K-12 schools have made only marginal shifts in academic achievement, growth and graduation rates, leading to no major improvements on the 2026 Oklahoma School Report Card.

The report cards, released this month, are the state's annual accounting of how individual schools and districts are performing. They are closely watched by parents, educators and policymakers, and they carry weight in how communities judge their local schools.

Franklin, who won election as state superintendent, said the latest results show a system that is not moving forward fast enough. He pointed to the lack of significant gains across multiple measures as evidence that the state needs a different approach.

The report card grades are based on a combination of factors, including student academic achievement, academic growth and graduation rates. When those measures show only small changes from year to year, the overall picture remains largely the same.

For families across Oklahoma, the latest report cards offer a familiar snapshot: some schools performing well, others struggling, and the statewide averages barely budging. That stability can mask deeper problems, especially for students who are not making progress.

Franklin's comments come as he prepares to take over the state's top education post. He has signaled that improving outcomes will require more than tweaking the existing accountability system.

The report cards are available to the public online, and parents can look up their local schools to see how they compare. But Franklin's critique suggests that the grades alone may not capture what is really happening in classrooms.

With the state's education system under scrutiny, the 2026 report cards are likely to fuel ongoing debates about school funding, accountability and how best to help students recover from years of disruption. Franklin's assessment adds a prominent voice to that conversation, signaling that the new superintendent sees the current results as a starting point for change, not a sign of success.