The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in Science. The lowest is 14% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Rose Johnson Jennings Jr. High
Rose Johnson Jennings Jr. High is a regular public school in Jennings, Missouri, serving grades six through eight within the Jennings School District. The school is small for a middle school, a size that shapes the day-to-day experience.
The city of Jennings is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis with a predominantly Black population and a median household income well below national averages. The housing market reflects this context: home values are substantially lower than the county and national medians, and the area has seen a modest decline in home prices over the past year. Most residents commute elsewhere for work, and the local economy has contracted over time, with the demolition of a former retail anchor as one signal of disinvestment. The population declined notably over the past decade and a half, though recent estimates show a slight rebound.
State testing results for the 2024-25 school year show that proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science are below the midpoint among St. Louis County districts. Across tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in the county. In seventh-grade math, roughly one in seven students scored proficient or above; in eighth-grade math, the rate was slightly lower. In English language arts, about one in nine seventh-graders and roughly one in six eighth-graders scored proficient or above. On the eighth-grade science assessment, about one in five students reached proficiency. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly around the specific supports available for students who are not yet at grade level.
Every student at the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the community. The student body is overwhelmingly Black, with a very small number of white, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Because it is a middle school, course access and program offerings such as advanced coursework, career pathways, or electives were not part of the available data. A parent interested in the breadth of academic options should check directly with the school or district what is offered at this grade level.
No information was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or other school environment measures. These are common data gaps for middle schools, but they are also areas a parent may want to explore through the school’s own reporting or a visit.
The Jennings School District appears to operate multiple schools within the community, but no recent information about district-level tax levies, bond referenda, or curriculum changes was found in public sources. That absence may reflect a stable chapter or simply a low public profile.
For a family considering this school, the core picture is a small, economically challenged middle school where most students are not yet reaching state proficiency benchmarks. The school’s strengths are not captured in the academic performance data shared here, but the size could allow for personal relationships between staff and students. A family would benefit from a direct conversation with the principal or a visit to understand how the school supports academic growth, what enrichment is available, and how it prepares students for high school.
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