Seven Oklahoma high schools have been named “Oklahoma’s Promise 2024 State Champions,” leading the state in the number of graduates who met the requirements to receive an Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship. Oklahoma’s Promise is a state program that provides an opportunity for students to earn a tuition scholarship for college or certain programs at public career technology centers.
“The Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship is transformational, helping students across the state earn a college degree,” said Chancellor Sean Burrage. “The State Regents and I commend these seven Oklahoma high schools for their exceptional commitment to encouraging and supporting participation in the program as their students aspire to join our state’s educated workforce.”
High schools named Oklahoma’s Promise 2024 State Champions are:
Class B
- Champion: Soper, with 14 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
- Runners-up: Grandfield and Mason, with 10 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates each.
Class A
- Champion: Carnegie, with 14 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
- Runners-up: Amber-Pocasset, Rattan and Thomas-Fay-Custer, with 12 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates each.
Class 2A
- Champion: Santa Fe South Pathways Middle College (Oklahoma City) with 30 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates. This is Santa Fe South Pathways Middle College’s 3rd championship.
- Runner-up: Hennessey, with 21 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Class 3A
- Champion: Dove Science Academy (Oklahoma City), with 35 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates. This is Dove Science Academy’s 14th championship.
- Runner-up: Dove Science Academy (Tulsa), with 31 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Class 4A
- Champion: Poteau, with 40 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
- Runner-up: Duncan, with 36 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Class 5A
- Champion: Tahlequah, with 75 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
- Runner-up: Booker T. Washington (Tulsa), with 70 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Class 6A
- Champion: Union (Tulsa), with 143 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates. Union has been the Class 6A champion for 13 consecutive years.
- Runner-up: Broken Arrow, with 141 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Students must enroll in Oklahoma’s Promise in the 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th grade. Family income may not exceed the following levels at the time of application: $60,000 for families with 1-2 dependent children; $70,000, 3-4 dependent children; or $80,000, 5 or more dependent children.
Recognized as one of the top college access scholarship programs in the nation, Oklahoma’s Promise was created in 1992 by the Legislature to help more Oklahoma families send their children to college. The scholarship pays tuition at any Oklahoma public college or university until the student receives a bachelor’s degree or for up to five years, whichever comes first. It will also cover a portion of tuition at an accredited Oklahoma private institution or public career technology center. The scholarship does not cover the cost of fees, books, or room and board.
A student who plans to attend an Oklahoma college or university must achieve a minimum 2.50 GPA in a college preparatory curriculum and an overall GPA of 2.50 or higher for all courses in grades nine through 12. In 2024, a new Oklahoma’s Promise track was created to allow eligible students who complete the Core Diploma pathway with a GPA of 2.50 or higher to use the scholarship at Oklahoma’s public technology centers.
All Oklahoma’s Promise graduates must attend class regularly, stay out of serious trouble, and avoid drugs and alcohol. A student’s family income must not exceed $100,000 each year the student is enrolled in college.
Students completing the Oklahoma’s Promise program continue to be successful academically, with high school GPAs (3.47 average GPA) that exceed the state average and ACT scores that exceed those of non-Oklahoma’s Promise students. The college-going rate of Oklahoma’s Promise students exceeds the state average for high school graduates. They also have above-average full-time college enrollment, persistence and degree-completion rates. In addition, Oklahoma’s Promise college graduates with undergraduate degrees are employed and stay in Oklahoma after college at a higher rate than non-Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
In order to receive the scholarship in college, students must be U.S. citizens or lawfully present in the United States by the time they begin college.
For the high school graduating class of 2024, nearly 6,800 students met the requirements to be eligible for the scholarship. During the current 2024-25 year, approximately 15,500 students are expected to receive the scholarship in college.
For more information about Oklahoma’s Promise or to apply online, visit www.okpromise.org. Information is also available by emailing okpromise@osrhe.edu or by calling 800-858-1840.