Priceville Junior High School, Decatur AL

Original Research by School Decision on Priceville Junior High School

Priceville Junior High School is a regular public school in the Morgan County district, serving grades five through eight. The school is located on a state highway south of the Tennessee River, in the Decatur area. Decatur is a mid-sized river city with an industrial and manufacturing economy, anchored by employers such as United Launch Alliance, 3M, and General Electric. It is the second-largest city in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The school itself sits outside the downtown core in a more suburban setting.

The student body is predominantly white, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school serves a mid-sized enrollment for its grade band, with the largest classes in the upper grades.

Academically, the school presents an uneven profile that parents will want to look at closely by subject. On state assessments, performance in English language arts is a clear strength. Across grades five through eight, the vast majority of students met the proficiency benchmark. The proficiency rates are consistently high, with the lowest grade still showing a strong majority of students proficient. In science, which is tested only in eighth grade, a clear majority of students were proficient, a solid result.

The picture in math is notably different. In grades five, six, and seven, about half of students scored proficient. This is a soft spot, and a parent may want to inquire further with the school about math instruction and support. Eighth-grade math was stronger, with a clear majority proficient, but the lower performance in the earlier middle-school grades stands out. Overall, the school's combined proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among the three districts in Morgan County.

Trend data is limited to a single year of results from the state's ACAP assessment, so there is no information yet on whether these performance levels are improving or declining.

The district brief turned up no recent major changes or strategic initiatives publicly reported, so the school appears to be operating on a stable footing without significant recent disruption.

The housing context in the area shows home values and rents that are moderate relative to national benchmarks. The area is car-dependent, with a spread-out built environment and a commuting pattern consistent with driving. For a family considering this school, the math results are the primary point of inquiry, while the English and science scores are notably strong. The school serves the community of Priceville and draws from the surrounding Morgan County area, offering a standard academic pathway through the middle grades.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 52% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 30% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 752%

School 52% · District 24% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 33% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 592%

School 92% · District 79% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 678%

School 78% · District 58% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 783%

School 83% · District 63% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 59% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Science

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 47% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

This schoolMorgan County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income90%Higher-income92%2 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income71%Higher-income84%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income80%Higher-income86%6 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income76%Higher-income88%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income54%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income62%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income58%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income65%15 pp gap