Where are the best schools in the OKC area? These districts scored highest on state report card

Those looking for the best high schools in central Oklahoma would do well to search in Edmond, according to the most recent Oklahoma School Report Cards released this month. All four Class 6A high schools there received “A” grades.

At the other end of the spectrum, the district with the highest number of failing grades is the second-largest brick-and-mortar district in the state — Oklahoma City Public Schools. However, an analysis of the report cards for a 10-county area by The Oklahoman shows the OKC district has cut its number of "F" schools by two-thirds over the past four years.

The current system used for Oklahoma’s school report cards, started in the 2017-18 school year, measures six indicators — academic growth, chronic absenteeism, academic achievement, English language proficiency progress, postsecondary opportunities and graduation — at different points in an effort to provide a snapshot of school performance. Each indicator receives a specific point value that translates to a letter grade. The Oklahoma State Department of Education didn’t issue report cards for either the 2019-20 or 2020-21 school years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grades for the 2022-23 report cards were on a bell curve for the first time in years, meaning 5% of schools in Oklahoma received an “A,” 25% a “B,” 40% a “C,” 25% a “D” and 5% an ”F.” The Oklahoman looked at the report cards for every school in Oklahoma, Cleveland, McClain, Grady, Canadian, Kingfisher, Logan, Payne, Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties to determine how many “A” and “F” schools there were in all of those counties.

Which school districts in the OKC area had the highest grades on the state report card?

All told, there were 25 “A” schools and 19 “F” schools in the region. Seven districts had more than one “A” school while two had multiple schools receiving “F” grades. Here are some items of note:

• Edmond Public Schools had five “A” schools, including all three of its high schools — Memorial, North and Santa Fe. It’s the second straight year all three high school achieved the “A” ranking. Two Edmond elementary schools also received “A” grades — Russell Dougherty and Chisholm. “We are proud of all of our Edmond schools and their achievements,” Edmond Superintendent Angela Grunewald said. “Success takes a collaborative effort from our students, families, faculty and staff who all put in countless hours to achieve these results."

• Deer Creek Public Schools, a district that also has an Edmond mailing address, had both Deer Creek High School (for the first time since 2017-18) and Deer Creek Intermediate School (for sixth-graders) earn “A” grades. “A deep commitment to help our students learn and grow is found in all of our schools, which is strengthened by a community that roots for our success at every turn,” Deer Creek Superintendent Jason Perez said. “While we know the Oklahoma State Report Cards are not entirely indicative of the holistic success of a school, we are proud that the scores across the district represent the great work being done in our schools.”

• Bethany High School, which had been a “B” school since 2017-18, achieved “A” status, along with Bethany Middle School, which achieved its second straight “A” rating.

• Two elementary schools in the Moore district (Wayland Bonds and Fisher) in Cleveland County and in the Stillwater district (Sangre Ridge and Westwood) in Payne County all received an “A.” For Wayland Bonds, Fisher and Westwood, it continued a streak of “A” grades that dates back to 2017-18.

• In Logan County, both Mulhall-Orlando High School and Middle School each received an “A,” as they have since 2017-18.

• The other district with multiple “A” schools was Dove Science Academy, an Oklahoma City charter school that had both its high school and middle school recognized with the top grade for the first time.

• Millwood Public Schools in Oklahoma City had two “F” schools, as the district’s elementary and high schools both received that grade. Both also received “F” grades for the 2021-22 school year.

• The middle school for Insight School of Oklahoma, the state’s only virtual alternative charter school, received an “F.” ISOK, based in Midwest City, is at the center of a debate about proposed new rules from the Oklahoma State Department of Education that would require in-person learning for alternative-school students and effective shut down the school’s current education model. ISOK’s high school received a “D” grade.

How Oklahoma City Public Schools fared

Four Oklahoma City district high schools — Capitol Hill, John Marshall, Northwest Classen and Star Spencer — each dropped a letter grade and received an “F.” It was the first time under the current criteria for report cards those schools had posted a failing grade.

Also receiving an “F” for a fourth straight report card was Emerson Alternative Education High School. The district’s other alternative high school, Putnam Heights Academy, also was on the ”F” list.

Superintendent Sean McDaniel said John Marshall's decrease was due to postsecondary participation, meaning the school had fewer junior or seniors taking Advanced Placement, concurrent and/or MetroTech courses. Northwest Classen’s decrease was due to academic achievement, meaning how students performed on the ACT, while Star Spencer’s drop was in both postsecondary opportunities and academic achievement, McDaniel said.

More: Oklahoma did not get a single A on its school report card. Here's where students are struggling

“Specific to (those three) schools, we have increased the enrollment of juniors in ACT prep courses this school year and started having ACT questions of the day to help students practice,” he said. “The district hosted a postsecondary summit with all high schools in October to refocus the efforts of counselors and leaders related to postsecondary opportunities for students.”

The OKC district also had two middle schools (Webster and Mary Golda Ross) and two elementary schools (Esperanza and Thelma Parks) receive an “F” grade.

McDaniel noted the number of OKC district schools receiving “F” grades dropped from 30 in 2018-19 to 10 in 2022-23.

“We would be remiss not to acknowledge the schools where we saw significant improvements,” he said. “That kind of change is very important and impactful in students’ lives. We have to remember that improvement and academic growth isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. I have absolutely no doubt that our principals, teachers and students are committed and are doing the work to move the needle forward.”

Where are the 'A' schools around the Oklahoma City area?

Here’s the list of “A” schools in the 10-county region, with the district in parenthesis:

• Canadian: Maple Public School

• Cleveland: Fisher Elementary School (Moore), McKinley Elementary School (Norman), Wayland Bonds Elementary School (Moore)

• Grady: Pioneer Public School

• Kingfisher: Kingfisher Junior High School, Lomega High School

• Lincoln: None

• Logan: Mulhall-Orlando High School, Mulhall-Orlando Elementary School

• McClain: None

• Oklahoma: Bethany High School, Bethany Middle School, Chisholm Elementary School (Edmond), Deer Creek High School, Deer Creek Intermediate School, Dove Science Academy High School (charter), Dove Science Academy Middle School (charter), Memorial High School (Edmond), North High School (Edmond), Oakdale Public School, Russell Dougherty Elementary School (Edmond), Santa Fe High School (Edmond), Santa Fe South Pathways Mid-College, Schwartz Elementary School (Mid-Del)

• Payne: Sangre Ridge Elementary School (Stillwater), Westwood Elementary School (Stillwater)

• Pottawatomie: None

Where are the 'F' schools in the Oklahoma City area?

Here’s the list of “F” schools in the 10-county region, with the district in parenthesis:

• Canadian: None

• Cleveland: None

• Grady: Ninnekah Elementary School

• Kingfisher: None

• Lincoln: Agra Junior High School

• Logan: None

• McClain: None

• Oklahoma: Capitol Hill High School (Oklahoma City), Emerson Alternative Education High School (Oklahoma City), Esperanza Elementary School (Oklahoma City), Insight School of Oklahoma Middle School (charter), John Marshall High School (Oklahoma City), Mary Golda Ross Middle School (Oklahoma City), Millwood Elementary School, Millwood High School, Northwest Classen High School (Oklahoma City), Pleasant Hill Early Childhood Center (Mid-Del), Putnam Heights Academy (Oklahoma City), Star Spencer High School (Oklahoma City), Thelma Parks Elementary School (Oklahoma City), Webster Middle School (Oklahoma City), Western Heights Middle School

• Payne: None

• Pottawatomie: Cross Timbers Elementary (Tecumseh), Earlsboro High School

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Edmond, Deer Creek have highest school report cards in OKC area