Case Study: Decatur City Schools boosts student engagement and cuts absenteeism with HPE Aruba Networking

Decatur City Schools improves student engagement with new Aruba Wi-Fi and wired solutions to achieve excellence goals

Decatur City Schools, an 8,700‑student district in Alabama, launched a 100% college-and-career initiative and expanded 1:1 device programs, exposing limitations in its decade‑old wired and wireless infrastructure. The existing network couldn’t support the rising device density and performance needs at two new high schools, so the district sought a cost‑effective, scalable refresh.

Decatur deployed Aruba indoor/outdoor access points, controllers, Aruba 2930M/3810 switches, Aruba Central and ClearPass (plus mobility controllers and VPN for BYOD). The upgrade cut network downtime from hours to seconds, simplified IT administration, enabled new programs like Esports and scholarship opportunities, and helped lower absenteeism by 14% while improving graduation rates and future‑proofing the district for IoT and expanded curriculum.

Decatur City Schools

Emily Elam

Supervisor of Technology