The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in Science. The lowest is 17% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Union 8th Grade Ctr
Union 8th Grade Center is a single-grade school serving only eighth graders within the Union Public Schools district in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Because it serves a single grade, many of the standard high school metrics do not apply here; there is no graduation rate, no college readiness data, and no chronic absenteeism figure to evaluate. What is available is state testing data, which gives a clear picture of academic performance at this grade level.
On the 2024-25 Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) assessments, the school recorded low proficiency rates across the three tested subjects. In math, about one in five students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In English language arts, the rate was lower, with fewer than one in five students meeting that benchmark. Science proficiency was the highest of the three subjects, but still below a third of students reaching the proficient level. The state recently changed the cut scores for math and ELA assessments, which makes direct comparison with prior years uncertain, but the current results place the school’s overall proficiency below the midpoint when compared to other district-level entities in Tulsa County.
The student body is both large and diverse, especially for a single-grade school. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by white students, then Black students, students of two or more races, Asian students, and a smaller number of American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. This composition gives the school a notably multiethnic peer environment. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as the number of students with disabilities or English learner status, was not available in this data set, so a fuller picture of socioeconomic support needs is incomplete.
The school sits within Union Public Schools, a district that has been actively investing in facilities and programming. The district is in the middle of a major bond-funded transformation of its 6th and 7th Grade Centers, which will reshape the middle-grade campus experience. Union has also developed new career pathway academies, including an aerospace academy, a medical academy in its early stages, and an expansion of its construction academy. While these high school-level programs do not directly affect an eighth-grade center, they signal a district that is building structured career and college readiness options for students as they move up.
Broken Arrow itself is a fast-growing suburb of Tulsa, having transformed from a bedroom community into a more self-contained city with a strong manufacturing base in aerospace and energy, along with a growing retail and healthcare sector. The historic downtown, rebranded as the Rose District, has been revitalized with a performing arts center, farmers market, shops, and restaurants, offering a walkable core in an otherwise automobile-oriented suburban layout. Housing values in the area are above the state average, with rents similarly positioned, reflecting the area's growth and demand. Public transit is limited to a single weekday bus route connecting to Tulsa.
For a parent or resident considering this school, the key takeaway is that it is a focused, single-grade environment serving a large and diverse cohort of eighth graders. The academic proficiency rates on state tests are low, a point worth exploring directly with the school to understand the instruction, interventions, and support available. The peer environment is one of the most diverse in the region, which many families value as a strength. The district's recent investments in career academies and middle-grade facilities suggest an upward trajectory in programming, though those benefits are just beginning for the students currently in eighth grade. The broader Broken Arrow community offers a growing suburban setting with an increasingly varied economy and a deliberate focus on downtown vitality, making it a place where many families choose to put down roots.
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