The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in Science. The lowest is 27% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on 7th and 8th Grade Academic Ctr
The 7th and 8th Grade Academic Center in Poteau is a standalone middle-level school serving only seventh and eighth graders within the Poteau Public Schools system. It shares the district’s name but operates as a separate campus from Pansy Kidd Middle School, which serves younger grades, and from Poteau Senior High School. That grade configuration means the school focuses entirely on the transition years before high school, with no elementary or high school cohorts on site.
Academically, the school’s performance is a layered story. On the 2024–25 Oklahoma state assessments, the share of students scoring at the proficient level or above was modest: roughly a quarter of seventh graders and just under a third of eighth graders in both math and English language arts, and a larger share—above two-fifths—of eighth graders in science. Because Oklahoma changed its cut scores for math and ELA that same year, the results are not directly comparable to prior years, so there is no clear trend line yet. What stands out is how these numbers position the school within Le Flore County. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s composite proficiency index placed it in the top quartile among the county’s districts. That means, while the absolute rates are not high, they are among the stronger ones in a largely rural, resource-limited region. A parent looking at the figures alone may want to ask the school about its approach to moving more students across the proficiency bar, especially in math and reading, where the numbers are lower.
No data was available for free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education, or English learner status. Those are meaningful gaps for understanding the support needs of the student body. Enrollment runs to a few hundred students, evenly split between the two grades. Racially and ethnically, the school is majority white, with sizable shares of Hispanic students and American Indian or Alaska Native students, plus a smaller group identifying as two or more races. Asian students make up a very small presence, and no Black students were reported enrolled.
Poteau itself is a small city that serves as the county seat of Le Flore County. It is car-dependent and sits in a valley near the Arkansas border. The community is family-oriented, with a median age that skews younger than many rural towns. Carl Albert State College and a Kiamichi Technology Center branch are both in town, giving students a visible postsecondary option just down the road. Housing is relatively affordable, with home values below the state average, which may factor into family decisions about moving into the district.
There is no publicly available information about program offerings at this school—no mention of advanced coursework, arts, or career-oriented electives. Because it is a middle-level school, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was also absent. The district itself, according to the available research, has not undergone any major policy, curriculum, or facility changes in recent years that would be relevant to a family weighing enrollment.
For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is a mixed academic picture: the school outperforms many of its neighbors in the county, but the proficiency numbers themselves are low in absolute terms. The lack of demographic support data and program details makes it harder to assess how the school serves different student groups. The setting is a stable, affordable rural county seat with a young population and local college access. A parent would benefit from a direct conversation with the school about instruction, student support, and the range of opportunities available to seventh and eighth graders.
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