The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in Math. The lowest is 13% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Talihina Es
Talihina Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in a small, rural community nestled in the Kiamichi Valley. The town has deep Choctaw Nation roots, and the school reflects that heritage: a substantial share of the student body identifies as American Indian or Alaska Native. The remainder of the enrollment is mostly white, with small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The school is part of the Talihina Public School District, which serves this single town.
The school is compact, with an enrollment that is small for a typical elementary school serving through sixth grade. Given the town's size and its location at the junction of several state highways, families should expect a quiet, rural setting. The Choctaw Nation Health Center is a major local employer, and outdoor tourism tied to the Talimena Scenic Drive and the Ouachita National Forest shapes the local economy. Housing values in the area are below national and state benchmarks, reflecting the region's modest cost of living and limited development pressure.
Academically, the picture is mixed and warrants a close look. State testing data from the most recent school year shows that proficiency rates in math and reading were low for most grade levels where results were reported. In third-grade math and reading, for example, the share of students scoring proficient or above was roughly one in ten. Fifth-grade math showed about one in five students reaching that bar, while fifth-grade reading and science each showed about one in seven. Results for fourth-grade reading and sixth-grade math and reading were suppressed, which can happen when the number of students tested is very small; a parent may want to ask the school directly what those numbers reflect. When compared with other districts in Le Flore County, Talihina's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint. That is not a strong endorsement: the county's own range runs well below state averages, so being in the middle of this cohort still leaves a large attainment gap relative to state and national norms.
Discipline data, chronic absenteeism rates, and staffing ratios were not available in the data provided. A parent interested in those areas would need to inquire with the district directly. The school's grade band means there is no graduation rate to report, as that metric applies only to high schools.
What a family should weigh here is the trade-off between a very small, rural, durable community and the academic outcomes. The school environment is defined by its setting: a town that has seen a long, gradual population decline and that depends on a health center and seasonal tourism for economic stability. There are no major housing developments or growth pressures reshaping the area. For a family that values a small-town, nature-oriented lifestyle and wants a school where their child will be in a small cohort, Talihina Elementary offers that. The academic proficiency numbers, however, suggest that a parent should engage closely with the school to understand what supports are in place for students who need to build foundational skills.
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