St. Johns Public Schools

St. Johns Public Schools is a mid-sized Michigan district serving approximately 2,458 students across 7 schools—4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 2 high schools—in a relatively affluent area compared to state averages.

For parents, the standout is St. Johns Middle School, which is the district's academic powerhouse, ranking in the 87th percentile for three straight years and beating state averages by 20+ points in 7th grade ELA and 8th grade science and social studies—all while spending the least per student ($12,810). St. Johns High School also performs well above state averages with a 96.8% graduation rate and has improved its ranking from the 67th to 81st percentile, though it saw a concerning drop in test scores across all subjects in the most recent year, particularly in math where only 25.7% of 11th graders are proficient. Among elementary schools, Oakview Elementary and Riley Elementary lead with 4-star ratings, while Eureka School has slipped to 3 stars despite spending the most per student ($18,299). Gateway Elementary is a silent concern with the district's highest chronic absenteeism (27.4%) and no recent ranking data, while STRIVE Academy, an alternative high school serving just 38 highly vulnerable students, shows a 69.5% graduation rate and 13% dropout rate—far worse than district averages.

A notable pattern is the 5th grade drop-off at Riley and Eureka, where math proficiency plunges by as much as 48 points from 3rd grade, suggesting curriculum misalignment before middle school. The district overall maintains a 4-star rating and 80th percentile ranking, with chronic absenteeism (16.7%) well below the state's 27.9%, but the high school math gap (35.8 points between ELA and math proficiency) and STRIVE Academy's struggles highlight areas needing targeted intervention.