Education

‘Not good’: At 59 Oklahoma school districts, most students are far below grade level

October 26, 2026

Ray Carter

For two years in a row, state tests have shown that more than half of students in 59 Oklahoma public school districts are effectively at least one year behind academically in either math or reading.

That fact was highlighted during the October meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, which voted to downgrade the accreditation of the 59 districts under a regulation being enforced for the first time this year.

Results on state academic tests are grouped into four main categories: “advanced,” for students exceeding grade-level expectations; “proficient,” for students meeting grade-level expectations; “basic,” for students who have not quite mastered grade-level content; and “below basic.” The below-basic category includes students whose scores indicate they have not achieved even partial mastery of grade-level content. In effect, those students are performing at least one year, or more, below grade-level expectations.

Under a new rule that took effect for the 2025-2026 school year, Oklahoma school districts may have their state accreditation status reduced if a majority of students score “below basic” for two consecutive years on state reading or math tests.

Fifty-nine schools fell into that category this year, including Oklahoma’s largest districts by enrollment, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, along with other sizable schools such as Midwest City-Del City and several online schools, including Epic.

Because results are not yet available for the 2025-2026 school year tests, the board’s action was based on the results of tests administered during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.

There are essentially five levels of state accreditation. The best rating is accreditation with no deficiencies, followed in descending order by accredited with deficiencies, accredited with warning, accredited with probation, and nonaccredited.

There is no reduction in state funding to school districts until they lose accreditation.

In an Oct. 22 letter to members of the State Board of Education, Amy Young, program director of accreditation at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, noted that out of Oklahoma’s more than 500 public-school districts, 358 school districts were accredited with no deficiencies, another 100 districts were accredited with one deficiency, and 25 were accredited with multiple deficiencies. Sixty-seven districts were recommended for “accredited with warning” status, including the 59 schools where a majority of students were below grade level in reading or math for two consecutive years.

During the group’s meeting, state school board member Becky Carson noted, “We’re looking at about 10 percent of our districts that are going to have academic warnings.”

Board member Brian Bobek asked why so many schools had a second year in which at least half of students scored far below grade-level expectations since those school officials “knew about it a year ago” and were aware they could face a lowered accreditation if outcomes did not improve.

Jennifer Hembree, Oklahoma State Department of Education’s senior director of compliance, replied that the accreditation downgrades are based simply on school districts having two consecutive years in which a majority of students did not meet academic expectations in core subjects on state tests.

“Wow,” Bobek responded. “Not good.”

The 59 districts sanctioned for having two consecutive years of very poor academic outcomes include the following: Allen-Bowden; ASTEC Charter School; Belfonte; Billings; Blair; Bokoshe; Boswell; Cave Springs; Cimarron; College Bound Academy of Tulsa; Comanche Academy; Dahlonegah; Davidson; Earlsboro; EPIC Charter Virtual School; E-School Virtual Charter Academy; Forest Grove; Glover; Gracemont; Graham-Dustin; Hanna; Hardesty; Henryetta; Hominy; Hugo; Indiahoma; Insight Virtual Charter School of Oklahoma; Justice; Kenwood; Konawa; Lowrey; Midway; Midwest City-Del City; Millwood; Mounds; Oaks-Mission; Oklahoma City; Oklahoma Connections Academy Charter Virtual; Okmulgee; Olustee-Eldorado; Panola; Peavine; Quapaw; Shady Grove; Tecumseh; Tulsa Honor Charter Academy; Tulsa Legacy Charter School; Tulsa; Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences Charter; Tuskahoma; Virtual Preparatory Charter Academy of Oklahoma; Wanette; Watts; Western Heights; White Oak; White Rock; Wickliffe; Wilson; and Wynona.