Summary:
St. Louis Public Schools is a small, high-poverty district in St. Louis, Michigan, serving roughly 882 students across four schools from Pre-K through 12th grade. The district overall ranks in the 23rd percentile statewide, but performance varies dramatically by school, with the high school clearly leading the pack.
St Louis High School is the district’s standout, boasting a remarkable 98% graduation rate (state: 84%) and a 2% dropout rate. While its state ranking has slipped from the 90th to the 42nd percentile over three years, it still outperforms the other schools by a wide margin. In contrast, Eugene M Nikkari Elementary is the most concerning, ranking in the 13th percentile with 4th-grade math proficiency at just 8.5% (state: 39.4%). TS Nurnberger Middle School sits in the middle, ranking in the 27th percentile, with 6th-grade math at 13.9% and 8th-grade science at 24.1%—both well below state averages. Carrie Knause Early Childhood Learning Center (PK-2) has no test data, making it hard to assess early foundations.
Math is a district-wide crisis, with proficiency gaps of 15 to 31 points below state averages at every level. Test scores also swing wildly year to year—high school science dropped from 56.5% to 31.1% proficiency in one year—likely due to small cohorts. Chronic absenteeism is mixed: Nikkari Elementary is actually better than the state average (17.7% vs. 27.9%), but Nurnberger Middle School is worse (31.0%). Notably, the high school receives the lowest per-student funding ($15,423) yet achieves the best results, while the middle school gets the most ($16,547) with weaker outcomes. For parents, this district offers a strong high school experience, but elementary and middle school math and science need urgent attention.
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