McKinley Elementary School
Norman, OK 73069
Phone: (405) 366-5914
District: Norman School District
GreatSchools Rating
public • Grades PK,KG,1,2,3,4,5 • 362 students
McKinley Elementary School, a public school located in Norman, OK, serves grades PK-5 in the Norman School District.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 9 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.
McKinley Elementary School is a public school located in Norman, OK. 362 students attend McKinley Elementary School.
School Ratings
| Category | Rating | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Test Scores | 10/10 | The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Oklahoma School Testing Program data from Oklahoma State Department of Education. |
| Student Growth | 8/10 | The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Oklahoma State Department of Education. |
Posted: August 21, 2021
Great teachers! Great leaders! Great students! Great school!
Posted: August 21, 2021
Posted: August 21, 2021
Posted: August 21, 2021
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Posted: August 21, 2021
Posted: August 21, 2021
Posted: August 21, 2021
Posted: February 11, 2020
I am so grateful that my son is at this school. It has been the perfect fit for us.
Posted: February 11, 2020
My son is in first grade, so we haven't encountered much "real" homework yet, but I've heard that it's manageable for older grades and, most importantly, children having trouble completing homework for any reason can receive help at school.
Posted: February 11, 2020
We have had the absolute best experience with my son's teachers. They are proactive in every situation and go above and beyond with communication. My son gets anxious and shuts down very easily and everyone, even staff members not involved in his instruction at all, are very quick to recognize when he needs help or just a hug. Each grade level's teachers collaborate as a team, so if a student or parent has questions about anything, they have three different teachers to ask.
Posted: February 11, 2020
Kindness rules everything at McKinley. Every situation is used as a learning experience and a way to teach empathy, compassion, and kindness. A different character trait is honored each month with HERO awards and the counselor teaches lessons to each class providing examples of how to exhibit that character trait.
Posted: February 11, 2020
I can't praise the leadership at this school enough. I never hesitate to go to the principal about anything and she approaches every situation with kindness. It says a lot about a principal when the students aren't intimidated by the thought of "going to the principal's office," even if they're in trouble. Even when a student is at fault, the focus is on improvement rather than punishment. The principal encourages students to feel responsible for the school, and students are encouraged to participate in various committees aimed at improving the school. The suggestions from these committees are always taken into consideration and usually implemented.
Posted: February 11, 2020
Posted: February 11, 2020
"Kindness is the McKinley way" is taught to the students. I feel that students and teachers have a high level of empathy and compassion for each other and this is encouraged in every way, including how they help with bullying. Students are encouraged to speak up whenever they see any instance of bullying, but nobody is labeled as a bully. The children on either side of a bullying situation are given the same amount of compassion and help through the situation, and I think this is why there are so few instances of bullying in the school.
Posted: February 11, 2020
We love McKinley. We purposely bought a home in district to ensure this is where my kids would go. We have nothing but good things to say. We love the staff and feel so confident in this learning envirnment for our children. PTA meetings are very informative, if you come to them, you can ask any questions and see and hear all reports and updates on activities & fundraisers. Would 100% recommend!
Posted: February 11, 2020
Posted: February 11, 2020
Posted: February 11, 2020
Posted: February 11, 2020
Posted: February 11, 2020
Posted: February 11, 2020
Posted: February 11, 2020
We have had wonderful experiences with teachers who are loving, structured, and enjoy what they do. My middle child has some special needs and I am amazed with the patience and inclusivity he is shown daily from students, teachers, support staff, and principals alike.
Posted: February 11, 2020
They have citizenship awards given monthly to encourage good character in each student. They also encourage classrooms by passing around a spirit stick each Friday between classes. Students are encouraged to be kind, mannerly, and good models, so that other classrooms may notice their good behavior and reward them with the hero stick!! They get so excited! All grade levels are encouraged to interact positively through book buddy programs, as well as different activities and all school Hero recess on Fridays.
Posted: February 11, 2020
Love the principal. You can tell how much she truly loves and fights for each child to feel loved and for them to receive a quality education.
Posted: February 11, 2020
I have a son who has ADHD as well as some other sensory challenges. They treat him fairly and equally. They also are staffed so that he can have individual one on one help in the areas where he needs a little extra time to get his work done. He loves his teachers and school. Its been an incredibly positive experience for us.
Posted: February 11, 2020
HERO behavior is what its called at McKinley. Being a hero to everyone is part of the school creed that they recite together in the morning assembly on Fridays. They are encouraged to uplift and support their fellow students. Im sure at some level bullying will happen anywhere. However I feel here, they do a great job of creating a family environment within the students, and they really do seem to love helping each other.
Posted: February 11, 2020
We have loved it! We couldnt imagine being anywhere else.
Posted: February 11, 2020
I have 2 kids in school here and another that will start next fall. As a mom of kids that love to be outside, I feel like once they are home from school, its time to play and be a kid! I feel as if McKinley embraces this idea as well. They use their time at school wisely. Neither of my kids had any type of homework before 1st grade. They are encouraged to read 20min each night, but we do that at bedtime anyway. Once we got to 1st grade there are spelling words and some math worksheets, but nothing that takes up our whole evening. My 4th grade student now has homework nightly; however, its usually concepts that have been taught well in the classroom, so its a quick review of things he already knows.
Posted: September 30, 2019
Homework barely exists. The few that are given, have no feedback, causing the children to think there are no mistakes.
Posted: September 30, 2019
No, no feedback is given for assignments. They have little experience in teaching children effectively, the math skills are poor, and writing skills are not taught. Teachers leave often and are moved around.
Posted: September 30, 2019
How can the school deal with bullying when the principal and teachers bully the students themselves? The teachers and principal often humiliate and make the students feel bad. Instead of sending students who couldn't go to the field trip to the library or some other environment, those students had to sit through the principal and teacher's making a big deal out of the field trip. making them feel very left out in front of the whole grade.
Posted: September 30, 2019
The main problem is that the principal thinks she is everything, and must be in charge of everything. She takes the place of other specialized teachers who have experience in certain areas than she does.. She also completely directs the PTA meetings.
Posted: September 30, 2019
Terrible, so much so my child told me they won't be missing this school at all. My child felt they weren't learning at school (my kid had a tutor at home). The teacher humiliated them in front of the whole class. The children were forced to wait out the Spelling Bee and Geography Bee, doing nothing, not even able to read a book. My child truly felt they were wasting time at school. They didn't learn how to write. The math level was very low. The teachers changed frequently. In 3 years, the class had 6 teachers because they kept leaving. Every week, the principal asks for money so that the kids can buy popsicles, in order to gather money for 5th grade field trip, even though the PTA makes more than $100,000 at all of the activities and could easily subsidize many activities like the 5 grade field trip. None of the parents know what is done with that money. They and the Principal, have never given a report or balance of what the PTA does with the money. They are constantly giving sweets or some form of candy to the students. The amount of candy is exaggerated, it looks like they've decided that the way to keep the kids happy is with the candy. Lastly, the report cards do not reflect what the student actually knows or does not know. The children only receive A's or B's, even if their actually grade level is below.
Posted: September 29, 2019
Posted: September 29, 2019
How can the school deal with bullying when the principal and teachers bully the students themselves? The teachers and principal often humiliate and make the students feel bad. Instead of sending students who couldn't go to the field trip to the library or some other environment, those students had to sit through the principal and teacher's making a big deal out of the field trip. making them feel very left out in front of the whole grade.
Posted: February 23, 2016
Posted: February 23, 2016
Posted: February 23, 2016
Posted: February 23, 2016
We received a waiver for my son to attend this school because it is close to my office.
Convenience aside, this school is fantastic. The teachers are supportive and fully engaged with their students. Class sizes are manageable. And above all, this school has Ms. Emerson as the principal. She knows every single one of the students in the school and they all know that they can go talk to her if they need to. Her caring and compassion creates a supportive environment where students, teachers, parents, and administrators work together.
McKinley does very well on state tests, but unlike other schools I have experience with the students are not traumatized by testing. Academic assessment is treated as a matter-of-fact experience which leads students to not dread the testing. My son had interactions with a teacher from another school who constantly reminded students that if they did not pass the third grade exam they would be held back. At McKinley instead of receiving threats about failure students receive support and are encouraged to succeed.
I cannot say enough positive things about McKinley Elementary. This school is amazing.
Posted: April 17, 2010
One of the best schools for academical and extracurricular activities. Proximity to OU helps. Highly dedicated teachers and principal.
Posted: July 4, 2007
Reviews provided by GreatSchools™
| # | Name | Type | City | State | Overall Rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Vineyard | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Norman | OK | 3.4 mi | |
| 2 | Winfield | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Oklahoma City | OK | 11.6 mi | |
| 3 | Chapel Ridge of Tinker Apartments | Apartment Complex | Oklahoma City | OK | 14.5 mi | |
| 4 | Belmont Farms | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Edmond | OK | 34 mi |
| # | Name | City | State | Overall Rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bricktown | Oklahoma City | OK | 18.4 mi |
| Base | Distance |
|---|---|
| Tinker AFB | 14.9 mi. |
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