The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in Math. The lowest is 23% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Altus Es
Altus Elementary serves just two grade levels, third and fourth, in the Altus Public School District of southwestern Oklahoma. The city itself is defined by the presence of Altus Air Force Base, a major training installation that anchors the local economy alongside manufacturing, food processing, and agriculture. Altus has experienced a steady decline in population over recent decades, and the housing market reflects that broader trend, with typical home values below the state average and a market that has seen some softening. For a family weighing this school, the setting is one where the base brings a mix of military and civilian families, and where the economic pulse is tied to a few large institutional employers.
The student body is diverse in composition. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by white students, and smaller populations of students who identify with two or more races, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. The school serves a total enrollment that is moderate for a two-grade building. Data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are designated as English learners was not available, which limits any assessment of the level of economic or academic support needs in the building.
On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Altus Elementary posted results that place it above the midpoint relative to the other districts in Jackson County, when looking at overall proficiency across the subjects and grades tested. That is an encouraging comparative position. The actual proficiency rates themselves, however, are worth a close look. In third-grade math and in third-grade English language arts, about a quarter of students scored at the proficient or above level. In fourth-grade math, just over a third of students reached that bar. Fourth-grade English language arts came in lower, at about a fifth of students. These are not strong figures in an absolute sense, and a parent will want to ask what academic support the school provides for students who are not yet meeting the proficiency standard, particularly in reading at fourth grade, where the dip is most pronounced. The state changed the cut scores for these assessments in the same year, which means the results are not directly comparable to prior years, so it is not possible to say whether these numbers represent an improvement or a decline.
The school has no high school grades, so a graduation rate does not apply. Data on discipline, staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, and course access was not available, which leaves substantial gaps in understanding the day-to-day environment. Given the grade band, the school is not expected to offer the kind of course pathways that a high school would.
The district brief turned up no recent changes of note, and the school itself does not appear to be undergoing any major publicly reported transition. For a parent considering this school, the core picture is a mid-sized elementary serving two grades in a community shaped by a military base and a contracting population, with state test results that are middling in a county context but low in absolute terms, especially in fourth-grade reading. Talking with the school about its reading intervention approach and its support for students who are behind would be a sensible next step before forming a firm view.
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