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Johnston Senior High School

Johnston, IA 50131

Phone: (515) 278-0449
District: Johnston Community School District

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public • Grades 10-12 • 1762 students

Johnston Senior High School serves grades 10-12 in the Johnston Community School District. It is among the few public high schools in Iowa to receive a distinguished GreatSchools Rating of 9 out of 10.

Johnston Senior High School is a public school located in Johnston, IA. 1762 students attend Johnston Senior High School.

School Ratings

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	8/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Iowa Assessment data from Iowa Department of Education.
College Readiness	10/10	The College Readiness Rating uses this high school's graduation rates, college entrance exam participation and performance, or AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment participation to determine how well schools are preparing students for success in college and beyond. The College Readiness Rating was created using the following data from the 2021 Civil Rights Data Collection: percentage of students enrolled in IB, AP or Dual Enrollment classes in grades 9-12, using 2024 4-year high school graduation rate data from Iowa Department of Education, using 2025 Average ACT score data from Iowa Department of Education, and using 2026 demographic data from Iowa Department of Education.
Student Growth	8/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Iowa Department of Education.

Posted: May 29, 2026

kids face Death threats daily at this school from other students and if they tell the school the consolers try to send them to the alternative school
the consolers dont help when the kids that are facing actual mental health problems
the principal doesnt actually do anything its all the vice principals but they still dont help
they didnt appy stricter rules intill after a major contributors kid graduated
most of the teachers dont grade or even teach there classes and some even just go on their phones while in class

Posted: May 29, 2026

Posted: May 18, 2024

so good for learning! so many classes for so many different levels! no matter where you are progressive wise you will get a great education

Posted: May 18, 2024

Posted: October 18, 2023

i am a former student who recently moved. the school is good for making friends but thats it, neglent teachers, average food, and slightly less than average teaching. over all, id say dont enroll but go visit once and a while, i didnt get any help while i was there

Posted: October 18, 2023

Posted: May 5, 2023

Im a Johnston alumni and was offered many AP and duel credit classes to take advantage of. These courses not only prepared me for college but also reduced the number of credits I had to fulfill at college. Looking back, I felt Johnston was more rigorous in comparison to my collegiate school work. This set me up for success. I also felt more academically comfortable than other students I met from other parts of the state or county. As a parent, would choose Johnston out of the DSM and other suburban school districts. There are many great teachers at Johnston who truly care about their students and will do anything to help them succeed.

Posted: May 5, 2023

Posted: April 18, 2023

I personally feel like the teachers at the school could do a better job, here are a few issues I have. in my math class I told the teacher I wasnt done with a test but she graded it anyway, the same teacher left in the middle of helping me while I was mid question, during isasp test my schedule was repeatedly changed first going to my pathways then my 4th period and then by the time I made it to my testing area it was to late

Posted: April 18, 2023

Posted: February 4, 2022

This school suffers from dangerous delusions of grandeur, negligent staff, bullying, and a serious drug issue. I felt ignored as a student constantly during my time here the only thing this school does well in is college preparedness, other than that they are sub par.

Posted: February 4, 2022

Posted: May 15, 2021

We have only experienced 1 teacher we didnt like (tried to push his liberal views). Otherwise have had a great experience. Music department is phenomenal.

Posted: May 15, 2021

Posted: May 8, 2021

Best high school ever, graduating this month 05/23/21, got both my EMT certificate from DMACC through the high school and graduating from the high school all at the same time. Duo credits offered, high school and college credits all for free, pay for by the school....that's more than awesome...the teachers are great....they will listen if you have a problem, just speak out or reach out to any one of them. Take advantage of their Duo credit.

Posted: May 8, 2021

Posted: April 21, 2021

used to be great, but now meh

Posted: April 21, 2021

Posted: May 30, 2018

iPads for all students and most textbooks, homework and notes are are easily available through it.

Posted: May 30, 2018

Great teachers that collaborate and treat students respectfully.

Posted: May 30, 2018

No experience with this in our time here.

Posted: May 30, 2018

My child never had bullying issues. Do not know of others experience.

Posted: May 30, 2018

Weve moved a lot, east coast to West Cost and in between, and Johnston is by far our favorite school district, for all ages. The high school is ahead of most schools technologically with iPads for all students which reduced the heavy books being hauled around, improved note taking, and made turning in assignments easier. The teachers are excellent and my daughter was way ahead of students in her current school because of it. They also respect the students and their ideas. Their music program is also top notch. It is a very high achieving school and district that is hard to compare to anywhere else.

Posted: March 28, 2016

my teachers are all extremely supportive of me and everything I do, even if it does not relate to my academics

Posted: March 28, 2016

I haven't had any negative interactions at the school, my teachers and classes are good, I don't see any problems

Posted: March 28, 2016

Posted: December 3, 2015

I love Johnston. The education I've received there is truly top-notch. I've never had a single teacher who is not qualified or unpassionate, and the athletics are actually pretty good. I've been involved with numerous of activities that have definitely added to my experience. Students are, for a majority, very kind and clean cut. There are, of course, kids who drink or do drugs however they are the definite minority and there is no pressure to do anything you don't want to. Reading the reviews and seeing all the comments about drugs and drinking are definitely false or over-exaggerated. There is a high standard of excellence here and I'm so glad my parents chose to live in and send me to Johnston rather than some of the other local schools, such as Urbandale or Hoover.

Posted: September 5, 2015

The first year my kids went there they were hounded by drug dealers and bullied. My younger student was in class with a student that was clearly high and the teacher and counselors did nothing about it. My daughter also had rumors spread about her because she refused a date. Luckily her friends stood up for her, but the counselors could care less. Two suicides in one year in the middle school doesn't bode well, and those aren't the only suicides.

Posted: September 5, 2015

Saying drugs are bad and then letting them run rampant through the school shows no integrity.

Reviews provided by GreatSchools^™

#	Name	Type	City	State	Overall Rating	Distance
1	Copper Creek	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Pleasant Hill	IA		10.7 mi

#	Name	City	State	Overall Rating	Distance

Base	Distance
Camp Dodge	1.3 mi.

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Johnston Senior High School

Johnston, IA 50131

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