The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in Science. The lowest is 13% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Pershing Es
Pershing ES is an elementary school in the Muskogee district, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The school sits within the city of Muskogee, a mid-sized eastern Oklahoma city that functions as a regional industrial and economic center. Muskogee has a working-class texture, with a historic but somewhat faded commercial core and significant industrial employment anchored by a large Georgia-Pacific plant. The city’s population has declined over the past decade, though recent estimates suggest the drop has stabilized. Housing in the area is notably affordable, with home values well below state and national benchmarks, and rents are also low relative to incomes. The economic context is one of modest means, with a median household income below the national figure and a poverty rate that is elevated.
Pershing ES serves a student body that is diverse in its racial and ethnic composition. The largest single group is students who identify as two or more races, followed by white students, Black students, American Indian or Alaska Native students, and Hispanic students. Asian students make up a very small share. The school does not report data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor on the share of students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent cannot assess the level of economic or academic support need from the available information.
State testing results for the 2024-25 school year show that proficiency rates across all tested subjects and grades are low. In math, the share of students scoring at the proficient or above level was in the single digits for third grade and fifth grade, and reached roughly one in five for fourth grade. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: third grade proficiency was very low, fourth grade was modestly higher, and fifth grade was the strongest of the three, though still well below a majority. Science, tested only in fifth grade, had a higher proficiency rate than either math or ELA at that grade, but still fell short of a majority. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across all tested subjects and grades, places it below the midpoint among districts in Muskogee County. The state changed its cut scores for math and ELA in this testing cycle, which means these results cannot be directly compared to prior years, so a parent cannot tell from this data alone whether performance is improving or declining.
Because Pershing ES serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not offer high school programs such as Advanced Placement, career pathways, or dual credit, as those are not part of an elementary curriculum. No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing was available, so a parent would need to ask the school directly about those areas.
The school is part of the Muskogee district, which covers the city and its surrounding area. The district brief turned up no recent major changes or initiatives of lasting impact, so a parent should expect a stable administrative environment without a notable new program or restructuring to consider.
For a family considering Pershing ES, the picture is straightforward. The school serves a diverse elementary population in a city with an industrial economy and affordable housing. Academic proficiency rates on state assessments are low across all tested subjects and grades, and the school’s overall performance sits below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Muskogee County. A parent may want to ask the school directly about academic support programs, intervention strategies, and how the school works with students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks. The absence of data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education, and English learner populations means a family cannot gauge the level of additional resources or targeted instruction the school provides from this information alone.
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