The top reported proficiency rate is 84% in English language arts. The lowest is 83% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Summit Middle School
Summit Middle School serves sixth and seventh graders in the Johnston Community School District, a fast-growing suburban system northwest of Des Moines. For a two-grade middle school, the enrollment is large, drawing from a community that has expanded rapidly in recent decades. The school sits in a part of Polk County that is wealthy by metro-area standards: home values are well above national benchmarks, and the community texture is car-oriented, family-focused, and anchored by corporate campuses for Corteva Agriscience and John Deere Financial. The city of Johnston lacks a traditional downtown; civic life clusters around city hall and the library, and schools occupy separated suburban sites.
Academically, Summit Middle School performs at a high level. On the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), student proficiency rates in both math and English language arts are strong, comfortably above state averages. Among Polk County districts, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the top quarter, a position that reflects consistent performance across tested subjects. Only one year of assessment data was available for this profile, so a trend line is not yet established, but the single-year results are clearly favorable. The school serves grades that are tested under the state’s grades 3–8 assessment program, so these results are directly comparable to other middle and elementary schools in Iowa. Because Summit is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report.
The student body is racially and economically diverse for an affluent suburb. White students make up a majority of the enrollment, while Asian students form a substantial minority, and Black students account for a notable share. Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races make up smaller but present groups. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need that is moderate for the area. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available for this school, which is a gap a parent may want to clarify directly with the school or district.
The Johnston district has publicly reported recent improvements that matter for families moving through its schools. Chronic absenteeism, a concern in many Iowa districts, dropped noticeably district-wide in the 2024–25 school year and now sits well below the state average. Summit Middle School’s own absence data was not in this profile, but the district-level trend suggests an engaged attendance culture. At the high school level, the district has expanded concurrent enrollment and career-technical education offerings, with many students taking college courses at Des Moines Area Community College at no tuition cost to families. For a family considering Summit, these high school pathways are a longer-term part of the picture.
The school’s setting in Johnston continues to evolve. The city’s population growth has been dramatic, and the Merle Hay Road corridor is being redeveloped as a gateway area with retail and park space. Housing costs reflect the area’s desirability: home values are above state and national medians, and rents follow a similar pattern. The Des Moines metro is a short drive, and DART bus routes connect Johnston to the region, though most families will rely on cars for daily movement.
Summit Middle School is a large, academically strong suburban middle school in a high-growth, high-income community. The proficiency results place it among the leading schools in Polk County, and the district’s broader investments in attendance and postsecondary pathways support the academic pipeline. For a family that values strong test performance and is comfortable with the suburban, car-dependent character of Johnston, Summit fits easily. The missing pieces—special education and English learner data, any trend beyond a single year, and school-level discipline or staffing information—are things a parent may wish to investigate further when evaluating fit for a specific child.
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