Making the grade: Go behind the scenes of some of Oklahoma City's top-performing schools
Students, teachers, backpacks, pencils and books are all hallmarks of any public school in Oklahoma, though some may have 2,000 kids in the building while others seat just 200 or less. But what factors make some of those schools academic leaders?
Each year, public schools in Oklahoma are graded on the Oklahoma State Report Card, which measures six indicators — academic growth, chronic absenteeism, academic achievement, English language proficiency progress, postsecondary opportunities and graduation — in an effort to provide a snapshot of school performance. Each indicator receives a specific point value that translates to a letter grade.
The Oklahoman looked at individual report cards for each of the 526 public school campuses in 10 counties in central Oklahoma — Canadian, Cleveland, Grady, Kingfisher, Lincoln, Logan, McClain, Oklahoma, Payne and Pottawatomie — to determine how many 'A' schools there were in all of those counties. For the 2023-24 school year, only a combined 34 school campuses in those 10 counties received an "A."
Armed with that information, The Oklahoman recently visited five schools in central Oklahoma — a suburban high school, a suburban elementary school, a K-12 elementary and high school, a charter school and a school in a dependent district. Among the questions: What are their formulas for success, and what can they teach other schools across the metropolitan area and the rest of Oklahoma?
Through interviews with superintendents, principals and teachers, here's a look at how schools like Deer Creek High School in Oklahoma County, Lomega High School and Elementary School in Kingfisher County, Maple Public School in Canadian County, Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School in Norman and Dove Science Academy in Oklahoma City received an "A" on the latest report card — and what they shared that make their schools successful.
At the schools in this small rural farming community, it's not just the work of educators and parents, it's also the work ethic of the students that contribute to their success. Here's how they're meeting those high expectations.
Maple serves only about 200 students, but it's developed a reputation as one of Oklahoma's best school districts. Their 'off-the-formula' makeup might be a key reason why.
These tuition-free, STEM-focused charter schools largely serve low-income students, but the students are only part of the picture. Here's how faculty get the entire family involved.
This school is one of the few city-area schools to get an 'A' grade. A special focus on their teachers helps keep their staff energized and always learning.
This school in Edmond is already big at 2,000 students, and is rapidly growing. Here's a look at how they're keeping up with their students' rapidly changing needs.
Here is a look at the schools in the Oklahoma City area that earned an "A" on the Oklahoma State Report Cards:
Canadian County
Maple Public School (Calumet)
Piedmont Early Childhood Center
Cleveland County
Brink Junior High School (Moore)
Oakridge Elementary School (Moore)
Roosevelt Elementary School (Norman)
South Lake Elementary School (Moore)
Wayland Bonds Elementary School (Moore)
Grady County
Amber-Pocasset High School
Middleberg Public School (Blanchard)
Pioneer Public School (Chickasha)
Kingfisher County
Lomega Elementary School
Lomega High School
Lincoln County
None
Logan County
Mulhall-Orlando High School
McClain County
Blanchard Intermediate Elementary School
Blanchard Middle School
Oklahoma County
Academy of Seminole Charter High School (based in Oklahoma City)
Bethany High School
Bethany Middle School
Classen SAS (Oklahoma City)
Clegern Elementary School (Edmond)
Cross Timbers Elementary School (Edmond)
Deer Creek High School
Deer Creek Intermediate School
Dove Science Academy Elementary School (Warr Acres)
Dove Science Academy High School (Oklahoma City)
Dove Science Academy Middle School (Warr Acres)
Edmond North High School
Edmond Santa Fe High School
Harding Charter Preparatory High School (Oklahoma City)
Oakdale Public School (Edmond)
Santa Fe South Pathways Mid-College (Oklahoma City)
Payne County
Richmond Elementary School (Stillwater)
Sangre Ridge Elementary School (Stillwater)
Westwood Elementary School (Stillwater)
Pottawatomie County
None
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: These OKC schools got an A on the Oklahoma State Report Card
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