The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in Science. The lowest is 5% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Dewar Ms
DEWAR MS serves grades six through eight in the small rural town of Dewar, Oklahoma, as part of the Dewar Public School District. The school has a very small enrollment. The student body is made up of roughly equal shares of American Indian or Alaska Native students and White students, with a handful of students who are Black, Hispanic, or identify with two or more races. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, students with disabilities, and English learner status were not provided, so a reader cannot gauge the level of economic or academic support need from this information alone.
State testing results are available for math, English language arts, and science, though the data carries important notes. The state assessment cut scores changed in recent years, which means year-over-year comparisons are not reliable. Even so, the most recent results show that proficiency rates across all three subjects are low. In math, the share of students scoring at the proficient level or above was in the low single digits in sixth grade and slightly higher but still low in seventh grade; eighth-grade math results were suppressed and not reported. In English language arts, proficiency rates were in the teens for sixth and seventh graders and dropped to the low single digits for eighth graders. In science, only eighth graders are tested, and about one in six scored proficient or above. When the school is compared with other districts in Okmulgee County using a combined proficiency index, DEWAR MS falls in the bottom quartile. Any parent considering this school will want to look closely at what academic supports and interventions are available for students who are performing below grade level.
Because DEWAR MS is a middle school, there is no four-year graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data is also absent. The available data does not include information on course offerings, staffing ratios, discipline rates, or the school’s Title I status. Without those details, a family cannot assess the breadth of programs or the school environment from this profile alone.
The town of Dewar sits on a U.S. highway roughly midway between Henryetta and Okmulgee. It was founded as a railroad depot settlement in the early twentieth century and historically depended on the railroad, coal, and petroleum industries. Those industries have since declined, and the town’s population has fallen steadily over many decades. By the most recent estimates, the population is well below its historical peak. The local economy rests on manufacturing, education, health care, retail, and social services, but no specific major employers were publicly identified. The nearest hospital and airport are in Henryetta, a short drive away. The built environment is low-density and highway-oriented, and no walkability data or active street life was evident in public records. The town still has a post office and several churches.
The district brief turned up no recent changes at the district level that met the threshold for lasting impact. That leaves families to base their decision largely on the academic results and the community context. For a parent looking at DEWAR MS, the core takeaway is a small rural middle school where state test performance is well below the county average. A family moving to the area or considering the school would benefit from visiting in person, speaking with staff about how the school supports struggling students, and asking about enrichment or intervention programs that are not captured in the data available here.
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