Original Research by School Decision on Navit - St. Johns High School
NAVIT – St. Johns High School is not a typical high school. It is a career and technical education center, part of the Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT), a joint technical education district that serves students from multiple high schools across the region. The school is located on the campus of St. Johns High School and offers students the opportunity to take vocational courses while remaining enrolled in their home high school for core academic subjects. Because of this shared-time model, traditional academic accountability measures like state assessment scores and graduation rates do not apply here in the same way they would for a comprehensive high school. The school’s data reflects that: enrollment is reported as zero because students are not counted as full-time attendees at this center, and no state testing results or graduation metrics are available. This is expected for a program of this kind and should not be read as a weak performance signal.
The absence of academic performance data means a parent evaluating this school cannot look up typical proficiency or graduation figures. Instead, the value of NAVIT – St. Johns lies in the hands-on training and industry credentials it provides. What those specific offerings are is not detailed in the available records, so a family would need to contact the school directly to learn about current program areas, such as health sciences, automotive technology, construction trades, or information technology – common offerings in Arizona CTE centers. The school’s role is to supplement a student’s regular high school experience with career-focused coursework, often allowing students to earn college credit or industry certifications before graduation.
St. Johns itself is a rural community and the seat of Apache County. The town has a traditional small-town feel with a grid street pattern, midcentury and ranch-style homes, and a main commercial corridor along Cleveland Street. Most residents own their homes, and the housing market is currently a buyer’s market with rising inventory. The local economy is anchored by the Coronado Generating Station, a state prison, county government, and the school district. The announced retirement of the power plant is expected to reshape the workforce and housing market in the coming years. Civic amenities include parks, a library, a museum, a recreation center, a swimming pool, and an equestrian center. The community is tightly knit, and schools are integrated into the town grid rather than isolated. NAVIT’s location on the high school campus means students can easily move between vocational and academic classes.
The district itself, Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology, is a joint technical education district with no recent changes found in public records that would affect parents directly no referendums, curriculum overhauls, or property tax shifts were reported. This stability is typical for a specialized district that focuses on maintaining consistent program offerings across its member schools.
For a parent or student, NAVIT – St. Johns fits someone who wants a clear career pathway alongside a standard high school diploma. It is not a standalone school; students attend their home high school for English, math, science, and social studies, then come to the NAVIT center for part of the day for technical instruction. This arrangement works well for students who have identified a vocational interest early and want to graduate with both a diploma and practical skills. The rural setting of St. Johns means that transportation may be a factor to consider, especially for students coming from surrounding towns. The school’s size and structure make it a specialized choice rather than a comprehensive one, and its value depends entirely on the alignment between the programs offered and the student’s goals. Anyone considering this school should start by requesting a current program catalog and understanding how enrollment works through their home high school.
See more original research from School Decision →