The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Math. The lowest is 34% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Santa Fe South Spero Es
Santa Fe South Spero Elementary is a public charter school in Oklahoma City, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Santa Fe South Charter Schools network, a group of charter schools in the city’s southern corridor. As a charter school, it operates with its own governance within the public system, and families choose to enroll here rather than being assigned by a residential boundary.
The school’s student body is strongly homogeneous in its racial and ethnic composition. Nearly all students identify as Hispanic. The remaining enrollment includes a small number of students who are white, two or more races, or American Indian or Alaska Native. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available in the source materials; a parent may want to ask the school directly about these supports, particularly since a school this size often serves a range of needs.
On state assessments, the school’s math results trend upward across the tested grades. In third grade, a little over half of students scored at the proficient level or above. That share rose in fourth grade and was noticeably higher in fifth grade, where a strong majority met that bar. Reading and English language arts results were lower overall. In third grade, just over two out of five students were proficient or above. Fourth grade saw a steeper drop, with roughly one in four students reaching that level. Fifth grade reading proficiency was about a third of students. In fifth-grade science, just under half of students tested as proficient or above.
When placed alongside other districts in Oklahoma County, the school scores in the top quartile on an overall proficiency index that averages results across subjects and grades. That is a strong relative showing, given the range of performance across the county. Because the data reflects a single year and the state changed its cut scores for reading and math in this testing cycle, comparisons to prior years are not straightforward. The school’s academic story will be clearer after another year of testing under the current standards.
The school is located in south Oklahoma City, on South Santa Fe Avenue. Oklahoma City itself is a sprawling state capital with a large geographic footprint. The economy here is anchored by energy, aviation, federal employment, and the livestock market. The city has invested heavily in downtown revitalization through its MAPS programs, though the school’s neighborhood is well south of the urban core in a part of the city that is largely residential and car-dependent. Housing values in the surrounding ZIP code were below both the state and national averages in recent data, and rents were modest relative to national benchmarks. That context suggests that the area is relatively affordable, which may be a practical consideration for families choosing among schools.
Santa Fe South Spero Elementary serves only elementary grades. There is no graduation rate to report because the school does not extend into high school. The school does not serve grades that take high school exit exams, so those measures do not apply. Students who continue in the Santa Fe South charter network after fifth grade would move on to a middle and high school within the same system, but data on those schools was not part of this profile.
The district brief searched for recent news about the Santa Fe South charter network but did not return specific information on bond measures, referendums, or administrative changes for the period reviewed. A parent who wants to understand the network’s financial trajectory or plans for expansion would need to check the district’s own public materials or board meeting records.
Overall, Santa Fe South Spero Elementary presents as a school with clear relative strength in math, especially by fifth grade, and a more challenged reading profile, particularly at the fourth-grade level. Its student population is overwhelmingly Hispanic, and it operates in a part of the metro area where housing costs are below state norms. The charter structure means it is a school of choice; families who enroll are opting into this specific academic community rather than a geographically assigned school.
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