The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in Science. The lowest is 11% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Stroud Ms
Stroud Middle School serves grades six through eight in the small Route 66 town of Stroud, Oklahoma, which sits between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The school operates under Stroud Public Schools and draws its students from a community whose economy has shifted over time from cotton and oil to light manufacturing, tribal government employment, and a budding wine industry. A destructive tornado several years ago leveled a major outlet mall and distribution center, costing a significant number of local jobs, and neither was rebuilt. The town is now in a recovery phase, with some renewed oil-and-gas activity and a push to develop industrial park sites along the interstate.
On the 2024-25 Oklahoma state assessments, the school’s proficiency rates are well below what is typical statewide. In math, the share of students scoring at the proficient level or above hovers around the low teens in grades six and seven and drops to the single digits in grade eight. In English language arts, the rates are similarly low, ranging from roughly the low teens in grade six to the single digits by grade eight. Science results are somewhat higher, with about a quarter of eighth graders reaching proficiency. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Lincoln County. The state changed its cut scores for math and ELA in this testing cycle, so a direct comparison with prior years is not possible.
The school is small, with a total enrollment that is modest for a three-grade middle school. The student body is predominantly White, with a significant representation of students who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, and a notable portion identifying as two or more races. Smaller shares of students are Hispanic, Black, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The available data does not include information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners. A parent wanting to understand the level of student support or economic need at the school would need to ask the district directly.
Home values in the area are well below the national and state medians, making Stroud a relatively affordable place to live. A typical mortgage payment on a median-priced home is modest, consistent with the lower overall cost of living in rural Oklahoma. The town’s population has declined since its peak and has not fully recovered from the tornado’s impact, and no major new housing developments were identified in publicly available information.
Stroud Middle School does not offer high school courses or pathways such as Advanced Placement or dual credit; those would be available at the high school. No information on course offerings or extracurriculars at the middle school level was found in the data. The district does not appear to have undergone any major recent changes such as a bond referendum or curriculum overhaul that would alter the school’s trajectory.
For a family considering Stroud, the academic picture is clear: proficiency rates are low across all subjects, and the school ranks near the bottom among its county peers. The community offers a quiet, affordable small-town setting with Route 66 character and some outdoor recreation, but the local economy is still working to replace jobs lost to the tornado. Parents may want to visit the school to learn about classroom instruction, student support services, and any initiatives underway to address academic performance, since the available data leaves many of those questions unanswered.
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