John W Rex Charter Elementary, Oklahoma City OK

Original Research by School Decision on John W Rex Charter Elementary

John W Rex Charter Elementary is a downtown Oklahoma City charter school serving students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. The school occupies a single building at 500 West Sheridan, placing it in the heart of the city's government and business core, a short walk from the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Myriad Botanical Gardens, and the Bricktown entertainment district. For families considering this school, the downtown location is a central characteristic, not merely an address. The school draws from across Oklahoma City, a sprawling state capital that combines a dense urban core with vast residential and industrial stretches. The city's economy is anchored by energy, aviation, federal employment at Tinker Air Force Base, and state government, and it has invested heavily in downtown revitalization through its MAPS programs. Housing values in the school's immediate zip code sit above the national median, with rents also above the national typical figure, reflecting the downtown premium; the broader Oklahoma City market offers a wide range of more affordable suburban options a short drive away.

This is a charter school, meaning it operates with public funding but with its own governing board and enrollment process, separate from the traditional Oklahoma City Public Schools system. The school serves a diverse student body, drawing from across the city rather than a defined neighborhood attendance zone. The student body reflects a broad racial and economic mix. Families should understand that enrollment is by application or lottery, not by address, and that the school's downtown footprint is compact with no traditional campus grounds.

For grade-level academic performance, the 2024-25 state test results present a mixed picture that parents will want to examine closely. In mathematics, proficiency rates for all students varied widely by grade. Third grade showed a solid share of students meeting or exceeding the state standard, and fourth and seventh grades also posted rates above the typical level for the grade. Fifth, sixth, and eighth grades, however, showed much lower proficiency rates. A similar pattern appeared in English language arts, where the strongest results were in third grade, with declining rates across the upper elementary and middle school grades. Science results for fifth grade were on the lower end, and eighth-grade science data was suppressed and not available for public release. The school's composite proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades placed it above the midpoint among districts in Oklahoma County, a broad comparison set of several dozen districts. These scores come from the Oklahoma School Testing Program, and the state adjusted its cut scores for math and ELA in this testing cycle, meaning the results are not directly comparable to prior years. A parent should ask the school how it understands these grade-by-grade variations and what instructional supports are in place.

The school model is a K-8 program, which means students remain in the same building for their entire elementary and middle school career, then must transition to a high school for ninth grade. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Information on special education services, English learner support, class sizes, and chronic absenteeism was not available in the data we reviewed. The district brief on John W Rex Charter turned up no recent major curriculum changes, referendums, or leadership transitions of note.

For a family weighing this school, the core questions revolve around fit. A charter school in a downtown urban setting, a diverse enrollment by design, and a strong early-grade reading performance in third grade are attributes some families seek. The notable declines in math and literacy proficiency as students move through the grade levels, especially by fifth and sixth grade, are a soft spot that a family should discuss directly with the school. This is a place that serves a specific downtown-centered mission, and a parent considering it should visit, ask about the middle school instructional model, and understand how the school addresses the transition from elementary to its upper grades and then to high school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 48%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 516%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 10%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 33%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 17%

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 37%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 26%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 33%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 38%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 31%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

This schoolJOHN W REX CHARTER, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income68%Higher-income83%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income91%44 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income60%31 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income70%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income44%6 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income46%Higher-income72%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income43%Higher-income65%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income34%Higher-income80%46 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income17%Higher-income33%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income57%36 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income50%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income39%Higher-income72%33 pp gap