Original Research by School Decision on Deca Prep
DECA PREP is a small public charter district in Montgomery County serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It operates a single school serving a student body that is almost entirely Black, with smaller numbers of students identifying as two or more races or Hispanic. The enrollment is steady across grade levels, with about the same number of students in each year from kindergarten through the middle grades.
State testing data and graduation rates do not apply to this district because it serves only grades kindergarten through eight; Ohio does not administer state assessments in those grades, and there are no high school students to track for graduation. The district's academic profile therefore cannot be read through proficiency measures or completion rates available through state reporting.
What the comparison data do show is a mixed picture on immediate operational measures. Chronic absenteeism at this district is considerably lower than the median across Montgomery County's other districts, which is a concrete strength; students are attending school regularly. Per-pupil spending falls in the middle range among the county's districts, slightly below the midpoint, suggesting a lean operational budget relative to some neighbors but not an outlier.
The district serves a concentrated enrollment, drawing almost exclusively from the Black community in Dayton. Eligibility data for free and reduced-price lunch and counts of students with IEPs or English learner status are not reported, so a reader cannot assess what share of students qualify for economic support or receive special education or language services. This gap limits a full picture of the student needs the district is meeting.
Recent changes to the district are not documented in available public reporting. The physical infrastructure of the schools and any program shifts beyond the routine do not appear in sources searched for this snapshot.
A parent or resident considering DECA PREP should use the chronic absenteeism finding as a positive signal and would benefit from reaching out directly to the school to ask about its curriculum, teaching approach, and support services, especially around special education and English language learners. The absence of state test results means you cannot compare academic attainment to other districts, so conversations with the school about how it measures and reports student progress would be essential to making an informed choice.
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