Summary:
ZIP code 66436 has five public schools serving elementary through high-school grades: two elementary schools, one middle school and two schools serving high-school grades, with 1,563 students combined across the Holton and North Jackson districts. Results vary considerably across the area, and Jackson Heights Elementary School is the clearest academic standout.
Jackson Heights Elementary School led the five schools in all three reported subjects: 67% in ELA, 59% in math and 63% in science, respectively 21, 18 and 25 percentage points above state results. It also outscored Holton Elementary School in ELA in all three tested elementary grades and in math in two of three. At the lower end, Holton Middle had the lowest reported math result, 31%—10 points below state—while Holton High had the lowest ELA result, 35%, 11 points below state. Holton High’s science result was stronger at 42%, about 4 points above state. Holton Elementary’s science result was 20%, 43 points below Jackson Heights Elementary.
Recent changes were mixed: the five-school average in ELA fell 3 points, while the state result rose 1 point; the group’s math average rose 2 points, roughly keeping pace with the state. SchoolDigger’s rankings show contrasting trajectories: Jackson Heights High School and Middle School rose from the 25th to the 65th percentile, while Holton High fell from the 95th to the 63rd. Attendance is a notable concern at Jackson Heights High School and Middle School, where chronic absenteeism was 29%, compared with 18% statewide; Jackson Heights Elementary was at 12%. School context also differs: the student-teacher ratio ranged from 10.6 at Jackson Heights High School and Middle School to 14.4 at Holton High, and free/reduced-lunch rates ranged from 36% at Holton High to 48% at Holton Elementary. These measures offer context, not a simple explanation for achievement.
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