John Marshall Ms, Oklahoma City OK

Original Research by School Decision on John Marshall Ms

John Marshall Middle School serves grades five through eight in Oklahoma City, operating as part of the Oklahoma City Public Schools system. It is a standard public middle school, not a charter or magnet, and it sits in the northern part of the city on North Portland Avenue. The school is large enough to fill four grade levels with a student body that is racially and ethnically diverse: the majority of students are Black, a substantial share are Hispanic, and smaller portions are White, two or more races, or other backgrounds. There is no publicly available data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, or on the share of students with disabilities or English learner status, which means a parent cannot tell from this record alone what level of economic need or language support the school serves. Those are meaningful gaps to be aware of.

Academically, the state assessment results for the most recent school year are very low across all tested subjects and grades. In mathematics, the proportion of students scoring proficient or above ranged from a tiny fraction in fifth and eighth grade to a still very small share in sixth and seventh grade. In English language arts, the numbers were slightly higher but still low, with the best showing in sixth grade where roughly one in nine students met the bar; in the other three grades the proficient share was well below that. Science results were similarly low in fifth and eighth grades. Overall proficiency across all subjects and grades places John Marshall in the bottom quarter when compared with other districts in Oklahoma County. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was available. A parent considering this school would want to investigate what academic supports, interventions, and programs are in place to address these outcomes, as the record does not describe them.

The data also provides no information about course offerings, extracurricular programs, staffing ratios, discipline, or attendance patterns. For a middle school, these are important details that are simply missing from this snapshot. A family would need to contact the school directly or review its website to learn about electives, athletics, arts, or any specialized pathways.

The housing market in the zip code covering this area shows home values that are roughly in line with typical U.S. levels and rents that are moderate relative to incomes. The national backdrop of mortgage rates and unemployment is unremarkable, suggesting the area is not under extreme economic stress but also not notably buoyant. Oklahoma City itself is a large, sprawling state capital with a diverse economy anchored by energy, aviation, federal jobs, and livestock markets. The school sits within a city that has invested in downtown revitalization through tax-funded projects, though the residential neighborhoods north of downtown are generally auto-oriented with limited walkability. The community context is urban, but the school’s immediate surroundings are suburban in feel given the location on a major arterial.

What stands out most clearly is the academic performance, which is very low by any measure and places John Marshall among the weakest-performing schools in the county on state tests. A parent choosing this school should expect to be highly engaged in their child’s learning and to seek out supplementary support, as the typical achievement levels are far below grade-level expectations. Without more information on programs or interventions, it is difficult to say what the school is doing to change that trajectory. The diversity of the student body is a plain characteristic, not a judgment, but it may appeal to families seeking a multi-ethnic peer environment. The absence of data on special education and English learner services is a particular concern for families whose children might need those supports. This narrative cannot fill those gaps, and they are worth following up with the school directly.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 51%

School 1% · District 9% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 63%

School 3% · District 12% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 74%

School 4% · District 10% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 81%

School 1% · District 9% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 13% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 611%

School 11% · District 14% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 76%

School 6% · District 11% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 13% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Science

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 15% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 21% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

This schoolOKLAHOMA CITY, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 7Lower-income11%Higher-income23%12 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income1%Higher-income8%6 pp gap