Oklahoma Board Demotes 59 Districts Under New Test Score Mandate

59 Oklahoma school districts lost their full accreditation status on Thursday when the State Board of Education voted to place them in the accredited with warning category. This action marks the first time the state has applied a penalty based on academic performance rather than governance or financial compliance.

The new rule takes effect when more than half of a district's students score below basic on state reading or math tests for two consecutive years. A below basic score indicates students have not shown even partial mastery of grade-level content. For 56 of the 59 downgraded districts, this academic deficiency was the sole reason for the status change.

The downgrade is not final. The State Department of Education said districts must improve their test scores by 5 percent to avoid slipping into probation. Probation status would trigger additional state oversight and stricter requirements for these schools.

The list includes the state's three largest districts: Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma City Public Schools, and Epic Charter School. Tulsa enrolls more than 32,000 students, while Oklahoma City serves about 31,000. Epic, a virtual charter school, has approximately 29,000 students. All three institutions responded to the decision with distinct arguments regarding the data used for the evaluation.

Epic Charter Superintendent Shaun Ross stated the school is implementing targeted academic interventions and strengthening instruction. He argued that the new standard relies on historical data that does not fully capture the academic progress currently underway. Ross noted that Epic has met all operational accreditation requirements despite the academic designation.

Oklahoma City officials said they understood the rule would trigger a penalty based on the historical data available for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. The district stated that while context matters, it retains the responsibility to strengthen instruction so more students reach grade-level expectations. Tulsa officials said their results show momentum over three consecutive years and that both they and Oklahoma City outpaced statewide growth rates on annual tests.

Former state Superintendent Ryan Walters proposed the rule in 2024 to hold districts accountable. Governor Kevin Stitt approved the measure after the Legislature took no action. The rule took effect for the 2025-26 school year, but the downgrades rely on older scores because more recent results were not available during the accreditation reviews. Some education advocates and legislative Democrats opposed the change, arguing it unfairly penalizes districts with higher poverty rates and more English language learners.