The top reported proficiency rate is 6% in English language arts. The lowest is 3% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cooper Es
Cooper Elementary is a PK-through-fifth-grade school within Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma’s largest district. It serves a sizable student body for an elementary school and sits in the eastern part of the city, near the intersection of major highways. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet.
The student population is heavily Hispanic, making up well over half of the school. Black students account for roughly a seventh of the enrollment, and White students a similar share. Smaller shares of students identify as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian. This is a substantially diverse school in a city that is itself diverse, and the demographic profile is a straightforward characteristic of the community it draws from.
The academic picture from the most recent state testing is a central concern. On the Oklahoma School Testing Program assessments, which cover math, English language arts, and science at the tested grade levels, the proportion of students scoring proficient or above was very low in every subject and every grade. In third-grade math and third-grade ELA, about a fraction of students reached that bar. In fourth-grade math and fourth-grade ELA, the share was smaller. In fifth-grade math and fifth-grade science, a similarly small fraction was proficient. In all tested grades and subjects, the vast majority of students scored below the proficient level. When Oklahoma changed its cut scores for math and ELA in this testing cycle, the proficiency results are not directly comparable to prior years, so year-over-year trend data was not available. Still, the single-year results place Cooper’s overall proficiency index in the bottom quartile relative to districts across Tulsa County. This is a school where a parent would want to look into the specific academic supports and interventions available.
State testing data on participation rates was missing, so it is not known how many enrolled students were actually tested. School-level data on the share of students receiving special education services, the share identified as English learners, and the share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch were also not available, all of which are relevant context for interpreting the academic results.
The school serves only elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, no advanced coursework like AP or dual-credit offerings, and no career pathway programs. This is by design of the grade band.
Tulsa Public Schools is undergoing significant change. In 2023, the state board lowered the district’s accreditation to “accredited with deficiencies” due to low academic performance and concerns over library book policies, a public signal that the district must address identified issues. In 2024, voters approved a large bond package for facility upgrades, safety, technology, and instructional materials across all schools, funded without raising tax rates because it replaces expiring debt. That same year, the board voted to close two elementary schools as part of a district-wide review prompted by declining enrollment over the past decade. That process of right-sizing may continue.
The school’s immediate neighborhood is within the city of Tulsa, a commercial and cultural hub whose economy has moved beyond its oil-boom history into aviation, finance, telecommunications, and technology. Housing in the school’s zip code is priced below the state median, with the typical home value around a mid-range figure for the area. Rents are similarly moderate, making the area relatively affordable. This is a city with a concentrated downtown civic and cultural scene, a network of universities, and steady population growth as a diversified regional center.
For a family considering Cooper Elementary, the straightforward story is this. It serves a large, diverse elementary student body in an affordable part of a major city. The academic results from state testing are very low across all subjects and grades, which is the most important factor to investigate further. The district context shows a system under pressure from enrollment decline and lowered accreditation, but also one that has recently approved significant capital investment. A parent would want to have a direct conversation with the school about instruction, intervention programs, and what daily learning looks like in the classroom.
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