Poor academic outcomes persist in highly funded Oklahoma schools, report finds

More taxpayer money doesn’t necessarily result in a better education, analysts conclude in a new survey of Oklahoma public schools.

“The argument that increased school funding produces better academic outcomes, regardless of how the money is spent, is undermined by numerous real-world examples in Oklahoma,” writes Ray Carter for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA).

Despite the oft-repeated call for “full funding” of public schools, lobbyists first need to prove increasing revenue would boost learning for students, according to Carter.

“State data show that even in many of Oklahoma’s highest-funded school districts, based on per-student revenue, less than half of the funding goes to instruction, and academic outcomes remain poor. Despite very high per-student revenue, less than half of the students in many of those districts achieve proficiency or better on state tests – and often far less than half of students.”

Sweetwater vs. Straight school districts 

The OCPA report explores statistics for several districts, including Sweetwater. The district serves 122 students and uses just 46% of its $33,986 per-student funding for instruction. 

“Only 34.3% of students in the district met or exceeded grade-level standards on state testing in 2023-24,” Carter writes. 

In contrast, the Straight district, albeit with just one school and some 40 students, spent 64% of its $29,293 per-student funding on instruction – a significantly higher percentage than Sweetwater. 

“The academic results [for Straight] are also notably better than results in most schools across Oklahoma, including many of its high-funded peers,” Carter writes. Indeed, 64% of the district’s students either attained or exceeded grade-level proficiency in 2023-24 state tests, according to OCPA. 

Another example involves the Wanette school district, where only 16.1% of students passed state tests in the 2023-24 school year.  Although the district has a per-student funding of $21,629, just 40% of it goes to instructional expenses, Carter explains.

“School lobbyists continue to call for increased school funding even as they argue that taxpayers should not expect the majority of that spending to go to instruction.”

Calls for more funding despite falling enrollment 

Public-school enrollment has dropped nationwide even as schools raise spending and staffing rates, creating significant fiscal issues for many districts. 

“For more than a decade, many states and cities have adopted policies protecting school districts from the fiscal consequences of fewer students,” researchers at the Manhattan Institute wrote in 2024. “Sensible budgeting would dictate that school resources be tightly tied to student enrollment. But special interests are at play. 

“Powerful teachers’ unions have long called for higher salaries for teachers instructing fewer students – and appear to have gotten what they’ve asked for.”