Johnston Middle School

Johnston Middle School is a senior high of roomy scale in Johnston, Iowa, operated by Johnston Comm School District, hosting 1,161 students in grades 8 through 9. Enrollment runs roughly 148% larger than the state mean of about 468.

Across the 8 schools in Johnston Comm School District (7,339 students total), Johnston Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Johnston Middle School logs that the largest single group is White, at 64% of enrollment. The remainder consists of 12% Black, 10% Asian, 9% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 76%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Johnston Middle School has 71 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 16.3:1. The state averages around 17.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 27% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Polk County (around 49%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Johnston Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 78.5%, the actual is 81.0%, a residual of +2.5 points.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Polk County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $83,576 per year, about 40% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Polk County runs 137 public schools (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students), of which Johnston Middle School is one.

Henry A Wallace Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Johnston Middle School ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 76.8%.

The campus sits in a commuter-belt setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Johnston Middle School's enrollment has increased 3% since 2018, when it stood at 1,130 (now 1,161). Over the same period, the White share declined from 76% to 64%.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Johnston Middle School community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.