The Champion Middle Theme School, Stone Mountain GA

Original Research by School Decision on The Champion Middle Theme School

The Champion Middle Theme School is a mid-sized grades six through eight school in Stone Mountain serving students in the DeKalb County School District. The school's student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic and demographic character of its neighborhood.

Academic proficiency across the school is below the midpoint for DeKalb County schools. In English Language Arts, the school recorded proficiency rates that climbed from sixth to eighth grade, reaching near half of students by the final year tested. Math proficiency followed a similar trajectory across the three grades, starting lower in sixth grade and improving as students advanced. Science and social studies results at the eighth-grade level—the only grades tested in those subjects—showed more limited proficiency, with science notably lower than other subjects. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile of DeKalb County districts by this particular measure, which reflects its performance relative to a small set of comparison schools in the county.

Families considering this school should understand that these academic results show room for growth. The school has data only for the current year, so longer-term trends are not available. Parents may want to look into further detail with the school about instructional supports in place, especially in science, and about the school's specific theme or specialized focus.

Stone Mountain, where the school is located, is a small, diverse city at the western base of Stone Mountain mountain, serving as a suburb of Atlanta with a compact historic downtown on Main Street. The area has undergone renewal in recent years, attracting new restaurants, shops, and artists. Beyond the village core, the broader Stone Mountain postal area is more conventionally suburban, with new single-family and townhome construction adding housing inventory. Housing values in the postal area reflect moderate affordability for the metro Atlanta region, with rents stable and mortgage costs reflecting current market rates. The area is served by MARTA bus routes connecting to rail transit, though the area does not have direct rail service. Stone Mountain Park, Georgia's most-visited tourist attraction, anchors the region and is connected to the village by the PATH trail.

At the district level, DeKalb County Schools is managing significant infrastructure and assignment changes. The Student Assignment Project, launched in 2024, is a multi-year redistricting effort that could reshape school attendance boundaries and consolidate dozens of buildings over the coming years as the district addresses excess capacity. A final recommendation is expected to the school board in December 2026, and families choosing to move to or stay in the Stone Mountain area should be aware that school assignments and program offerings may shift. The district is also undertaking capital improvements funded by a sales tax referendum approved by voters, including new and reconfigured school facilities. Property tax rates in DeKalb have been reduced for three consecutive years, though actual tax bills have continued to rise due to climbing property values, a factor homeowners should weigh in their planning.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 23% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 740%

School 40% · District 26% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 34% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 31% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 30% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 32% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Science

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 25% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 23% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

This schoolDeKalb 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.