The top reported proficiency rate is 13% in Science. The lowest is 2% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Johnson Wabash 6th Grade Ctr
Johnson Wabash 6th Grade Center is a regular public school that serves only sixth grade, making it a standalone middle-school entry point within the Ferguson-Florissant R-II district. It sits in Ferguson, a predominantly Black suburb in north St. Louis County that has seen its population decline in recent years and lost one of its major corporate anchors, Emerson Electric, when the company moved its headquarters to Clayton early in 2025. The city reports more than a decade of commercial investment even as its residential population shrank, and housing in the area is among the more affordable in St. Louis County, with home values and rents below the national median.
The school’s student body is overwhelmingly Black, reflecting the surrounding community, and nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a signal of concentrated economic need. Enrollment is small relative to a typical grade-level cohort, and the school’s demographics are nearly uniform in income background. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records reviewed.
State test results from the 2024-25 school year, the only year of current assessment data available, show that in both math and English language arts the share of sixth graders reaching proficient or advanced levels is very low. In math the proficiency rate falls below a few percent, and in ELA it is similarly low. The school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects places it among the lowest when compared with the county’s school districts, a comparison that includes a wide range of elementary through secondary systems. Because the center serves only one grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Science test scores from an older year, when the building operated as an elementary school, are not comparable and offer no current picture.
The district that operates Johnson Wabash is itself in flux. Publicly reported plans call for a restructuring starting in the 2027-28 school year, a move that comes after a period of steep enrollment decline across the district. In prior years, the district closed two elementary schools and converted a comprehensive high school into a selective STEAM academy, with a middle school STEAM program also now in place. These changes mean the feeder patterns and school options families can expect may shift before a current sixth grader reaches high school.
For a family considering this school, the central facts are its economic makeup, its single-grade focus, and its academic performance, which state testing indicates is a serious challenge. The school does not offer the breadth of programs or pathways that a larger middle school might; its purpose is to serve one transitional year within a district undergoing reorganization. A parent should look closely at what instruction and support are in place for sixth graders in this setting and ask how the district’s coming restructuring will affect the middle and high school options available to students after they leave Johnson Wabash.
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