St. Joseph Public School was ranked by Niche as the #1 BEST school district in Berrien County! Go Bears!

6 months ago, Alli Hoskins
#1 District in County

Quick Update: our school phone systems are now fully operational again. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

11 days ago, Alli Hoskins

We are currently experiencing issues with our phone lines across the district. If you need to contact your student's school, please send an email to the front office staff:

Brown Elementary: msmith@sjschools.org
Clarke Elementary: mdurczak@sjschools.org
Lincoln Elementary: mkauffman@sjschools.org
Upton Middle School: lkoetsier@sjschools.org
St. Joseph High School: aessig@sjschools.org

12 days ago, Alli Hoskins
Wednesday, March 25 | Late Start Wednesday
12 days ago, Mandy
A colorful school announcement graphic with abstract shapes in green, blue, purple, and orange on a light background. Centered text reads “March 25, 2026” in orange and “1 HOUR LATE START” in purple. Below the text is the St. Joseph Public Schools logo, featuring a stylized bear head and the district name in blue.

A partnership program sponsored by Berrien RESA, the Krasl Art Center and the Box Factory for the Arts will host its annual Elementary Art Exhibit this month. Forty students were chosen from each elementary school to have their art displayed!

This art show will be on display March 12th until Sunday, April 5, 2026 and our community is invited to attend the opening reception on March 26th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Box Factory. The Box Factory is located at 1101 Broad Street in St. Joseph!

We are very proud of our artists and their success in art!

25 days ago, Alli Hoskins
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | 1 Hour Late Start
about 1 month ago, Mandy
Graphic with abstract pastel shapes and decorative elements surrounding a peach-colored square note taped at the top. The note reads: “Wednesday, March 4 – 1 Hour Late Start.”

Recently, 360 Michigan high school members from 32 schools gathered to celebrate a year of service, leadership, and impact through Key Club. Students participated in breakout sessions focused on leadership skills, club organization, hands-on service projects, and fundraising techniques.

Of the clubs sponsored by the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor Kiwanis Club, both St. Joseph and Lakeshore were proudly represented by 34 members, along with advisors Katie Woodard (LHS) and Lauri Berry (SJHS). Key Club members were so grateful for the ongoing support, direction, and enthusiasm of our Kiwanis partners — and our members truly appreciated seeing the Good Luck ads scrolling across the conference screens!

Student Key Club State Elected Positions – We Are So Proud!

  • Sukainah Saleem (St. Joseph freshman) – Elected 2026–27 Lieutenant Governor for Division 8

  • Aminah Garcia (St. Joseph junior) – Elected 2026–27 Michigan District Bulletin Editor

  • Riya Veershetty (St. Joseph junior) – Endorsed to run for International Trustee at ICON

We also want to recognize these outstanding student leaders for their year of district-level service:

  • Samaira Suri (Lakeshore junior) – Division 8 Lieutenant Governor

  • Joe Berry (St. Joseph senior) – District Treasurer

  • Juhi Bhatt (St. Joseph senior) – District Secretary


Thank you for representing our schools with excellence!

Student Key Club Conference Awards:

  • 1st Place – Partners in Service Award

    • $200 raised through our UNICEF Trick-or-Treat campaign

    • $400 raised for The Thirst Project through our Culver’s Give Back Night and bracelet sales

  • Outstanding Executive Board Member Award – Juhi Bhatt

  • 3rd Place – Traditional Scrapbook

  • Early Bird Dues Award – Thanks to Riya Veershetty

  • 2nd Place – Kiwanis Family Relations Award

We could not be more proud of the leadership, service, and heart our students demonstrate every single day. The future is bright! Go Bears!

about 1 month ago, Alli Hoskins
Key Club members at the 2026 Key Club District Conference

Tomorrow, Friday 27, is a half day of school for our elementary students ONLY. Schools will be dismissed at 12:21 p.m.

about 1 month ago, Mandy
Colorful announcement graphic on a white background with scattered paint supplies and splashes of bright colors. Watercolor paints, small paint bottles, chalk sticks, and paintbrushes surround the edges of the image. A child’s hands, covered in paint, are visible at the bottom and right side, with one hand holding a paintbrush writing in blue paint. Centered text reads: “Friday, February 27 1/2 day Y5/K-5 ONLY” The words “Friday, February 27” appear in green, “1/2 day” in blue, and “Y5/K-5 ONLY” in red.
Congratulations to our SJHS Scholastic Writing Award winners! The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation's longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative students in grades 7–12 in the U.S. and Canada. Entries that win a Gold Key are automatically considered for national awards, where Silver Key and Honorable Mention awards signify high artistic/literary achievement. Go Bears!
about 1 month ago, Alli Hoskins
Scholastic Gold Key Writing Award Winners
Scholastic Silver Key Writing Award Winners
Scholastic Honorable Mention Writing Award Winners

Young Five/Kindergarten Round-Up
Thursday, March 12, 2026
6:00 p.m. at Brown Elementary
(2027 Brown School Road, SJ)

For parents (only) of students who will be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2026.

about 1 month ago, Mandy
Black-and-white flyer featuring a cartoon bear cub at the top and bottom, holding a rectangular sign. Text reads: “CALLING ALL BEAR CUBS St. Joseph Public Schools Young Five/Kindergarten Round-Up Thursday, March 12, 2026 6:00 p.m. at Brown Elementary (2027 Brown School Road, SJ) For parents (only) of students who will be 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2026. Meet our staff, see the facilities, learn about our comprehensive curriculum, and pick up enrollment materials. If you are unable to attend, material will be available at all elementary buildings for you to pick-up (after 3/13)
Late Start Wednesday | February 25, 2026
about 1 month ago, Mandy
Graphic with a light blue background and abstract decorative shapes in navy, yellow, and white. Centered dark blue text reads: “WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 25 1 HOUR LATE START” Yellow zigzag lines appear above and below the text, with small geometric shapes scattered around the design.
Late Start Wednesday | February 18, 2026
about 2 months ago, Mandy
Clipart graphic on a blue background with decorative stars and curved accents. Centered light gray box reads: “Reminder – Now. Wednesday, February 18, 2026. LATE START WEDNESDAY.” Two buttons at the bottom of the box read “OK” and “Close.”
Thursday and Friday of this will be half days for our Bear Cubs for parent-teacher conferences. School will be dismissed at 12:21 p.m. This is for grades Y5/K-5 only.
about 2 months ago, Mandy
Sticky Note Image with a reminder note: Thursday, February 12 and Friday, February 13 will be 1\2 days of school for ELEMENTARY students ONLY for Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 11, is Late Start Wednesday and Count Day. Please ensure your students are in attendance and arrive on time.

Student attendance on Count Day is especially important, as it is one of only two days during the school year when attendance is used to help determine the amount of state aid schools receive.
about 2 months ago, Mandy
Two cartoon bears holding blue heart shaped ballons with a reminder that Feb. 11 is Late Start Wednesday and Student Count Day.
3rd graders at Brown have been working on programming their micro:bits during stem lab this week!
about 2 months ago, Alli Hoskins
3rd graders at Brown have been working on programming their micro;bits during stem lab this week!
3rd graders at Brown have been working on programming their micro:bits during stem lab this week!
1 Hour Late Start | Wednesday, February 4, 2026
2 months ago, Mandy
Graphic reads, “Wednesday, February 4 — 1 hour late start.” A cartoon groundhog is shown seeing it's shadowing saying "aww shucks". St. Joseph Public Schools logo appears in the bottom right corner.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 | 1 Hour Late Start
2 months ago, Mandy
“Late Start Wednesday, January 28, 2026, shown with a winter illustration of a bear family reading by a fireplace.”

Two St. Joseph High School teams are competing in this year's 2026 Chili Tour!

WHEN: Friday, January 30
WHERE: Downtown St. Joseph!
MORE INFO: https://stjoetoday.com/events/2026-chili-tour

Come downtown and support our SJHS teams this Friday!

2 months ago, Alli Hoskins
Three SJHS Culinary students are posing in the kitchen with their winning chili.
Five SJHS Culinary students are posing in the kitchen with their winning chili.

Due to inclement weather, St. Joseph Public Schools are cancelled today, Monday, January 26, 2026.

2 months ago, Mandy
SJPS School Cancellation

Due to unsafe wind-chill temps, St. Joseph Public Schools are cancelled for tomorrow, Friday, January 23, 2026. Please stay warm.

2 months ago, Mandy
SJPS School Cancellation