The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in Science. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Stilwell Ms
Stilwell MS serves fifth through eighth grades in the town of Stilwell, the county seat of Adair County in eastern Oklahoma. The school sits in a small, rural community with a strong Cherokee identity, a low cost of living, and a modest population that declined slightly in the last census. Major local employers include Cherokee Nation Industries, Tyson Foods, and manufacturing firms, and the town has invested recently in a wellness center, a golf course under construction, and new housing. For families considering this school, the setting is a tight-knit rural town with limited commercial density and a historic downtown anchored by the county courthouse.
State test results from the most recent year show low rates of proficiency in math, reading, and science at every grade level. In math, the share of students meeting the state standard ranged from a very small proportion in fifth grade to a somewhat larger but still modest share in eighth grade. Reading proficiency was similarly low across grades, with roughly one in seven or fewer students reaching the proficient level. In science, a similar pattern held, with the highest performance in eighth grade. The state changed the cut scores for math and English language arts in recent years, which makes it difficult to compare these results to earlier years. Among the school districts in Adair County, Stilwell MS sits at the midpoint in overall proficiency; a few districts posted higher results and a few posted lower ones. A family may want to discuss these outcomes directly with the school and ask what instructional strategies and interventions are in place.
The student body is small for a four-grade middle school, with a total enrollment distributed fairly evenly across fifth through eighth grades. The population is diverse: American Indian students make up the largest share, reflecting the town’s deep Cherokee heritage, followed by White and Hispanic students. Smaller numbers identify as two or more races, Asian, and Black. Economic data for the school itself was not available, but the community is described as one of the poorer in Oklahoma, with a high poverty rate, and the district as a whole is designated low-income and rural.
A notable development with direct implications for families is that Stilwell Public Schools secured a federal Full-Service Community Schools grant. This funding is being used to implement wraparound services, integrated student supports, and expanded learning across all three district schools, including this middle school. The grant includes a cradle-to-career commitment and onsite childcare. This is a structural investment in student and family support that goes beyond typical school resources.
Several areas of information were not present in the available records. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, students with disabilities, English learners, discipline incidents, staffing ratios, attendance rates, and chronic absenteeism were absent. A parent or guardian may wish to ask the school directly for these details.
Stilwell MS operates in a community with a distinct cultural identity and a recent infusion of federal support aimed at strengthening the school’s role as a hub for services. The test results show that academic achievement is an area where many students are not yet meeting state standards, and families will want to understand how the school addresses that gap alongside its broader support framework.
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