The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Science. The lowest is 40% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Mclish Ms
McLish Middle School serves grades five through eight in the Stonewall school district, located in a small, rural town in Pontotoc County. The school is relatively small, a characteristic that often allows for closer relationships between students and staff, and it sits within a community that has experienced population decline over time. Stonewall was once more commercially active, but after a state highway was rerouted away from the town center, local business slowed considerably, and many residents now commute to Ada for work. The school itself is widely described as the hub of the community, alongside a few churches and a nursing home.
The student body draws from this rural setting and is notably diverse in its racial and ethnic composition. White students make up the largest single group, but nearly a quarter of the students are American Indian or Alaska Native, and another quarter identify as two or more races. The presence of a meaningful Native American population is a distinguishing characteristic of this school's peer environment. Information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available in the data provided, so a parent may want to follow up with the school directly on those points.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed and somewhat incomplete. Testing results were suppressed for several grade levels, often owing to small numbers of test-takers, which is common in a school this size. The most reportable results come from the eighth-grade cohort. In math, roughly half of eighth graders scored at or above the proficient level on the Oklahoma School Testing Program assessments. In English language arts, the rate was lower, with about two-fifths of eighth graders meeting proficiency. In science, a subject tested only in fifth and eighth grade, the eighth-grade results showed a higher share of students reaching proficiency, with a majority scoring at or above that benchmark. Because many grade-level results were suppressed, it is difficult to get a complete view of how all students across the middle school are performing, particularly in the earlier grades. A parent may want to ask the school for more detailed local data to fill in those gaps.
When compared to other districts in Pontotoc County, McLish Middle School places in the top quartile for overall proficiency across the subjects and grades that had reportable results. This is a relative strength within its county. However, the school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available. The school is not a charter school, and no information was provided about its magnet or Title I status. There were no program offerings listed in the data, such as gifted and talented, career and technical education, or other elective pathways, so parents should inquire about what is available for students in these middle grades.
The town of Stonewall is entirely rural and car-dependent, with minimal street life and a low-density built environment. Housing values in the surrounding area, based on the ZIP code, are modest relative to national benchmarks, and the area has seen some appreciation in recent years, though the broader town has been in a period of stagnation. The school district's own publicly reported recent changes were minimal, suggesting a period of stability rather than significant turnover or new initiatives. For a family looking for a small, rural school with a close community feel and a student body that includes a significant Native American presence, McLish Middle School fits that profile. A parent may want to probe further on the academic trajectory for grades where data was suppressed and on the full range of course offerings available to middle schoolers.
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