The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Woodrow Wilson Elementary
Woodrow Wilson Elementary sits on Chestnut Street in Port Huron, a waterfront city at the southern tip of Lake Huron where the St. Clair River begins. Port Huron is the seat of St. Clair County, a place shaped by its maritime identity and its role as an international border crossing via the Blue Water Bridge to Sarnia, Ontario. The Black River winds through the city near downtown, and the built environment is heavily car-oriented, with both I-69 and I-94 terminating at the bridge. Publicly reported city amenities include a large municipal marina system, multiple waterfront parks, and seasonal events like the Blue Water Fest and the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Sailboat Race. Housing in the school's zip code is quite affordable compared with state and national benchmarks, with typical home values well below the Michigan median and rents that run lower than a monthly mortgage payment. That affordability shapes who lives in the neighborhood and who walks through the school's doors.
Woodrow Wilson is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Port Huron Area School District. The enrollment is modest for an elementary building. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school among the highest-poverty elementaries in its area. The student body is majority white, with a substantial portion identifying as two or more races and a smaller but meaningful Black enrollment. Hispanic and American Indian students round out the population. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
On state assessments, Woodrow Wilson's results are low. Across the tested grades and subjects, proficiency rates sit well below what most St. Clair County districts post. The school's overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile relative to districts in the county. In math, the proportion of students meeting proficiency is small in third and fourth grade and drops further in fifth grade, where the reported range suggests very few students reached proficiency. English language arts follows a similar but slightly more encouraging pattern, with higher grades showing somewhat stronger results than lower grades. Fifth-grade science and social studies proficiency are also low. Participation rates were not available in the data, and no multi-year trend information was provided, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a decline, a plateau, or something else. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking what improvement strategies are in place and how the building supports students performing below grade level.
Because Woodrow Wilson is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and the grade band does not include the years when state science and social studies tests begin in Michigan. The data gaps for chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and course access mean the picture of school climate and resources is incomplete. What the available data does show is a school serving a high-need population in an affordable, working-class neighborhood, with academic results that lag its county peers.
The broader district context offers one forward-looking note. In late 2024, Port Huron Area School District voters approved a bond proposal by a wide margin, funding safety and security improvements, technology upgrades, facility renovations, and career and technical education space renovations at both district high schools. The bond is structured with no net millage rate increase to taxpayers. While those investments are district-wide and may take time to reach classroom-level impact, they signal a community committing resources to its school buildings.
For a family considering Woodrow Wilson, the relevant questions are practical. The school serves a community where housing costs are low and the waterfront setting is a genuine part of daily life. The academic data points to real challenges in proficiency, and the high poverty rate means the school is doing work that extends well beyond academics. A family weighing this school would benefit from asking directly about intervention programs, teacher retention, and how the district plans to use its new bond resources at the elementary level.
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