The top reported proficiency rate is 11% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Talihina Jhs
Talihina Junior High School, serving seventh and eighth grades, is the only middle-level school in the Talihina district, a small rural system in southeastern Oklahoma’s Le Flore County. The town itself sits in the Kiamichi Valley, a compact community founded as a railroad stop that now markets itself as a gateway to outdoor recreation along the Talimena Scenic Drive and the Ouachita National Forest. The student body is small, and its composition reflects the area’s deep Choctaw Nation roots, with a roughly even split between students who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native and those who identify as white, along with a small number of students who identify as two or more races. The school’s enrollment is large enough to form two full grade-level cohorts but small enough that a family will find a close-knit environment where every student is known.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show that the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quarter of districts in Le Flore County. In seventh-grade math and English language arts, the share of students scoring at the proficient level was very small. Eighth-grade results were slightly higher in both subjects but still low by the county’s median standard. Science results for eighth grade were suppressed, meaning the data did not meet reporting thresholds, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how science instruction is performing. The state changed proficiency cut scores for math and English language arts in this testing year, and it is not yet clear how that change affects trend comparisons with prior years.
These outcomes are a significant soft spot, and a parent considering this school would want to understand what academic supports are in place. The school itself does not provide publicly available data on class sizes, staffing credentials, or course access for these grades. The district’s curriculum and any intervention programs were not found in available public sources. Given the small size of the school, the district likely has limited resources for specialized teachers or advanced coursework at the junior high level, though this cannot be confirmed from the data. A family with a student who needs strong acceleration or remediation may want to speak directly with the principal about how the school meets a range of academic needs.
The town of Talihina has a population that has been declining over recent decades. Housing values in the area are well below the national median, and the local economy centers on the Choctaw Nation Health Center, tourism from the nearby scenic byway and lakes, and a modest historic downtown. Families who live in the district likely know each other, and the school is the natural hub for this age group in the community. There is no information about whether the school has a Title I designation or about the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, but given the economic context, that share is likely substantial. No data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available, nor were any graduation-related measures, since this school does not serve graduation-eligible grades.
Talihina Junior High School fits a family who wants a very small, rural school in a tight-knit community where the school is woven into the town’s identity. The academic proficiency numbers are low, and a parent should expect to work closely with the school to understand what supports are available for their child. The school does not offer the breadth of programming found in larger districts, but for a family rooted in Talihina or the surrounding area, it serves as the local option for the middle grades, with the high school being the next step in the same district.
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