Oklahoma school report cards show ongoing academic struggle, some bright spots

OKLAHOMA CITY — Evaluations of Oklahoma’s public education system found low rates of academic achievement in reading, math and science but promise in other areas.

The Oklahoma State Report Cards released Thursday on oklaschools.com with a trove of data from the 2025-26 school year. 

The report cards graded 1,750 public schools, along with the state as a whole, on an A-F scale based on test scores, academic growth, rates of absenteeism and high school graduation, student exposure to college and career opportunities, and progress of students learning English as their non-native language.

Only 27% of students scored at a proficient or advanced level on reading, math and science tests, the report cards show. As a result, the statewide grade for academic achievement is a D, the same as the previous year.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education, which calculates the report cards each year, said it expects to see gains in the future because of recent investments in reading instruction and literacy coaches. The newly enacted Strong Readers Act will require children to repeat third grade if they struggle to pass state reading tests, starting in the 2027-28 school year.

In a news release Thursday, the agency reported 64% of public schools in the state received A’s, B’s or C’s, meaning they are “making adequate or better progress.” Twenty-four fewer schools earned a D and 10 fewer received an F.

Statewide, Oklahoma’s public school system received a C for academic growth.

The growth metric, which measures how much test scores improved over the previous year, found “Oklahoma students are continuing to make steady, adequate year-over-year progress,” the Education Department reported.

The state’s four-year high school graduation rate fell to 77.6% in 2025-26 from 82.2% the previous year. Much of the decrease is a result of a new federal requirement that students earning a CORE Curriculum diploma not be counted in the graduation rate, the state agency reported.

The CORE Curriculum diploma allows students to substitute a math and science credit with a career technology course. A small percentage of students in the state opt into this diploma program and must do so with parental consent. 

The U.S. Department of Education notified the state two years ago that it considers this diploma track a “lesser credential” than a traditional high school diploma.

The state report cards gave a B for progress of non-native English speakers. Of the 74,500 English learners who completed the full academic year, 34% met their growth targets for language acquisition.

Oklahoma also received a B for the post-secondary opportunities category. This grades how well schools provide chances for students to earn concurrent college credit, take Advanced Placement classes, participate in vocational courses and have career experiences.

The state reported 54% of students in 11th and 12th grade participated in these opportunities.

“This 4.4 percentage point increase over last year shows that our schools are successfully expanding pathways to help students explore and jumpstart their future careers,” the Education Department stated.

The overall student attendance rate improved by 3 percentage points, but the state still received a D for chronic absenteeism. This metric grades how many students missed 10% or more of the school year.

In the 2025-26 academic year, 84.1% of students were not chronically absent, falling short of the state’s 85% benchmark for satisfactory progress, the Education Department reported.

The Oklahoma Legislature passed a law last year to remove chronic absenteeism as a factor that counts against a school’s report card grade, acknowledging student attendance is often outside of the school’s control. Instead, it will be an opportunity for bonus points.

The Education Department is still waiting for final federal approval to make that change, it said, which is why chronic absenteeism counted against report card grades this year. 

“Regular school attendance is a critical foundation for student success, and this is an area where our schools need community and family support,” the agency stated.