Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma

Tulsa Public Schools
Tulsa, Oklahoma
District details
Superintendent: Ebony Johnson
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Tulsa Public Schools is a school district in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

• Superintendent
• School board
• Elections
• Budget
• Teacher salaries
• Academic performance
• Students
• Staff
• Schools
• Contact information

Superintendent

This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Ebony Johnson is the superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools. Johnson was appointed interim superintendent in September 2023, and full superintendent in December 2023. Johnson's previous career experience includes working as the district's Chief Learning Officer and as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma.

Past superintendents

• Deborah Gist was the superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools from July 2015 until August 2023. Gist's previous career experience includes working as a senior policy analyst for the United States Department of Education, superintendent of the District of Columbia Board of Education, and Rhode Island Commissioner of Education.
• Keith Ballard was the superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools from 2008 to 2015. Ballard's previous career experience included working as a teacher, assistant high school principal, and adjunct professor at Oral Roberts University.

School board

The Tulsa Public School school board consists of seven members elected by district to four-year terms.

Office	Name	Date assumed office
Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 1	Stacey Woolley	2019
Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 2	Calvin Moniz	April 15, 2024
Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 3	Kyra Carby	April 7, 2025
Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 4	E'Lena Ashley	May 2, 2022
Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5	John T. Croisant	July 7, 2020
Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 6	Sarah Smith	April 15, 2024
Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 7	Susan Lamkin	May 2, 2022

Elections

See also: Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma, elections

Members of the Tulsa Public Schools school board are elected to four-year terms. Either one seat or two seats are up for election each year.

Two seats on the school board were up for general election on April 1, 2025. A primary was scheduled for February 11, 2025.

Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.

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Public participation in board meetings

The Tulsa Public Schools school board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:

“

Public Comments at School Board Meetings Citizens are encouraged to attend meetings of the Board of Education and are allowed to address the Board and to comment as allowed under this policy. Public comment is allowed only at a regular meeting or at a special meeting declared to be a public hearing for that purpose. Public comment at regular meetings is allowed for two purposes—to respond to an item on the action agenda or to provide comments regarding topics not on the current agenda (“Citizen Comment”). Speakers’ comments should be shorter than three minutes, but in no event shall a speaker have more than five minutes when providing comment. If an individual is providing comment on an action item and as a Citizen Comment, the time will be counted separately. The board welcomes input from all members of the community and will have translation services available at the board meeting for the purpose of receiving public comment, as needed. If the person providing public comment uses translation services to communicate with the board, up to five additional minutes will be provided to the speaker to ensure the use of translation services does not impair the speaker’s ability to provide their comments. Time will be counted separately if the person is providing both agenda-related comments and Citizen’s Comments. The Board President may interrupt and terminate any presentation not deemed to be in accordance with the guidelines set out by this policy, for example if the person providing comments uses profanity or other abusive language against board members, or if the speaker attempts to present comments regarding an issue in a pending lawsuit. The relevant guidelines are described below and outlined on the paper and electronic forms the public completes when signing up to speak. The Board President may also, after a warning, preclude an individual speaker from addressing the Board at that meeting and/or at the next regular meeting of the Board of Education for violation of the guidelines set out by this policy. Public Comment Guidelines School board policies, state law, and federal law establish separate and distinct procedures and forums for the resolution of employee grievances, employee complaints, employee suspensions and terminations, complaints against individual employees, pupil suspensions and appeals, political campaigns, and litigation. To avoid circumvention of these separate proceedings and to assure fairness to all parties concerned, no person will be allowed to speak regarding the following: An issue in a pending lawsuit, complaint, or investigation filed with an outside agency, wherein the District, employee(s) or the Board is a party; A pending grievance; A pending employee complaint filed with the District or an outside agency; A complaint against individual employee(s); An employee disciplinary action including suspension or termination; A pending pupil disciplinary action including suspension or appeal that may reach the Board. The individual dignity of Board members, District employees, students, and membersof the public must be respected by all speakers. Board members, employees, students, or members of the public will not be subjected to verbal abuse. Comments Concerning Items on the Action Agenda All public comment regarding matters on the action agenda shall be received together as a separate item on the agenda prior to the consideration of the action agenda. Requests to comment must be made by submitting a completed form for that purpose. Paper forms are available from the Board Clerk before the beginning of each meeting and will be accepted up to 6:25 pm on the day of the meeting. Electronic forms will be available online and shall be submitted after the relevant agenda has posted and no later than noon on the day of the meeting. Each individual requesting to speak must personally complete the form listing their name and contact information and verify they have read the instructions regarding comments. The individual will also indicate on the form if they are speaking on their own behalf or on behalf of a group and whether or not they support or oppose the item (as applicable). Speakers are encouraged to provide the Board with a written outline of their comments to be made available to them before or at the meeting. The total time limit will apply to each speaker regardless of the number of agenda items to which they wish to speak The Board and staff will not dialogue with speakers. When determined to be appropriate by the Superintendent, staff will strive to provide answers or resolve any issues/concerns in a timely manner. “Citizen’s Comments”—Comments Concerning Items Not on an Agenda The agenda for the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board will include an item designated “Citizens’ Comments.” This portion of the agenda will be reserved for comments concerning issues not otherwise appearing on an agenda to provide citizens an opportunity to address the Board of Education, and it is not intended to provide a forum for commercial, political, personal or similar topics. An individual wishing to comment during this portion of a meeting must personally sign and submit a completed request form with all supporting documents to the Clerk of the Board seven calendar days before the meeting at which the individual wishes to speak. The forms are available online or from the Clerk of the Board of Education. Each individual requesting to speak must complete the form and verify they have read instructions. Generic topics will not be accepted. The topic listed on the request form must be brief but specific enough to satisfy posting requirements under state law. The topic should be worded so an ordinary individual would understand what the topic is about. The topic language submitted by the citizen will be reviewed and approved or disapproved by the attorney for the School District. Individuals will also indicate on the form if they are speaking on their own behalf or on behalf of a group. Speakers will be notified regarding approval or disapproval of their request. The Superintendent or designee will address speakers' specific issues or concerns within 60 days. The total time limit of Citizens’ Comments will apply to each speaker during a meeting regardless of the number of topics on which the individual requests to speak. Speakers are welcomed and encouraged to provide the Board with a written outline of their comments to be made available to them before or at the meeting.

”

District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.

• Revenue
• Expenditures

Revenue, 2021-2022

SOURCE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Federal:	$136,809,000	$4,119	27%
Local:	$217,632,000	$6,553	43%
State:	$150,980,000	$4,546	30%
Total:	$505,421,000	$15,218

Expenditures, 2021-2022

TYPE	AMOUNT	AMOUNT PER STUDENT	PERCENT
Total Expenditures:	$498,652,000	$15,014
Total Current Expenditures:	$404,452,000	$12,178
Instructional Expenditures:	$198,653,000	$5,981	40%
Student and Staff Support:	$66,570,000	$2,004	13%
Administration:	$60,291,000	$1,815	12%
Operations, Food Service, Other:	$78,938,000	$2,376	16%
Total Capital Outlay:	$85,556,000	$2,576
Construction:	$78,254,000	$2,356
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other:	$3,978,000	$119
Interest on Debt:	$4,666,000	$140

Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year	Minimum	Maximum
2024-2025	$43,500	$82,548
2022-2023	$40,000	$68,886
2020	$40,000	$68,886
2019	$40,000	$68,886

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.

• Mathematics
• Reading/language arts
• Graduation rates

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2020-2021	7	14	2	4	9	10	17
2018-2019	16	23	7	11	17	18	30
2017-2018	16	30	7	11	16	19	30
2016-2017	19	35	9	14	19	22	33
2015-2016	45	61	30	42	45	49	61
2014-2015	43	57	30	39	46	46	59
2013-2014	42	60-64	31	38	43	45	57
2012-2013	52	70-74	41	48	53	55	68
2011-2012	52	75	39	46	53	55	68
2010-2011	55	70	43	52	54		67

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2020-2021	12	16	6	6	12	16	25
2018-2019	19	23	10	12	22	24	36
2017-2018	21	29	11	14	20	25	38
2016-2017	23	31	12	15	25	27	41
2015-2016	53	60	39	47	57	60	69
2014-2015	52	62	41	44	56	57	69
2013-2014	51	60-64	38	42	55	57	68
2012-2013	54	65-69	43	46	57	56	71
2011-2012	53	65	42	42	57	57	70
2010-2011	55	61	45	47	59		70

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year	All (%)	Asian/Pacific Islander (%)	Black (%)	Hispanic (%)	Native American (%)	Two or More Races (%)	White (%)
2019-2020	71	70-79	72	74	55-59	65-69	70
2018-2019	78	>=90	77	78	70-74	75-79	82
2017-2018	75	80-89	75	75	65-69	70-74	77
2016-2017	77	>=90	79	75	70-74	75-79	79
2015-2016	73	80-89	76	70	60-64	70-74	72
2014-2015	68	80-89	67	65	60-64	60-64	72
2013-2014	63	80-89	61	62	55-59	55-59	66
2012-2013	65	80-89	62	60	60-64	55-59	71

Students

• Enrollment
• Demographics

Year	Enrollment	Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024	33,562	-0.9
2022-2023	33,871	1.9
2021-2022	33,211	1.9
2020-2021	32,569	-9.5
2019-2020	35,675	-2.3
2018-2019	36,512	-2.5
2017-2018	37,433	-3.2
2016-2017	38,625	-2.1
2015-2016	39,455	-1.4
2014-2015	39,999	-0.4
2013-2014	40,152	-2.3
2012-2013	41,076	-0.3
2011-2012	41,199	-0.7
2010-2011	41,501	0.0
2009-2010	41,493	0.7
2008-2009	41,195	-0.2
2007-2008	41,271	-0.4
2006-2007	41,438	-0.3
2005-2006	41,568	-0.1
2004-2005	41,629	-1.6
2003-2004	42,280	-1.8
2002-2003	43,029	1.7
2001-2002	42,302	-1.2
2000-2001	42,812	0.0
1999-2000	42,793	0.0

Racial Demographics, 2023-2024

RACE	Tulsa Public Schools (%)	Oklahoma K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native	4.3	10.9
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander	2.0	2.3
Black	22.4	7.8
Hispanic	38.0	20.5
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	1.5	0.5
Two or More Races	10.9	13.5
White	20.9	44.5

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

• Teachers
• Administrators
• Other staff

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Tulsa Public Schools had 1,819.62 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 18.44.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten:	91.63
Kindergarten:	102.36
Elementary:	842.47
Secondary:	783.16
Total:	1,819.62

Tulsa Public Schools employed 87.86 district administrators and 122.82 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators:	87.86
District Administrative Support:	185.69
School Administrators:	122.82
School Administrative Support:	227.28

Other staff, 2023-2024 school year

TYPE	NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides:	583.67
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors:	36.43
Total Guidance Counselors:	86.11
Elementary Guidance Counselors:	35.06
Secondary Guidance Counselors:	51.05
Librarians/Media Specialists:	59.77
Library/Media Support:	0.00
Student Support Services:	451.48
Other Support Services:	1,036.29

Schools

Tulsa Public Schools operates 69 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

List of schools

SCHOOL NAME	NUMBER OF STUDENTS	GRADES
Anderson Es	347	PK-5
Bell Es	360	PK-5
Booker T. Washington Hs	1,285	9-12
Burroughs Es	301	PK-5
Carnegie Es	394	PK-5
Carver Ms	658	6-8
Celia Clinton Es	542	PK-5
Central Hs	378	9-12
Central Ms	309	6-8
Clinton West Es	347	PK-5
Cooper Es	509	PK-5
Council Oak Es	509	PK-5
Daniel Webster Hs	380	9-12
Daniel Webster Ms	342	6-8
Disney Es	673	PK-5
Dolores Huerta Es	311	PK-5
East Central Hs	1,189	9-12
East Central Middle School	908	6-8
Edison Preparatory Ms	803	6-8
Eisenhower International Es	536	PK-5
Eliot Es	360	PK-5
Emerson Es	393	PK-5
Eugene Field Es	317	PK-5
Felicitas Mendez Intl School	296	PK-5
Greenwood Leadership Academy	283	PK-5
Grissom Es	345	PK-6
Hamilton Es	297	PK-5
Hawthorne Es	353	PK-5
Henry Zarrow International Sch	478	PK-5
Hoover Es	338	PK-5
John Hope Franklin Es	343	PK-5
Kendall-Whittier Es	817	PK-5
Kerr Es	348	PK-5
Key Es	302	PK-5
Lanier Es	310	PK-5
Lewis And Clark Es	423	PK-5
Lindbergh Es	460	PK-5
Macarthur Es	387	PK-5
Marshall Es	263	PK-5
Mayo Demonstration Es	400	PK-5
Mcclure Es	363	PK-5
Mckinley Es	425	PK-5
Mclain Hs For Science And Tech	726	9-12
Memorial Hs	1,023	9-12
Memorial Ms	568	6-8
Mitchell Es	382	PK-5
Monroe Demonstration Ms	620	6-8
Nathan Hale Hs	1,067	9-12
Nathan Hale Middle School	791	6-8
Owen Es	385	PK-5
Patrick Henry Es	429	PK-5
Peary Es	268	PK-5
Project Accept Traice Es	469	PK-6
Robertson Es	235	PK-5
Salk Es	462	PK-5
Sequoyah Es	369	PK-5
Skelly Es	747	PK-5
Springdale Es	366	PK-5
Thomas Edison Preparatory Hs	1,089	9-12
Thoreau Demonstration Academy	439	6-8
Traice	827	9-12
Traice Ms	193	6-8
Tulsa Met Hs	94	9-12
Tulsa Met Middle School	52	6-8
Unity Learning Academy	271	PK-5
Wayman Tisdale Fine Arts Acad	362	PK-5
Whitman Es	257	PK-5
Will Rogers College Hs	1,037	9-12
Will Rogers College Ms	652	6-8

Noteworthy events

2015: Testing reduction

In August 2015, Superintendent Gist announced a 54% reduction in time spent on district-required testing at Tulsa Public Schools. The district had formed an assessment study group that met five times in January 2015 to discuss the rate of testing in the district; Gist attended two of those meetings. The implemented changes sought to "curb over-testing by reducing the frequency of some tests, eliminating one entirely, and by removing the district requirement to implement others." Gist said about the testing reductions, "These decisions were really based on that careful analysis to say where are the places where this information already gathered in another way."

2013: Overcrowding

Tulsa Public Schools has addressed overcrowding in many of its schools. Due to an efficiency initiative known as Project Schoolhouse, the school district shut down 14 school buildings with low enrollment in 2011. These closures left many schools operating at higher occupancy rates. District leaders said they needed to pay close attention to ensure that schools didn't cross the line between full and overcapacity. Each winter since Project Schoolhouse began, district administrators have conducted an annual site capacity review and the Tulsa school board has subsequently approved adjustments to school boundaries to help balance out student enrollments among sites. In 2013, Tulsa Public Schools reopened a closed elementary school building as a 7th-grade center to help alleviate unexpected crowding at McLain Junior High School. Former Superintendent Keith Ballard believed that Project Schoolhouse was working and that the district could have been eligible to pursue a new bond issue to address capital needs, including classroom additions, in late 2014 or early 2015.

Contact information

Tulsa Public Schools
3027 S. New Haven Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74114-6131
Phone: 918-746-6800

About school boards

Education legislation in Oklahoma

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Oklahoma	School Board Elections	News and Analysis
List of school districts in Oklahoma School board elections in Oklahoma Public education in Oklahoma	School board elections, 2025 Oklahoma school board elections, 2025	School board election data analysis, 2024 United States school shootings, 1990-present

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Tulsa Public Schools
• Oklahoma State School Boards Association
• Oklahoma State Department of Education