reports a student body of 72% White, 10% Hispanic, 9% Black, 2% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees Stephen Decatur High?
Stephen Decatur High is overseen by Worcester County Public Schools in Worcester County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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