Tulsa and OKC Among 59 Districts Placed on State Warning List

The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted Thursday to move 59 school districts into the 'accredited with warning' category. This action marks the first time the state has enforced a rule linking a district's accreditation status directly to academic performance on standardized tests. Eight additional districts received the same designation for non-academic reasons.

Under the new standard, a district faces a penalty if more than half of its students score 'below basic' on state reading or math exams for two consecutive years. According to State Department of Education documents, this level of performance indicates that students have not achieved partial mastery of grade-level content. For 56 of the affected districts, this academic deficiency was the sole cause of the downgrade. If scores do not improve by 5%, these districts risk falling to probation, a status that triggers increased state oversight.

The list includes the state's three largest educational entities: Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma City Public Schools, and Epic Charter School. Tulsa enrolls more than 32,000 students, while Oklahoma City serves approximately 31,000. Epic, a virtual charter school with about 29,000 students, stated it is implementing targeted academic interventions and strengthening instruction regardless of the designation. Superintendent Shaun Ross argued that the new standard relies on historical data that does not fully capture current academic progress.

The rule took effect for the 2025-26 school year but relies on test scores from 2023-24 and 2024-25. The agency explained that more recent results were unavailable during the accreditation review process. Former state Superintendent Ryan Walters proposed the rule in 2024 to hold districts accountable for academic outcomes. Governor Kevin Stitt approved the measure after the Legislature took no action, shifting accreditation beyond compliance with financial and operational laws to include student achievement.

Board member Becky Carson stated before the vote that her priority is ensuring the state supports these districts so they can move off the warning list. Tulsa and Oklahoma City both noted that they outpaced statewide growth rates on annual tests. Oklahoma City acknowledged it would not meet the threshold based on the historical data used, while Tulsa cited momentum over three consecutive years. Education advocates and legislative Democrats had previously opposed the change, arguing it would unfairly penalize districts with higher poverty rates and more English language learners.

The accreditation results show that 358 districts received accreditation with no deficiencies. One hundred districts had one deficiency, and 25 had more than one. The 59 districts placed on warning now face a specific timeline to improve test scores or face further state intervention.