The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Science. The lowest is 48% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Earl Harris Es
Earl Harris Elementary is a public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Bethany, Oklahoma, a small city about ten miles west of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Bethany Public Schools district and operates on Asbury Street, near the center of town.
On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it in the top quartile among districts in Oklahoma County. That is a genuine strength and positions Earl Harris ahead of many peers in the county. The state tests cover math, English language arts, and science, and Oklahoma changed the cut scores for math and ELA at the start of the 2024-25 school year, which means the results are not directly comparable to prior years. The trend is unknown, so a single year’s reading should be taken as a baseline.
In third-grade math, about three out of five students met the proficiency standard. Fourth-grade math showed a lower share reaching that bar, and fifth-grade math was similar to the fourth-grade figure. In English language arts, the third-grade rate was around half of students proficient, while the fourth-grade exam result was suppressed by the state and not reported. Fifth-grade ELA came in slightly above that half mark. Fifth graders also take a science assessment, and roughly three in five were proficient. The picture is uneven across grade levels, but the composite index shows a school where students are more likely to be on track than in many other county districts.
The school enrolls a large student body for an elementary. A majority of students are white, with a substantial Hispanic population and a notable share of students identifying as two or more races. Smaller groups include American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Information on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learner status was not available in the data reviewed. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly about those supports and the share of students who qualify.
Bethany itself is a mixed suburban community founded by Nazarene settlers. It hosts two universities, Southern Nazarene University and Southwestern Christian University. The city’s commercial spine is Historic Route 66, and the downtown area holds festivals such as Bethany66 and the annual tree lighting. Most residents commute by car, and the airport on the city’s western edge supports an aviation industrial park. The housing market in the school’s ZIP code shows typical home values that are below the state average, and rents that rose notably in the past year. Homeownership is common. The city grew modestly over the past decade.
The school serves all elementary grades, and a parent moving to Bethany for the district would find a stable, moderately sized public school system. The district brief found no recent major changes such as boundary shifts, curriculum overhauls, or tax referendums in publicly available records. That absence may simply mean the district has been operating without large visible adjustments. The school’s website and directory information show it is open and fully operational.
Earl Harris Elementary offers a solid academic profile in a community that blends suburban routines with institutional anchors. For a family seeking a public elementary with proficiency above the county median, in a commuter city with a walkable downtown strip and nearby universities, this school fits. The missing pieces on economic makeup and special programs are gaps worth exploring with the school office.
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