The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in Math. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Liberty Es
Liberty ES is an elementary school in Ponca City serving kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Ponca City district in north-central Oklahoma. The school operates in a city whose economy has long been tied to the petroleum industry, anchored by the Phillips 66 refinery, and which has experienced steady population decline as ConocoPhillips reduced its local workforce. Recent efforts have aimed to diversify into technology, manufacturing, and service sectors. The housing market in the area is more affordable than national benchmarks, with home values and rents that are modest relative to the country as a whole. A family considering Liberty ES would be looking at a school in a community that is working to rebuild its economic base after significant job losses.
The student body of roughly a couple hundred children is racially and ethnically diverse. Around half of the students are white, and the remainder come from a mix of backgrounds, with the largest other groups being students who identify as two or more races, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska Native. Smaller shares are Black or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Information about the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, receiving special education services, or classified as English learners was not reported, which makes it harder to assess the level of economic or academic support needs in the building. A parent who wants to understand the full context of the school’s student supports may want to ask the school directly for these figures.
On state assessments administered through Oklahoma’s OSTP, Liberty ES posted results that varied notably by grade and subject. Fourth-grade math showed a higher proficiency rate than other tested grades in that subject, while third and fifth grade math results were markedly lower. English language arts results across third, fourth, and fifth grades were also on the lower side, and fifth-grade science proficiency was similarly low. Oklahoma changed the cut scores for the math and English language arts tests in the year these results were reported, so comparisons to prior years are not straightforward. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Kay County. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to consider.
No data was available on course access, staffing levels, discipline rates, or attendance patterns. Without that information, a parent cannot assess factors like class size, chronic absenteeism, or the range of enrichment or intervention programs from the data at hand. It may be useful to visit the school or speak with administrators about what supports are in place.
Liberty ES is a regular public elementary school; it is not a charter or magnet school. Its Title I status was not reported. The district brief did not turn up any recent major changes or initiatives that are widely publicized. The school’s peer environment reflects the demographic makeup of its Ponca City neighborhood, and the broader community context is one of modest housing costs and economic adaptation after a long dependence on the oil industry. Families looking for an elementary school in this part of Oklahoma will find a small school where academic outcomes on state tests generally fall below the middle of the pack in the county, with some grade-level variation that encourages further inquiry.
See more original research from School Decision →