The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Math. The lowest is 50% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on St Johns Middle School
St. Johns Middle School serves grades four through eight in the rural Apache County seat of the same name. It is a regular public school within the St. Johns Unified District, and its enrollment is modest for a school covering five grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and a smaller share of American Indian students. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education, and English learner status are not available for this school, so a parent should ask the district directly about the level of support services offered.
State testing results from the most recent school year show a pattern that varies by grade and subject. In math, proficiency rates range from just under half of students reaching the bar in fourth grade to roughly three-fifths in fifth and seventh grades, with sixth and eighth grades landing in between. In English language arts, the spread is wider: seventh graders posted a strong proficiency rate, while other grades clustered around the midpoint or below. Science results for fifth and eighth graders show roughly half of students meeting the standard. When compared with other schools in Apache County, St. Johns Middle School places in the top quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. That is a solid position within a county where many districts serve a high share of students from economically disadvantaged or rural backgrounds, though the comparison set is limited to the districts that reported data.
The school’s grade band means there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline were available in this profile. A parent interested in these areas would need to follow up with the school or district.
St. Johns itself is a small, traditional town organized on a grid, with Cleveland Street as its main commercial corridor. The housing stock includes midcentury cottages, ranch-style homes, and manufactured homes, and most residents own their homes. The local economy is anchored by a power plant, a state prison, county government, and the school district itself. The announced retirement of the Coronado Generating Station in the coming years will reshape the local workforce and housing market, and the real estate market is currently described as a buyer’s market with rising inventory. For families moving into the area, this context matters: the town offers basic civic amenities such as parks, a library, a museum, a recreation center, and a swimming pool, but it is a rural community with limited commercial density and a long drive to larger urban centers.
No recent district-level changes of lasting impact were found in public reporting, so the district’s programming and policies appear stable for now. The school’s website was not provided in this profile, so a prospective parent should visit or call to learn about elective offerings, extracurriculars, and specific academic supports such as gifted or intervention programs.
St. Johns Middle School looks like a solid academic option within its regional context, with proficiency rates that place it well above many of its county peers. The variation by grade level in ELA suggests that some cohorts may be stronger than others, and a parent may want to ask about how the school supports students who are not yet proficient, particularly in the lower grades. The absence of data on free lunch eligibility and special populations makes it hard to assess the level of concentrated poverty or special education resources, but the school’s demographic profile is predominantly white and not heavily diverse by regional standards. For a family seeking a small-town, stable middle school in a tight-knit community with a modest cost of living and an eye on the coming economic shift, this school merits a closer look.
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