Stephenson Middle School

Q: Is Stephenson Middle School a good school?

Stephenson Middle School ranks 419 th of 588 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Summary:

Stephenson Middle School is a public middle school located in Stone Mountain, Georgia, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 812 students. The school is part of the DeKalb County School District, which is ranked 138 out of 203 districts in Georgia and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Stephenson Middle School has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Georgia middle schools, ranking between 419-466 out of 542-588 schools over the past 10 years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Stephenson Middle School's test scores are significantly lower than the DeKalb County and Georgia state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 26.1% of 6th graders, 27.6% of 7th graders, and 39.2% of 8th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 32.5%, 31.9%, and 37.2% in DeKalb County, respectively. The school's math proficiency rates are even lower, ranging from 12.5% to 29.1% across the grades, compared to 19.8% to 28.9% in DeKalb County. Additionally, Stephenson Middle School has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, reaching 100% in the 2022-2023 school year, which is significantly higher than the surrounding schools.

Despite the higher per-student spending at Stephenson Middle School compared to nearby schools, the school's academic outcomes remain significantly lower. This raises questions about how the funding is being allocated and utilized to support student learning. The school's relatively low student-teacher ratio suggests that there may be opportunities to provide more individualized attention and support to students, but the consistently low test scores indicate that additional strategies and interventions are needed to improve academic achievement.

Detail:

Public 6-8

922 Stephenson Rd
Stone Mountain, GA 30087

(678) 676-4402

District: DeKalb County

SchoolDigger Rank:
419^th of 588 Georgia Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,804

Students who attend Stephenson Middle School usually attend:

High:

Stephenson High School

Feeder schools for Stephenson Middle School:

Elementary:

Pine Ridge Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.0

Number of students: 840

Racial breakdown:

African American:

84.6%

Hispanic:

10.5%

Two or more races:

2.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 81%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

Compare Stephenson Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Stephenson Middle School ranks worse than 71.3% of middle schools in Georgia. It also ranks 8^th among 21 ranked middle schools in the DeKalb County School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.79. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (84.6%), Hispanic (10.5%), two or more races (2.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 81% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Stephenson Middle School is 15, which is the 9^th best among 21 middle schools in the DeKalb County School District. (See more...)

Compare Stephenson Middle School employs 56 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Stephenson Middle School is $11,804, which is the 11^th highest among 21 middle schools in the DeKalb County School District.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Stephenson Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Stephenson Middle School 419^th of 588 Georgia public middle schools. (See Stephenson Middle School in the ranking list.)

DeKalb County:

SchoolDigger ranks DeKalb County 138^th of 203 Georgia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Stephenson Middle School.

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Rank History for Stephenson Middle School

Compare

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	GA State Percentile
2006	42.67	289^th	420	31.2%
2007	42.15	305^th	445	31.5%
2008	50.35	251^st	462	45.7%
2009	48.09	283^rd	466	39.3%
2010	38.26	356^th	494	27.9%
2011	33.84	384^th	504	23.8%
2012	38.01	377^th	508	25.8%
2013	26.38	442^nd	527	16.1%
2014	39.02	382^nd	521	26.7%
2015	21.50	428^th	537	20.3%
2016	22.36	431^st	545	20.9%
2017	27.37	406^th	539	24.7%
2018	20.17	449^th	543	17.3%
2019	19.57	466^th	559	16.6%
2021	16.10	465^th	542	14.2%
2022	21.26	449^th	567	20.8%
2023	26.32	427^th	577	26.0%
2024	28.79	419^th	588	28.7%

See the entire list of Georgia Middle School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Georgia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, February 10, 2011

Teachers at Stephenson Middle do not support the kids! Never anything positive to say to them. Teachers display outwardly that they don't want to be around the kids. They don't keep up with assignments in parent portal. They don't support the PTSA AND they don't try to engage kids in active learning. By the way they absolutely don't support their student athletes. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Stephenson Middle School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1997	119	810	7	6	2	n/a	n/a	0	944
1998	80	1037	9	16	1	n/a	n/a	0	1143
1999	41	1274	15	14	1	n/a	n/a	0	1345
2000	20	1422	8	13	0	n/a	n/a	0	1463
2001	23	1511	5	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	1551
2002	27	1841	4	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	1886
2003	27	1841	4	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	1886
2004	20	1292	2	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	1321
2005	8	1387	4	15	0	n/a	n/a	34	1448
2006	7	1413	3	13	0	n/a	n/a	40	1476
2007	5	1338	5	12	1	n/a	n/a	43	1404
2008	4	1213	6	8	1	n/a	n/a	36	1268
2009	1	1087	3	8	2	n/a	n/a	35	1136
2010	4	1083	3	27	6	0	24	0	1147
2011	5	1092	4	26	4	0	27	0	1158
2012	2	1032	4	18	4	0	18	0	1078
2013	4	970	2	27	1	1	19	0	1024
2014	8	927	0	20	1	1	12	0	969
2015	6	953	2	29	2	2	12	0	1006
2016	8	961	3	27	3	2	12	0	1016
2017	7	944	4	36	1	1	9	0	1002
2018	7	876	2	47	3	1	7	0	943
2019	9	877	2	50	4	2	11	0	955
2020	12	905	2	55	0	3	10	0	987
2021	10	841	3	61	2	1	15	0	933
2022	13	786	10	78	2	2	13	0	904
2023	7	708	9	67	1	1	19	0	812
2024	5	711	10	88	1	2	23	0	840

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Stephenson Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	944	54.8	17.2	37.9
1998	1143	66.7	17.1	31
1999	1345	78.9	17.0	34.8
2000	1463	81.8	17.9	33.6
2001	1551	89.3	17.4	36.7
2002	1886	107.5	17.5	44.8
2003	1886	107.5	17.5	44.8
2004	1321	79.3	16.7	43.8
2005	1448	76.4	19.0	50.2
2006	1476	82.4	17.9	55.4
2007	1404	90.0	15.6	58.3
2008	1268	82.0	15.5	60.3
2009	1136	77.5	14.7	58.9
2010	1147	76.5	14.9	65
2011	1158	78.0	14.8	75.6
2012	1078	71.5	15.0	76.2
2013	1024	62.5	16.3	73.5
2014	969	57.5	16.8	77.2
2015	1006	58.0	17.3	89.7
2016	1016	62.0	16.3	85.5
2017	1002	61.7	16.2	78.4
2018	943	63.5	14.8	80.7
2019	955	61.5	15.5	77.7
2020	987	60.5	16.3	75
2021	933	63.5	14.6	67.5
2022	904	65.5	13.8	n/a
2023	812	55.0	14.7	100
2024	840	56.0	15.0	81

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Stephenson Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	944	54.8	17.2	37.9
1998	1143	66.7	17.1	31
1999	1345	78.9	17.0	34.8
2000	1463	81.8	17.9	33.6
2001	1551	89.3	17.4	36.7
2002	1886	107.5	17.5	44.8
2003	1886	107.5	17.5	44.8
2004	1321	79.3	16.7	43.8
2005	1448	76.4	19.0	50.2
2006	1476	82.4	17.9	55.4
2007	1404	90.0	15.6	58.3
2008	1268	82.0	15.5	60.3
2009	1136	77.5	14.7	58.9
2010	1147	76.5	14.9	65
2011	1158	78.0	14.8	75.6
2012	1078	71.5	15.0	76.2
2013	1024	62.5	16.3	73.5
2014	969	57.5	16.8	77.2
2015	1006	58.0	17.3	89.7
2016	1016	62.0	16.3	85.5
2017	1002	61.7	16.2	78.4
2018	943	63.5	14.8	80.7
2019	955	61.5	15.5	77.7
2020	987	60.5	16.3	75
2021	933	63.5	14.6	67.5
2022	904	65.5	13.8	n/a
2023	812	55.0	14.7	100
2024	840	56.0	15.0	81

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Stephenson Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2017	$673 (6.8%)	$9,265 (93.2%)	$9,938
2018	$651 (6.2%)	$9,806 (93.8%)	$10,457
2019	$721 (6.1%)	$11,083 (93.9%)	$11,804

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Stephenson Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 466^th of 559 Middle schools	Ranks 427^th of 577 Middle schools	9.4%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Stephenson Middle School)	30.9	23.8	7.1%
6th Grade English Language Arts (DeKalb County)	34.3	31.1	3.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	46	39.2	6.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Stephenson Middle School)	13.8	11.5	2.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (DeKalb County)	25.4	19.7	5.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	40	32.9	7.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Stephenson Middle School)	19	27.6	8.6%
7th Grade English Language Arts (DeKalb County)	27.5	29.6	2.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	39	39.1	0.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Stephenson Middle School)	15.6	14.8	0.8%
7th Grade Mathematics (DeKalb County)	27.9	20.2	7.7%
7th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	43	34.9	8.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Stephenson Middle School)	30.6	36	5.4%
8th Grade English Language Arts (DeKalb County)	38.5	35.7	2.8%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	47	42.1	4.9%
8th Grade Mathematics (Stephenson Middle School)	25.2	20.9	4.3%
8th Grade Mathematics (DeKalb County)	26.5	23.4	3.1%
8th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	35	36.2	1.2%
8th Grade Science (Stephenson Middle School)	14.4	13.5	0.9%
8th Grade Science (DeKalb County)	25.9	20.1	5.8%
8th Grade Science (Georgia)	32	26.4	5.6%
8th Grade Social Studies (Stephenson Middle School)	15.7	17.5	1.8%
8th Grade Social Studies (DeKalb County)	26.9	21.9	5%
8th Grade Social Studies (Georgia)	41	35.9	5.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	955	812	15%
African American	877	708	19.3%
American Indian	4	1	75%
Asian	2	9	350%
Hispanic	50	67	34%
Pacific Islander	2	1	50%
White	9	7	22.2%
Two or More Races	11	19	72.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	77.7%	100%	22.3%

Schools Near Stephenson Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2024)	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2024)			Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2024)			Milestones Assessment Science (2024)	Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Stephenson Middle School	Public	6-8	922 Stephenson Rd	Stone Mountain	30087	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-4402	840	56	15.0	81.0%	5 (0.6%)	711 (84.6%)	88 (10.5%)	10 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	23 (2.7%)	28.8	419^th of 588 public middle schools	28.7%		26.3	427^th of 577 public middle schools	26.0%	8	78.9	26.1	27.6	39.2	12.5	16.4	29.1	18.9	22.2	$11,804	$721	$11,083
Redan Middle School	Public	6-8	1775 Young Rd	Lithonia	30058	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-7902	633	50	12.6	100.0%	6 (0.9%)	530 (83.7%)	57 (9.0%)	19 (3.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.0%)	24.9	442^nd of 588 public middle schools	24.8%		19.5	471^st of 577 public middle schools	18.4%	29		26.2	27.2	33.6	22.9	19.0	16.9	13.8	14.5	$12,118	$756	$11,362
The Champion Middle Theme School	Public	6-8	5265 Mimosa Dr	Stone Mountain	30083	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 504-4302	754	48	15.7	69.0%	1 (0.1%)	716 (95.0%)	21 (2.8%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (1.3%)	56.3	234^th of 588 public middle schools	60.2%		54	238^th of 577 public middle schools	58.8%	4	60.4	50.2	47.9	46.7	36.6	28.5	38.1	22.9	32.9	$11,112	$610	$10,503
Lithonia Middle School	Public	6-8	2451 Randall Ave	Lithonia	30058	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-0702	1,064	66	16.1	100.0%	5 (0.5%)	937 (88.1%)	85 (8.0%)	5 (0.5%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	26 (2.4%)	13.7	523^rd of 588 public middle schools	11.1%		13.5	526^th of 577 public middle schools	8.8%	3		19.4	19.1	21.8	7.1	7.7	15.6	11.2	9.5	$10,968	$800	$10,168
Shiloh Middle School	Public	6-8	4285 Shiloh Rd	Snellville	30039	Gwinnett County	Gwinnett County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 972-3224	1,571	118	13.2	82.7%	69 (4.4%)	928 (59.1%)	446 (28.4%)	56 (3.6%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	68 (4.3%)	41.6	323^rd of 588 public middle schools	45.1%		34.7	373^rd of 577 public middle schools	35.4%	50	92.0	39.3	40.2	37.1	22.5	29.7	29.8	0.0	26.8	$8,735	$761	$7,973
Freedom Middle School	Public	6-8	505 S Hairston Rd	Stone Mountain	30083	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-8702	1,224	79	15.4	100.0%	89 (7.3%)	629 (51.4%)	87 (7.1%)	390 (31.9%)	9 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	17 (1.4%)	20.3	475^th of 588 public middle schools	19.2%		20.2	465^th of 577 public middle schools	19.4%	10	81.3	23.1	22.2	29.1	12.4	11.5	18.7	16.0	18.5	$12,398	$817	$11,581
Miller Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	2215 Miller Rd	Decatur	30035	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-8902	668	43	15.7	100.0%	1 (0.1%)	587 (87.9%)	48 (7.2%)	9 (1.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.1%)	13.5	527^th of 588 public middle schools	10.4%		15.5	504^th of 577 public middle schools	12.7%	23		22.9	15.9	29.2	2.6	4.9	7.8	7.0	15.0	$12,183	$806	$11,378
Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School	Public	6-8	5200 Covington Hwy	Decatur	30035	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-0302	672	47	14.2	100.0%	12 (1.8%)	507 (75.4%)	94 (14.0%)	40 (6.0%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	13 (1.9%)	17.3	498^th of 588 public middle schools	15.3%		16.3	497^th of 577 public middle schools	13.9%	1		19.0	23.9	22.3	6.3	13.4	19.0	16.2	11.5	$12,006	$984	$11,021
Stone Mountain Middle School	Public	6-8	4293 Sarr Pkwy	Stone Mountain	30083	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-4802	1,011	63	15.9	100.0%	19 (1.9%)	700 (69.2%)	167 (16.5%)	96 (9.5%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (2.3%)	19.6	483^rd of 588 public middle schools	17.9%		17	492^nd of 577 public middle schools	14.7%	9		24.1	21.1	24.2	7.3	10.6	23.1	19.9	15.9	$11,573	$629	$10,944
Salem Middle School	Public	6-8	5333 Salem Rd	Lithonia	30038	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-9402	927	62	14.9	100.0%	3 (0.3%)	845 (91.2%)	49 (5.3%)	4 (0.4%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	21 (2.3%)	13.7	524^th of 588 public middle schools	10.9%		13.3	528^th of 577 public middle schools	8.5%	4		13.2	18.6	28.2	5.5	7.0	15.4	10.7	9.6	$11,052	$706	$10,346

Frequently Asked Questions about Stephenson Middle School

What district is Stephenson Middle School in?

DeKalb County

What is the racial makeup of Stephenson Middle School?

Students at Stephenson Middle School are 85% African American, 10% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Stephenson Middle School attend?

Students who attend Stephenson Middle School usually go on to attend Stephenson High School

How many students attend Stephenson Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 840 students attended Stephenson Middle School.

Is Stephenson Middle School a good school?

Stephenson Middle School ranks 419^th of 588 Georgia middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.