Decatur High School

Posted: December 20, 2022

Posted: December 20, 2022

Posted: December 20, 2022

This entire district is imploding on itself due to intense pressure from the community to enable students' self-destructive, out of control behavior. None of the parents want any structure for their kids, so the kids all just run wild. Bullying, fighting, drug use, sex, violence towards teachers, threats, and intimidation - it all gets rewarded by administration with chips or cookies and preferred activities like computer games and skipping class. Decatur schools are a swirling vortex of volatile hormonal madness. Admin are powerless to do anything, so they just sweep everything under the rug and pretend it's okay. Teachers and administrators who attempt to hold students to any expectations get attacked and persecuted. The few students in each class who want to learn get labeled and targeted by bullies. Bullies and their uneducated loud mouthed parents run the schools and the only education anyone is receiving is "how to use manipulation to get out of anything." We sold our house and moved to get out and I'm so glad we did.

Posted: December 20, 2022

Posted: December 20, 2022

Posted: December 20, 2022

Posted: December 20, 2022

Posted: December 20, 2022

Posted: August 18, 2021

My kids were college ready not only because of the IB program but mainly because of the counseling department and the excellent teachers

Posted: August 18, 2021

Posted: August 18, 2021

Posted: August 18, 2021

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Posted: August 18, 2021

Posted: August 18, 2021

Posted: August 18, 2021

Posted: August 18, 2021

As a parent I love the school. My son graduated from Decatur high school 2019 and my daughter is scheduled to graduate 2022 in both have flourished in the school. Teachers are amazing, small school feel and great community to live in.

Posted: August 18, 2021

Posted: August 18, 2021

Posted: August 18, 2021

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Posted: October 17, 2019

They have a zero tolerance policy for bullying. I find the school very inviting.

Posted: October 17, 2019

So far our experience has been excellent. I myself went to a parochial school because the public schools in my hometown were not up to par. My wife was a public school kid that attended a great PS. Based on both of our experiences which were excellent I put DHS right up there with them. In some areas such as diversity and embracing a broad world view I put DHS ahead of my own experience.

Posted: October 17, 2019

A fair mix of accountability and flexibility. Students are given the opportunity to make up homework and submit it the following day in many cases. If they do not take the opportunity to do the make up then they are held accountable.

Posted: October 17, 2019

They are constantly striving to improve the teachers relevance and understanding through continuing education of the staff.

Posted: October 17, 2019

This is a highlight of all the schools my children have attended in the district. They both have been in the city schools since kindergarten. In the high school they have an active student group called SOAR, students organized against racism that has been very well received. That is just one example of the many character building groups at the school.

Posted: October 17, 2019

The current principal is very dedicated to the students, staff and parents. He and his staff are actively taking steps to improve the performance of those students who have traditionally fallen behind.

Posted: October 17, 2019

The school has a SIP, school improvement plan, that directly address this and actively measures student performance across groups.

Posted: July 20, 2019

So far, so good. I tell my kids life is what you make it and incumbent upon your attitude, your perceptions, confidence and your goals. This school seems to be a good fit for my kids. The both love it. But who they are comes from their home environment and solid belief system.

Posted: July 20, 2019

The curriculum can be very rigorous, especially of your child is following the IB program. IB and AP classes are challenging and require a good amount homework. The school offers daily afternoon tutoring and "Saturday school" to make sure everyone is able to succeed .

Posted: July 20, 2019

It depends! As in every school its not just experience that makes someone a good teacher. Personality style, empathy, passion, creativity are part of the effective teacher equation. There have been teachers who have not had the ability to impress my child and others who blew him away! Ultimately, it's my child's personality that makes him excel a class.

Posted: July 20, 2019

It tries--through sport, academics, and its extracurriculars. These characteristics, however, are developed at home first. When lack of them rears its ugly head through bullying, disrespect, etc. the school quickly addresses the issues.

Posted: July 20, 2019

The handful of time I've had to connect with leadership my concern has been met with timely response, swift action and resolution.

Posted: July 20, 2019

I don't know. I have 2 kids who learn differently but both successful students.

Posted: July 20, 2019

We had an experience last year which involved both physical, verbal and social media bullying. With-in days administration squashed it, reprimanded students involved and made sure my child felt safe on a daily basis for weeks after that.

Posted: May 29, 2018

I would reference back to the notes regarding building character and state that the concern seems to be more on how it will appear rather than to what is the right thing to do based upon an individual situation. While they do have policies about this, there is no transparency on how decisions are made. I understand there is a level of confidentiality involved in this, however, passive aggressive behavior is not addressed, in my experience, only aggressive. And passive aggressive can be just as damaging or infuriating to teens. This observation comes from both incidents that have occurred with my own children and their social group as well as other incidents that have been handled at both the high school and school district administrative level that were brought to light through local press coverage.

Posted: May 29, 2018

Kids have plenty of opportunity to complete assignments with alternative study halls after school and on some Saturdays for some classes. This provides kids the one on one time they sometimes need in a course that is difficult but not un-achievable and has been great.

Posted: May 29, 2018

My experience has been that administration does not seem to support the teachers in a positive manner which negatively impacts their ability to be effective at their roles.

Posted: May 29, 2018

My opinion: The school focus seems to be more on the external optics (how it will be perceived by others) of any given situation rather than the actual unique aspects of any given situation. The focus is so directed towards being PC (Politically Correct) that the situational overview gets lost in the PC process. My feeling is that this conveys to the children in a "pass the buck" or "blame someone else" mentality rather than teaching them to accept responsibility and deal with conflict.

Posted: May 29, 2018

Leadership states there is an open door policy annually during open house, but this has not been my experience. It is difficult to get meetings with leaders (not teachers) and often emails do no receive the courtesy of a response.

Posted: May 29, 2018

I don't have any challenges with my children, they are primarily good students and fit into the general learning pattern so this really doesn't apply to them or my experience with Decatur High School.

Posted: May 29, 2018

I am looking to move out of the City of Decatur to provide my children with a more positive and forward thinking school environment. I love the community and this is a difficult choice. I realize I am only one voice, but I wanted to share my thoughts so that if I can help just one person avoid the mistake I made by moving here specifically for the school system, they might re-assess their thinking. While the general consensus is that the elementary and middle school are amazing, it has not been my experience with the High School.

Posted: September 28, 2015

I am so pleased with your school. My 10th grade granddaughter was recommended for an AP English class 2 weeks into the school year by a retired teacher that now subs.
God Bless her for caring. My granddaughter is so happy in this challenging class. She needed the attention and recognition.
Thank you
Mary McGinnis

Posted: June 3, 2015

Posted: June 3, 2015

Posted: June 3, 2015

Posted: June 3, 2015

My daughter is a rising Senior who has attended DHS for three years. I see that she is challenged, she is held accountable for missteps, she enjoys school, and most of her classes in general. The IB and Advanced Placement classes' subject matter is intriguing and thoughtful. Her college counselor has been helpful and puts the ball in her court to "do the research", while making tools available for her to search. I am very happy with her (and our) experience at Decatur High School.

Posted: November 17, 2014

This school is a cage that only looks for grades and numbers. We are not seen as people but GPAs. No one really knows who you are, the school does not care what you're good at or how you learn. Sure it is an IB school and it is better than most in the area and most schools might be like this I do not know (if so there is something seriously wrong with the american school system), but that doesn't excuse how useless info is shoved down our throats only to be spit up on a test. Some teachers are nice, some are not, but most do not care of you're dealing with mild depression or extream anxiety; if you're not paying attention, you are obviously don't care about school and you're just lazy (I was using sarcasm). It doesn't matter to the school if you're amazing at gardening and aspire to be a great herbalist. It doesn't matter if you don't know how to pay taxes or manage a bank account. The only thing that does matter is that I can find the area of a triangle. We are told our personal ambitions do not matter and our physical and mental health come second to our school work. Stress, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts and actions plauge the students of this school.

Posted: December 11, 2013

Decatur City Schools have been a huge blessing for my two children, both of whom have attended since kindergarten, and are now 16 and 21. My older child got a scholarship to one of the top 3 art schools in the country after her extraordinary experience with her art teacher. She brought the most dedicated students to Florence, Italy one year, to study the Renaissance. My son is a Sophomore, and has finally earned a spot in AP classes--so he's getting a college-level education. The staff and administrators, as well as the teachers and counselor, the students and the parents, are part of my family. I moved into the district in 1997 because I was a starving newspaper reporter with two young children, and my fellow reporters told me it was the best public school system in the state. They were right. This is what schools and communities are supposed to be about--helping you raise your children. I was very blessed to discover Decatur--before it was the coolest foodie hipster music spot in the South! :)

Posted: August 9, 2013

Decatur High School has been an excellent school for my three children, one still attending and two excelling at top universities. We have found the leadership to be proactively seeking excellence, personally affirming of our children and making improvements when problems arise. We have found the English, Social Studies, and Communications teachers to be outstanding. My kids visit these teachers when they are home from college. I also appreciate the culture of general acceptance of all students regardless of ethnicity, social-economic class and gender. This is not a perfect school but a very good school with good staff actively moving in the right direction. Congratulations to leadership and staff. Keep up the good work.

Posted: July 24, 2013

Being a new student at the school, I can say my first year was wonderful. I recently moved to Decatur in the beginning of October and went to Decatur High School for the duration of the school year, the staff did a very good job of making me feel welcome and helping me if i was confused by anything. The IB curriculum is very interesting and I prefer it to the traditional teaching I was used to. I was put into a few classes that didn't seem to challenge me to the extent I had been in advanced classes at my previous school. The teachers are all very friendly and understanding, they were very eager to motivate their students and each had a unique way of teaching efficiently. So far I haven't had any trouble with anyone/anything. My only concern is going into this upcoming school year, my schedule was sent to me and I am very displeased with it, I am taking AP chemistry and was limited on elective classes and even so I wasn't put into any of the classes I signed up for and instead they have been replaced with PE classes that I am not fond of whatsoever. I will try to resolve my issues with my schedule, but even so this school has impressed me and I wouldn't want to go anywhere else -JP

Posted: February 26, 2013

As a nationally ranked school, DHS is by far one of the best Charter schools in all of GA. With challenging academic program, an extremely active community and dedicated students, this school provides all of the essential tools for every student to exceed no matter what social status, ethnicity, or sex.

Posted: October 18, 2012

This school is hghly ranked nationally and is situated in a very high performing school district. The superintendent, Dr. Edwards, has worked very hard to transform a struggling system of school with shrinking enrollment into a school system that is attracting more and more students every year. The school board works together well and has a strong focuse on the success of all students. If one pays close attention to all the changes that have made CSD and DHS strong you will find strong leadership at all levels.

Posted: October 18, 2011

My son is in the tenth grade at Decatur High and has attended City of Decatur schools since Pre-k. I have been pleased with everything Decatur has to offer from academics to extra-curricular. I feel my son is being prepared for a successful transition from high school to college. The AP courses are so beneficial. A public school but as close to a private school environment without the costs.

Posted: October 1, 2011

Decatur has a good school system, active community involvement, strong financial support and a well intentioned focus on college preparation for high achieving students. Attempting to offer a great education for every student, the school forgot that every student is not the same. One path is currently offered for graduation. AP courses are the only alternative to that path. My struggling child was offered only more of the same for core classes (which left him without time for electives).