New Oklahoma Rule Downgrades 59 Districts Over Test Scores

Fifty-nine Oklahoma school districts, including the state’s three largest, have been downgraded to “accredited with warning” after students’ reading and math scores fell below a new state threshold. The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted Thursday to apply the academic designation for the first time. Eight other districts also received the warning for nonacademic deficiencies.

The decision adds academic performance to a process that previously focused on legal, financial and operational requirements. Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma City Public Schools and Epic Charter School are among those affected. The change puts districts’ accreditation status at risk based on test results from two school years before the reviews, rather than the most recent results.

How the new standard works

The rule, which took effect in the 2025-26 school year, triggers a warning when more than half of a district’s students score “below basic” on state reading or math tests for two consecutive years. The accreditation reviews used results from 2023-24 and 2024-25 because newer scores were not available, the Oklahoma State Department of Education said.

The state defines “below basic” as not demonstrating even partial mastery of grade-level content. The designation signals that a student is not on track to be college- or career-ready by the end of high school. For 56 of the 59 academically downgraded districts, the test-score deficiency was the only reason for the warning, according to the department.

What the warnings could mean

A district whose scores do not improve by 5% could be moved to probation, a lower accreditation tier that brings additional state oversight. “Accredited with warning” means a deficiency seriously detracts from the quality of a district’s education program, according to state documents.

Former state Superintendent Ryan Walters proposed the rule in 2024, arguing that accreditation should hold districts accountable for academic performance. Gov. Kevin Stitt approved it after the Legislature took no action. Some education advocates and Democratic lawmakers opposed the policy, saying it could unfairly penalize districts with more students experiencing poverty or learning English as a non-native language. Epic Superintendent Shaun Ross said the charter school is pursuing academic interventions and other improvements. Tulsa and Oklahoma City did not immediately comment.

This report draws on information from the74million.org.