The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Science. The lowest is 26% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Alcott Ms
Alcott Middle School serves students in sixth through eighth grade and is one of several middle schools in the Norman Public Schools district, which sits in Cleveland County southwest of Oklahoma City. The school is located near the University of Oklahoma and is part of a district that has been navigating enrollment changes and school closures in recent years.
The student body reflects the broader Norman community, with a majority of white students and a sizable share of students who identify as Hispanic. Smaller populations of students who are two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander are also represented. The school is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and its grade band means it touches on a critical transition period for young adolescents.
On the most recent state assessments, which use Oklahoma's School Testing Program (OSTP) and were administered after the state made changes to cut scores for both math and English language arts, proficiency rates hovered in a modest range across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or above was roughly a third in the sixth and eighth grades and a bit higher in seventh grade. Math results showed a similar pattern, with the seventh-grade cohort again posting a slightly higher rate than the sixth or eighth grade. Eighth-grade science, which was not affected by the recent cut-score changes, saw a larger share of students reach the proficient mark than in either math or English language arts at that grade level. Overall, when combining all tested subjects and grades into a single proficiency index, the school landed above the midpoint among districts in Cleveland County.
Because Alcott only serves middle school grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism and on special populations such as students with disabilities or English learners was not available in the materials reviewed. A parent who wants a full picture of how the school supports different learners may wish to follow up directly with the school or district to ask about those services and outcomes.
The school’s housing market context is shaped by Norman itself, a city that functions partly as a bedroom community to Oklahoma City and partly as a university town anchored by the University of Oklahoma. The city has grown steadily over the decades, with the 2020 census showing a population that has continued to rise. Home values in the area around Alcott are roughly in line with state-level benchmarks, and rents have been climbing. The unemployment rate has been steady at a level typical for the region, and real median household income has been trending upward nationally, suggesting an area of relative economic stability.
The Norman Public Schools district has undergone notable changes recently that affect the feeder patterns families should know about. Lincoln and Reagan elementary schools were closed after the 2022-23 school year due to declining enrollment and budget pressures, which reshaped attendance zones. At the same time, voters approved a substantial bond issue in 2023, the largest in district history, to fund facility upgrades, security improvements, and technology across the district. These changes may influence which elementary school feeds into Alcott and what kind of physical environment families can expect at the school.
For a family considering Alcott, the picture is one of a mid-sized traditional middle school in a growing university city, with state test results that are modest and sit near the middle of the pack among the county's districts. The recent district-wide investments in facilities and the consolidation of elementary schools are active changes that could affect both the school’s condition and its attendance boundaries. Families who place a high priority on strong state assessment outcomes may want to look into the school’s academic supports and classroom instruction further, particularly in math and English language arts where proficiency rates are lower. The school offers no data on program offerings, staffing ratios, or disciplinary climate in the available records, so those are areas where a direct conversation with the school would be valuable.
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