Jefferson Schools (Monroe)

Jefferson Schools (Monroe) is a small, predominantly middle-income district in Michigan serving about 1,336 students across four schools: two elementary schools (Sodt for PK-1 and North for grades 2-5), one middle school, and one high school. The district overall holds a 2-star rating, ranking in the 37th percentile statewide, but performance varies significantly from school to school.

The clear standout is Jefferson Middle School, which has earned a 3-star rating for two consecutive years—the only school in the district to do so. It leads the district in 8th-grade PSAT ELA (57.5% proficient) and social studies (44%), though it still trails state averages in math. However, a red flag is its chronic absenteeism rate of 33.7%, meaning one in three students is chronically absent. In contrast, North Elementary School shows a troubling decline: 3rd graders exceed the state in ELA by nearly 9 points, but by 5th grade, proficiency collapses to 26.8% in ELA and just 14.4% in math—a 26-point drop in math over two years. Jefferson High School posts a strong graduation rate (88.5%, 4.5 points above the state) but struggles most in social studies, where only 25.9% are proficient—17.3 points below the state average. Sodt Elementary School (PK-1) has no test data, leaving a gap in understanding the district’s foundation.

Mathematics underperformance is systemic—every math assessment in the district falls below state averages, with gaps up to 17.8 points. The district’s split structure (students change schools after 1st and 5th grades) may disrupt learning continuity. Positive signs include the high school’s graduation rate and lower-than-state chronic absenteeism there (26.3%). For parents, Jefferson Middle School offers the most consistent academics, while North Elementary needs attention in upper grades, and the high school requires targeted help in social studies and math.