Decatur Middle School, Decatur AR

Original Research by School Decision on Decatur Middle School

Decatur Middle School serves grades five through eight for the Decatur School District, a small rural district in the Ozark foothills of western Benton County. The school itself is modest in size, and the student body reflects the broader community’s diversity: roughly two-fifths of students are Hispanic, two-fifths are white, and the remainder includes Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian, Black, and multiracial students. Every student in the school qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a measure that signals high economic need across the entire enrollment.

Academically, the picture is one of significant challenge. On the state’s ATLAS assessments in the most recent year, proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science were low across every grade level. In math, the share of students reaching the proficient or above level was in the low double digits in fifth, sixth, and eighth grades, and just under one in five in seventh grade. In English language arts, between roughly one in five and one in four students met proficiency, depending on the grade. Science results were broadly similar, with the highest rate approaching one in four in seventh grade and the lowest around one in eight in eighth grade. When compared with all other districts in Benton County, Decatur Middle School’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. A parent considering this school would want to understand what academic interventions and supports are in place and how the school is working to raise achievement.

No data was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or course access, so it is not possible to assess those dimensions of school environment from this profile. Likewise, no program offerings—electives, arts, athletics, or advanced coursework—were reported.

The community context helps explain some of the school’s circumstances. Decatur is a small, historically agricultural town, long tied to the poultry industry. The most recent poultry processing plant closed in 2023, removing a major employer. A tornado in 2024, described as the widest in state history, heavily damaged the west side of the town, and residents continue to rebuild. Population growth has been slow, and no major new housing or commercial developments were identified in public records. Civic anchors include Crystal Lake, a small recreational lake managed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, a city hall housed in a former WPA-era school building, and a historic railroad depot. No public library branch was found within Decatur itself.

Housing values in the area sit above the statewide median but below the national average, and Benton County has seen steady growth in recent years. The district itself, which serves all of Decatur’s students across three schools, had no publicly reported major policy changes, curriculum shifts, or bond initiatives in the recent period.

In sum, Decatur Middle School is a small, high-poverty school in a rural community that has faced economic contraction and natural disaster. Its test results are well below county norms, and that is the central fact a parent would need to weigh. The school’s website, staffing, and specific support programs were not part of this data, and a family would likely want to speak directly with the school to learn about remediation efforts, after-school options, and how the school addresses the needs of its diverse student body.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 22%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 17%

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 13%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

This schoolDECATUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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.