Mission Statement

The mission of Decatur County Middle School is to provide a safe and supportive learning environment so that students will increase their academic achievement by increasing TCAP scores and achieving higher levels of student proficiency in order to be productive citizens.

Beliefs

At Decatur County Middle School we believe ....

• Learning: We believe each student is a valued individual with unique physical, social, emotional and intellectual needs and is capable of learning with the involvement of teachers, parents, students and the community.
• Assessment: We believe scientific research-based assessments that are data-driven should be used in making academic decisions.
• Decision Making: We believe that solving problems and making decisions should be a collaborative effort between the administration, teachers, paraprofessionals, students, parents and the community.
• Policy: We believe policies and procedures are essential for the school to operate in the proper manner, and that the development of these should be a collaborative effort.
• Instruction: We believe students learn in different ways and should be provided with a variety of instructional approaches, techniques and activities to identify their learning in order to maximize their learning experience.

School History

Decatur County Middle School was originally established in 1966 as Riverside High School.  In 2000 a new high school was built one-half mile south of the existing school.  The consolidation of the entire county’s fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades created the new Decatur County Middle School.  The building is located in the middle of the county, halfway between Parsons and Decaturville near Beech River (hence the original name Riverside).  Several physical additions have been made to the original structure.  A vocational building, a band room, a field house, and two classrooms have been added to facilitate population growth. 

General Characteristics

Our school year meets state guidelines by requiring 200 days for teachers and 180 days for students.  The length of the school day is seven hours.  Decatur County schools has an operating budget of $11,217,455.  The expenditure per student is $7,028. 

Curriculum Offerings

Programs offered at Decatur County Middle School are designed to meet the needs of all children.  In addition to the core curriculum offerings, all students are scheduled for one class of exploratory options.  All students also have a daily class of choices for library, computer, accelerated math and physical education on a rotating basis.  ThinkLink Learning, a computer tracking program, is utilized throughout the year as a reading/math/science assessment tool.  After school tutoring programs are offered five days a week with homework assistance, guided practice, reteaching, and enrichment opportunities.  Eighth grade students have a daily career-oriented technology class.  Resource students have a daily language arts computer lab class.  Also, Smart School, an after-school program is offered everyday with special tutoring classes in Math and Reading for students needing help in those areas.

Staff Demographics 

            Full Time -

•  1 Principal

•  1 Assistant Principal

•  19 Classroom Teachers

•   Library Media Specialist

•   2 Resource Teachers and 2 Assistants

•   LRE Teacher and 2 Assistants

•  1 School Counselor

•   2 Health/Physical Education Teachers

•   Accelerated Math Teacher

•   Computer Lab Teacher

•   2 Alternative School/In-School Suspension Teachers

•   School Secretary

•   2 Bookkeepers

•   6 Cafeteria Workers

•   2 Custodians

•   Maintenance Personnel

Part-Time –

•  Band Director

•  Speech Therapist and Assistant

•  School Social Worker

•  ELL Teacher

•  Special Education Specialist

    Instructional Staff Demographics

            Education

•  Masters’ +   25%

•  Educational Specialist   4%

•  Master’s Degrees   39%

•  Bachelor’s Degrees   32%

             Years Experience

•  0-9 years   25%

•  10-20 years   35%

•  21+ years   39%

     Teacher Credentials - 91% highly qualified

     Student Demographics

 Student Population Data

There are currently 503 students enrolled in Decatur County Middle School (boys: 250; 253 girls).  Of that enrollment, 477 students are white (94.8%), 20 African-Americans (4%), 5 Hispanic (1%), and 1 Asian (0.2%).

The Decatur County Middle School Cafeteria serves 501 students daily.  239 students receive free lunch and 52 students receive lunch at a reduced price.

130 students receive special education services, 1 student receives ELL services, and 6 receive speech therapy.

 Attendance Rate

Attendance rates for the past year has increased and exceeded the state average of 93%.  The attendance rate for 2006 was 95.3%.

 Promotion Rate

Promotion rates consistently exceed the state goal of 97%.  Promotion rate for 2006 was 99.4%.

Community Characteristics

According to the figures for Decatur County per census of 2000, the Decatur County population is 11,731 of which 20% are under the age of 18.  The average family income is $30,154.  A percentage of 63.6% of the population has a 12^th grade education or higher, of which 7.3% has a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Community Involvement/Participation in School Activities

This year’s community involvement activities include:

•  Smart School’s nursing home visits

•  Student Council sponsored Thanksgiving/Christmas baskets for needy families

•  Teacher sponsored American Cancer Society activities

•  Care packages for Decatur County troops stationed overseas

•  Student Council sponsored Veterans’ Day program

•  Cultural fair

•  Monthly family reading night in school library

•  Student Council Leadership Academy