schoolsbycounty

Harper County Schools & Education

School Score

34/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

90.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

90.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 84.3%

Per-Pupil Spending

$6,075

National avg $13,239

State avg $6,520

School Score

34/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 28/100

State Score Position

#24

of 77 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Harper County

Measured School Summary

Despite a lower school score of 34/100, Harper County maintains a strong graduation rate of 90.0%, suggesting effective student support systems.

Funding Context

At $6,075 per pupil, Harper County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 20% above the Oklahoma average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 5.7 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 7% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Harper County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

4 public schools and 2 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

34/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #24 of 77 Oklahoma counties with school score data.

Completion

90.0%

5.7 pts above the state average

Funding context

$6,075

$445 below the state average

School coverage

4

2 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Harper County has 4 public schools across 2 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

Parent decision brief

What Harper County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Small-system county

Harper County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.

State position

#24

of 77 Oklahoma counties with school score data. The county score is 6 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

LAVERNE

Elementary and high visible

468 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

BUFFALO

Elementary and high visible

267 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

BUFFALO is the largest listed district slice, with 2 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Harper County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Harper County district systems?

Where do students transition after the visible grade band, and is that next school inside the same district path?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Data Story

Rural Harper County Operates Two Districts With Primary and Secondary Schools

Education data brief for Harper County, Oklahoma.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor
Lead metric:District structure

Harper County’s public education system is structured around four rural schools across two districts, Laverne and Buffalo, with no dedicated middle schools. Instead, the districts utilize a PK-8 and 9-12 configuration to serve 735 total students. Laverne is the larger of the two districts with 468 students. The graduation rate for the county is 90.0 percent, which is higher than the state average of 84.3 percent and the national average of 87 percent. However, the composite school score of 33.5 is lower than the national median of 50, though it remains above the Oklahoma state average of 27.7. Per-pupil expenditure is $6,075, trailing both the state average of $6,520 and the national average of $13,000. All schools in the county are classified as rural by the NCES. To investigate school-level demographics and locale classifications, refer to the NCES Common Core of Data.

Sources

School Overview

Total Schools

4

in Harper County

Reported Enrollment

735

4 schools reporting

School Districts

2

districts

Charter Schools

0

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary2
Middle0
High2
Other0

2 School Districts in Harper County

LAVERNE

2 schools
468 students

BUFFALO

2 schools
267 students

4 Public Schools in Harper County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Level

Showing 4 of 4 matching schools

LAVERNE ES

LAVERNE

Laverne, 73848 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–8Primary335 students

BUFFALO ES

BUFFALO

Buffalo, 73834 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–8Primary184 students

LAVERNE HS

LAVERNE

Laverne, 73848 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High133 students

BUFFALO HS

BUFFALO

Buffalo, 73834 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High83 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$6,075

State avg $6,520

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Harper County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Oklahoma counties have the highest graduation rates?
Harmon County (95.0%), Major County (93.1%), and Garvin County (92.8%) currently lead Oklahoma among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.
What is per-pupil spending like in Oklahoma?
Across Oklahoma counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $6,520. The highest current county values are Grant County ($9,426), Alfalfa County ($9,014), and Roger Mills County ($8,927). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.
How should I read the school score in Harper County?
Harper County has a school score of 34/100, which is a lower measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.
What is the graduation rate in Harper County?
The high school graduation rate in Harper County is 90.0%, which is above the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.
How much does Harper County spend per student?
Harper County spends $6,075 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Counties with Similar School Profile

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.