The top reported proficiency rate is 6% in Math. The lowest is 2% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on John Hope Franklin Es
John Hope Franklin Elementary is a public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is one of roughly 40 elementary schools in the Tulsa Public Schools district. The school is located in the northern part of the city, on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, in a residential area that has experienced economic disinvestment. The surrounding zip code has home values well below the national median, and rental costs are relatively low. This is a school where housing affordability is a clear factor in the community a family would be joining.
The student body is about as large as a typical urban elementary school. Racially and ethnically, the largest group of students is Black, followed by students who identify as two or more races, Hispanic students, White students, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students, American Indian or Alaska Native students, and Asian students. The school does not appear to have publicly reported data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, nor on the percentage of students with disabilities or English learners. Those gaps make it harder for a parent to gauge the level of concentrated poverty or special-education support at the school, and it is worth asking the school directly for that information.
On state assessments, the proficiency rates are very low. In third-grade math, about 5 percent of students scored at the proficient level or above. In fourth-grade math, about 7 percent did. In fourth-grade English language arts, about 2 percent did. Results for fifth-grade math, fifth-grade English language arts, and fifth-grade science were suppressed, likely because of small group sizes. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages the reported rates across tested subjects and grades, falls in the bottom quartile when compared with other school districts in Tulsa County. That means most other elementary schools in the county post much higher proficiency. The Oklahoma state assessment also underwent a change in cut scores for math and English language arts in recent years, so year-to-year trend comparisons are not possible with this data. Still, the level of academic mastery shown on these tests is very low, and a parent would want to understand what interventions, tutoring, or curriculum supports the school offers.
John Hope Franklin is part of the Tulsa Public Schools district, which has been navigating a difficult period. In 2023, the Oklahoma State Board of Education lowered the district’s accreditation status to “accredited with deficiencies,” citing low academic performance and concerns over library policies. The district remains open and operational but is under state scrutiny. In 2024, voters approved a substantial bond package for facility upgrades, security, technology, and instructional materials across all schools, which will eventually bring improvements. At the same time, the district has been closing under-enrolled elementary schools. Two elementaries closed in 2024. These moves reflect declining districtwide enrollment, which has fallen from a much higher figure over the past decade. That context matters because a family choosing this school should be aware that the district is actively consolidating and may adjust attendance boundaries in the future.
Tulsa itself is a midsized city with a diversified economy that includes aviation, finance, technology, and energy. Downtown has a concentration of cultural institutions and Art Deco architecture. The city has been growing steadily, though the school district’s enrollment has been shrinking, which points to families choosing other options within the city or moving to suburbs.
For a parent considering John Hope Franklin, the picture is straightforward. The school serves a racially diverse, lower-cost neighborhood. Academically, the state test results show that very few students are meeting grade-level benchmarks. The district is under a state deficiency rating and is making changes to its portfolio of schools. A family would want to visit the school, talk to the principal about academic support, and learn about reading and math programs in place before making a decision. The data does not provide information on class sizes, teacher experience, or enrichment offerings like art or music, so those are additional questions to bring to a school tour.
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