The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Woodmeade Elementary School
Woodmeade Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Decatur, Alabama, as part of the Decatur City school district. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet school. The school sits on the southwestern side of the city, and with Decatur’s industrial and manufacturing base as a major local employer, many families in the attendance zone likely work in sectors like chemical production, cargo transit, or aerospace. The city itself is a mid-sized river community with a downtown core and a spread-out, car-dependent layout, and its population has grown modestly over recent years.
The student body at Woodmeade is diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by Black students, white students, and a smaller number of multiracial students. Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each represent a very small portion of the enrollment, as do American Indian or Alaska Native students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need in the school community. Data on the share of students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the information provided.
On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, Woodmeade’s results show a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates were highest among fifth graders, followed by third graders, with fourth graders lower. In mathematics, proficiency rates were fairly consistent across third, fourth, and fifth grades but at a lower level compared to the ELA scores. Fourth-grade science results also fell at a relatively low level. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile when compared to other districts in Morgan County. Because only one year of assessment data was available, trends over time cannot yet be evaluated; a parent may want to look into this further with the school or district to understand how performance has shifted in prior years.
The Decatur City district had no publicly reported recent changes or strategic priorities available in the research, so no district-level context on new programs, boundary adjustments, or other developments can be added here. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was provided for the school.
For a family considering Woodmeade, the school offers a regular elementary program in a community with a strong industrial job base and a mix of older neighborhoods. The student population is economically diverse with a high proportion of families in need of support. The academic proficiency results are a soft spot, particularly in math and science, and the school’s relative position among Morgan County districts is a clear weak point in the data. A parent who values strong test scores or who is comparing schools in the area may want to investigate what academic support programs exist at Woodmeade and how the school’s instructional approach addresses these gaps. Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with home values and rents both showing slight changes in the recent period, and the broader Decatur housing market is more affordable than the state average. For a family already living in the west side of Decatur or looking for an elementary school within walking distance of the neighborhood, Woodmeade is the zoned option. For those weighing multiple schools in the Decatur City system or in nearby Morgan County districts, the proficiency comparison provides a starting point for further inquiry.
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