Santa Fe South West Middle School, Oklahoma City OK

Original Research by School Decision on Santa Fe South West Middle School

Santa Fe South West Middle School is a charter school in Oklahoma City serving grades five through eight. It is part of the Santa Fe South Charter Schools network, a small district that operates independently within the city’s sprawling geography. The school sits in the southwestern part of Oklahoma City, an area characterized by the city’s typical auto-oriented development and wide arterials. Oklahoma City itself is a state capital and energy-economy anchor, one of the largest U.S. cities by land area, with a dense downtown core and vast stretches of residential and industrial zones. The school’s immediate housing market shows home values somewhat below the statewide median, while rents run slightly above it, reflecting the area’s mix of older single-family homes and apartment stock.

The academic picture from the most recent state testing is clear and sobering. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced was in the low to very low teens across grades five through seven, and near zero for grade eight. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: proficiency rates in the single digits for most grades, and again near zero for eighth graders. Science results were also low, with single-digit proficiency in both tested grades. Compared with other districts across Oklahoma County, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter of the county’s roughly three dozen districts. Oklahoma changed its test cut scores recently, which means year-over-year trend comparisons are not possible from this single year of data; the school’s results should be understood as a snapshot under a new scoring framework rather than a decline from a prior baseline. A parent reviewing these results will want to discuss with the school how it supports students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks and what academic interventions are in place.

Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to consider, and chronic absenteeism data was not provided in the available records. The school’s enrollment is modest relative to many middle schools, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a very small number of students from other racial and ethnic groups. Data on economic disadvantage, English learner status, and special education identification was not available in this profile, so a parent would need to ask the school directly what share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals or receive language support services. The school is a charter, which means it operates under a performance contract with its authorizer and has some autonomy over curriculum and staffing. No information about programs such as advanced coursework, electives, or extracurricular activities was provided, so families interested in those offerings should check the school’s website or visit in person.

The community context is Oklahoma City, a large and growing metropolis where the economy is dominated by energy, aviation, federal employment, and government. The city has invested heavily in downtown revitalization through the MAPS program, but the school’s location in southwest Oklahoma City is more residential and car-dependent than the core. The district itself did not have any readily available public reporting on recent bond measures, enrollment trends, or leadership changes; the profile turned up no such information, so families should ask the district about any upcoming facility improvements or academic initiatives.

Santa Fe South West Middle School serves a predominantly Hispanic student body in a charter setting within a large, sprawling city. Its test results are low relative to county peers, and the data does not include several pieces of context that would help a family understand the full picture of support and programming. For a parent weighing this option, a direct conversation with the school about intervention strategies, English learner services, and enrichment opportunities would be a necessary next step.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 40% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 27% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 719%

School 19% · District 40% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 31% · ▼ 27 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 22% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 27% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 22% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 22% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 22% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 86%

School 6% · District 34% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

This schoolSANTA FE SOUTH (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.