Education
The Decatur City School System is well regarded throughout the nation. Both of the city's high schools (Decatur High School and Austin High School) have
been awarded the Safe Schools Award for the past two years that it has been presented in the State of Alabama. The
two schools are the only ones in the state to have won this award both years. With the addition of the International Baccalaureate Program to Austin and Decatur High Schools, Decatur has become the first Alabama school system north of Birmingham and one
of five in the state to offer the honors program for juniors and seniors (as of July 2006).
All high school football and soccer teams compete in the 9,000 seat Ogle Stadium. Indoor track meets are held at the 10,000 seat Racking Horse World Celebration Arena.
However, both Austin and Decatur failed to make adequate yearly progress in 2006 as mandated in the No Child Left Behind
Act. The state said Austin's 86 percent graduation rate was four points too low.
Decatur High missed in two categories: percent of special education students the system tested in reading and percent tested
in math. The graduate rate was 76 percent. However, the graduation rate is unreliable since students who move to different
schools are considered "dropouts" and this drastically distorts the figures of how many students actually graduate.
The only institution of higher education located within the Decatur city limits is Calhoun Community College. It has three campuses; the main campus is located just north of the city on Highway 31.
[edit] Local Elementary and Middle Schools
High Schools
Middle Schools
Elementary Schools
Private Schools
Local Higher Education
