The top reported proficiency rate is 22% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Cyril Es
Cyril Elementary School is a small, rural public school in southwestern Oklahoma that serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is the only elementary school in the Cyril district, drawing its student body from the town of the same name and the surrounding area of southeastern Caddo County. For a family considering this school, the context of the community is as important as what happens inside the building.
Cyril itself is a town that has seen better economic days. Once an agricultural community that grew into an oil-refining hub, it lost its dominant employer when the refinery closed in the mid-1980s. The site is now a Superfund environmental cleanup area, and the town’s population has declined over the long term. What remains is a small, compact residential community with limited commercial activity, situated at the junction of a US highway and two state highways. The local economy today likely relies on small businesses, agriculture, and commuting to larger nearby towns like Chickasha, Lawton, or Anadarko. Families moving here should expect a quiet, rural setting with a tight-knit feel but few of the amenities found in a growing suburb.
The school’s enrollment is small, serving a student body across eight grade levels from PK through sixth grade. The demographic composition is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, and a smaller share who identify as two or more races. Very few students are Hispanic, and the Asian population is minimal. Data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available in the data provided, so a parent may want to ask the school about these support structures directly.
Academically, the state assessment results from the 2024-25 school year paint a mixed picture that a parent will want to examine closely. Oklahoma changed its cut scores for the math and English language arts tests that year, which means performance levels are not directly comparable to prior years. In math, the proportion of students scoring proficient or above was low across grades four, five, and six, with a modest spread upward from fourth to sixth grade. The third-grade math result was suppressed for data privacy reasons, likely because the tested group was small enough that a reported rate could identify individual students. In English language arts, proficiency was more varied: third graders posted a noticeably stronger result, while sixth graders had a much lower rate. Fourth- and fifth-grade ELA results were also suppressed. Science results for fifth grade were suppressed as well. When data was available to report, the overall pattern shows a school where a minority of students are meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark, and where performance tends to be lower in the upper elementary grades. Across all tested subjects and grades, Cyril Elementary’s combined proficiency index sits above the midpoint when compared with other school districts in Caddo County, though the range among those districts is narrow, and even the top-performing district in the county posts a modest overall proficiency rate.
Because the school only goes through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, nor data on chronic absenteeism. Nothing in the district brief pointed to any major recent changes in programming, leadership, or facilities that a parent would need to track.
The school environment data was also thin. No information was available on class sizes, teacher qualifications, discipline rates, or the availability of specialized programs. The school’s status regarding Title I funding was not provided. For a family weighing a move here, these are significant gaps. A parent should ask directly about teacher retention, the range of support services, and whether the school offers any enrichment or intervention programs, especially since the academic data suggests that a majority of students in the tested grades are not yet reaching proficiency in math or reading.
For the right family, Cyril Elementary offers a small-scale, familiar setting in a quiet town with a deep, if struggling, local history. The peer environment is a small cohort of children from a rural community that has experienced long-term economic contraction. A parent who values a very small school and is prepared to be an active partner in their child’s academic progress, given the proficiency results, may find it a good fit. A parent looking for robust program offerings, high overall test scores, or a school in a growth area will likely want to look further.
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