Dear Johnson Middle School Families,
What a year it has been!
As we close out the 2025–2026 school year, I could not be more proud of our students, staff, and families. This year was filled with growth, achievement, unforgettable experiences, and countless moments that demonstrated what is possible when a community comes together around a shared vision.
When I arrived at Johnson last summer, we adopted a simple but powerful motto:
One Band. One Sound. One Johnson.
This year, our mission was to build the band, to strengthen our culture, improve instruction, create systems that support student success, and expand opportunities for our scholars.
Because of your partnership and support, we accomplished so much together.
Academic Growth & Achievement
Our scholars demonstrated resilience, determination, and academic growth throughout the year.
Some of our accomplishments include:
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Preliminary data shows that 69% of students met their MAP Reading Growth Goals
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Preliminary data shows that 34.9% of students either met their i-Ready Math Stretch Growth Goals or are currently performing on grade level in mathematics
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Celebrating 83 scholars at our Term 2 Honor Roll Assembly and more than 100 scholars at both our Term 1 and Term 3 Honor Roll Assemblies
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Looking forward to recognizing even more students during our upcoming Term 4 Honor Roll Drop-In Celebration
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Checking out more than 560 books from our library this year, with our 7th-grade scholars leading the school in book checkouts
These accomplishments reflect the hard work of our students, staff, and families and our collective commitment to academic excellence.
Attendance & Engagement
Student attendance remains one of the strongest predictors of academic success, and our families played a critical role in helping scholars show up ready to learn each day.
This year, Johnson:
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Maintained an impressive 87% In-School Attendance (ISA) rate
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Reduced our Chronic Absenteeism rate by 4 percentage points from the previous school year
These gains represent the collective efforts of our students, families, attendance team, and staff members who remained committed to ensuring every scholar was present, engaged, and connected to school.
Expanding Opportunities Beyond the Classroom
One of our goals this year was to ensure that Johnson scholars had access to meaningful experiences that broaden their perspectives and prepare them to thrive in a global society. This week, several of our scholars are participating in the DCPS Global Education Study Abroad Program:
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Kahlia and Jalil are traveling to Ecuador
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Keilynn is traveling to Thailand
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Brielle is participating in programming in Pittsburgh
These opportunities represent the very best of what is possible when students are encouraged to dream big and explore the world beyond their neighborhood.
We are also proud of the partnership established with the Nigerian Embassy, which provided our 6th-grade scholars with unique cultural learning experiences and opportunities to engage with global perspectives.
These experiences are helping to prepare our students to become future-ready scholars and global citizens.
Panther Pride in Athletics
Our student-athletes represented Johnson with excellence, determination, and Panther pride throughout the year.
Congratulations to:
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Our DCIAA Wrestling Champions
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Our DCIAA Track & Field Champions
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Our Football Team for advancing to the DCIAA Championship Game
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Our Boys Basketball Team for earning a spot in the DCIAA Playoffs and winning the Division
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Our Archery team for advancing to the championship
These accomplishments are a testament to the dedication of our student-athletes, coaches, and families.
Building the Band
While we are proud of the accomplishments listed above, I am most proud of the community we continue to build together.
This year, we strengthened our instructional focus, expanded opportunities for students, increased attendance, reduced chronic absenteeism, celebrated academic achievement, and continued creating a school where students feel supported, challenged, and valued.
We built systems. We built relationships. We built opportunities.
Most importantly, we built a stronger Johnson Middle School.
Looking Ahead
And now, Year 1 is complete.
The band has been built.
Next year, we take the stage.
With Panther Pride,
Marian Wilkins
Principal, Johnson Middle School
