Summary:
In the St John 3 district, there is one high school, Saint John High School, serving grades 9 through 12 in St. John, North Dakota, a small community where all 137 students face significant economic challenges, as indicated by a 100% free or reduced lunch rate.
Saint John High School tells a remarkable story of turnaround and targeted strength. After ranking last in the state in the 2023-2024 school year, the school made an extraordinary leap to the 57th spot out of 125 schools (54th percentile) in 2024-2025, earning a 3-star rating. The school's standout achievement is a perfect 100% graduation rate, far exceeding the state average of 84.2%, and a reading proficiency rate of 59.5%, which is nearly 20 points above the state average of 40%. However, this success is not uniform; math proficiency sits at just 19.5% and science at 29.5%, both below state averages. The school also benefits from a low student-teacher ratio of 10.9:1 and a high per-student spending of $19,014, suggesting significant resources are being directed to support its students.
For parents, the key takeaway is that Saint John High School excels at ensuring students graduate and demonstrates strong reading instruction, but struggles in math and science. The school's dramatic improvement from a 0-star to a 3-star rating in just one year indicates a positive trajectory and effective leadership. Notably, the school's reading scores are much higher than the district average of 39%, suggesting it is a high-performing outlier within its own district. This combination of high poverty, high investment, and a perfect graduation rate points to a school that is effectively supporting its students to complete their education, even as it works to improve performance in STEM subjects.
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