Each year, students across Oklahoma take state tests in a range of subjects, including English Language Arts (ELA), which includes measurement of reading ability.

And each year, the state reports the overall results for each district, breaking down the number and percentage of students in a grade that landed in one of four categories: “below basic,” which includes students performing well below grade-level expectations; “basic,” which includes students who have not mastered grade-level content; “proficient,” which indicates a child is meeting grade-level expectations; and “advanced,” for those reading above grade level.

But at roughly 200 Oklahoma school districts or school sites, the state cannot report the exact number or percentage of third-grade students achieving proficiency in reading—because the number of students in that category is so small the report could be personally identifying and violate federal privacy law.

That’s a result of two things. First, the very small enrollment figures at many of Oklahoma’s more than 500 school districts make it impossible to report exact figures without risking violation of student privacy. But in many cases, it is a product of the even smaller number of students who tested proficient or better on state English Language Arts tests.

Lawmakers say it is time to shift the trajectory of literacy outcomes in Oklahoma schools so that someday soon, privacy laws will mean the state cannot report on the number of students who cannot read, rather than having to worry about identifying those who can.

“Education—and literacy especially—is the bridge to opportunity and the foundation every child needs to reach their full potential. In Oklahoma, our reading outcomes show we must do better,” said state Sen. Ally Seifried, a Claremore Republican who is vice-chair of the Senate Education Committee. “Only about one in four of our fourth graders read proficiently, and research tracking nearly 4,000 students nationwide confirms the stakes: Children who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to miss graduating on time. If we truly want to open doors for every Oklahoma child, it begins with ensuring they can read confidently by third grade.”

In theory, a majority of students at some of Oklahoma’s smallest districts could be testing proficient, and the state would not be able to report that figure due to privacy concerns, such as at schools with fewer than 10 students per grade.

But that would mean those schools dramatically outperformed their peers across Oklahoma.

Statewide, 11,911 Oklahoma third graders scored proficient on the state ELA test, which measures literacy. Another 1,650 students scored advanced.

But 21,307 Oklahoma third-grade students scored “below basic,” a category that broadly suggests those students are performing well below grade level. That group far outnumbered those students who scored proficient or better.

Another 15,126 students were rated “basic,” meaning they have not mastered grade-level expectations and are effectively not performing at grade level yet.

At nearly two of every three school sites or districts in Oklahoma, the number or share of third graders scoring proficient on state reading tests is so low that state officials cannot report the exact figure due to privacy concerns.

Among the sites and districts statewide for which data were reported, there were only 21 where at least half of third-grade students scored proficient on the ELA test. There are more than 500 school districts in Oklahoma, with larger districts having more than one elementary school site.

At hundreds of school sites or districts in Oklahoma, at least half of the students performed “below basic,” meaning they are performing well below grade-level expectations.

In some districts, class sizes are so small that officials cannot report any results in any category because of privacy issues.

However, in many districts, results are reported – but only for students performing below grade-level expectations. At those schools, only the number of students who are proficient in reading must be kept confidential due to privacy concerns because of that group’s very small size.

For example, at Milburn Elementary School in Johnston County, state data show that 70 percent of third graders—seven students— tested at the basic level. No results could be provided for any of the other three categories, which involved the three remaining third-grade students.

But there are plenty of instances where proficiency results could not be provided at schools with larger class sizes as well. At MacArthur Elementary School in Tulsa County, there were 64 third-grade students. Of that total, 55 tested below basic and five tested basic, meaning only four students tested proficient or advanced, and the specific number could not be provided for those two categories.

A similar problem occurred at Adelaide Lee Elementary School in Oklahoma County. That school had 104 third-grade students. Of that total, 86 tested below basic and 13 tested basic. Exact figures were not provided for the number of students who tested proficient or advanced because those two categories involved only 15 remaining students.

The Ardmore school district had 211 third-grade students, but the state could not report the exact number scoring proficient or advanced due to privacy concerns. State data shows that 123 students in the district scored below basic, and another 58 were in the basic category, meaning that nearly 86 percent of students in the district failed to achieve proficiency on ELA tests.

In districts where information is publicly reported on all levels of achievement, the outcomes for third-grade reading are worrisome.

In the Oklahoma City school district, just 298 third-grade students tested proficient on ELA tests, and another 142 students tested advanced. But there were 2,531 third-grade students in the district.

In Tulsa, just 354 students tested proficient while 41 tested advanced out of 2,788 total third-grade students.

The results in suburban districts were better than in Oklahoma’s two urban-core districts, but not to the degree one might expect based on the lavishly funded facilities in those suburban districts.

Out of 1,950 third-grade students at Edmond, just 674 students tested proficient on the ELA test, and another 142 tested advanced. That meant 58 percent of students in the Edmond district were not proficient.

In the Broken Arrow school district, there were 340 third-grade students who tested proficient and 43 who tested advanced out of 1,417 total. That meant 73 percent of third-grade students in the district tested below proficient.

Deer Creek had 604 third-grade students. Only 220 tested proficient and 48 tested advanced. A majority of students in the district—56 percent—failed to achieve proficiency.

The Bixby district had 605 third-grade students. Only 199 tested proficient, while another 42 tested advanced. Overall, 60 percent of students tested below proficient.

Underfunding? Revenue Is $13,736 Per Student

For years, Oklahoma’s public-school defenders blamed those poor outcomes on alleged “underfunding.” But in recent years, Oklahoma public-school funding has skyrocketed, yet outcomes have declined.

According to financial data reported by schools to the state’s Oklahoma Cost Accounting System (OCAS), Oklahoma public schools received $9,600,703,488 in new revenue in the 2023-2024 school year, an increase of $3.3 billion compared to the $6,300,400,107 reported during the 2017-2018 school year.

On a per-pupil basis, Oklahoma public-school revenue surged 51 percent from the 2017-2018 school year to the 2023-2024 school year, reaching $13,736 per pupil.

And other calculations indicate Oklahoma’s public-school revenue may be even higher.

A report released in April, “Rankings of the States 2024 and Estimates of School Statistics 2025,” by the National Education Association, found that Oklahoma public schools had $14,066 in revenue receipts per student in the 2023-2024 school year when calculated based on average daily attendance.

When Edunomics Lab analyzed return-on-investment (ROI) data from 2013 to 2024, tracking National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test results in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math alongside per-pupil spending, researchers found Oklahoma’s per-pupil spending far outpaced inflation, but Oklahoma’s NAEP scores were far lower today than in 2013.

In Oklahoma, Edunomics noted, “Reading 4th grade scores fell through the decade and continue to decline even as spending increased.”

When lawmakers reconvene for the 2026 legislative session next February, Oklahoma’s poor reading outcomes are expected to be a major focus. The outcomes—both publicly reported and those that cannot be publicly reported—are a major reason why.

“These results are unacceptable and, sadly, a continuation of a disturbing trend,” said state Rep. Chad Caldwell, an Enid Republican who chairs the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Education. “It is clear that far too many of our students are falling behind in reading, and repeating the mistakes of the past won’t change this trajectory or prepare kids for the future. It’s time to break the loop that’s left so many students behind. Literacy must be a top priority in the upcoming session, and we need real solutions that give every Oklahoma child the foundation they need to succeed.”