Seven Oklahoma high schools have been named “Oklahoma’s Promise 2021 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 from families whose annual income is $60,000 or less to earn a tuition scholarship for college or certain programs at public career technology centers.
“Oklahoma’s Promise is a transformational program, helping students achieve the dream of a college education,” said Chancellor Allison D. Garrett. “These seven Oklahoma high schools did an exceptional job encouraging and supporting their students’ participation in this program. The State Regents and I commend them for their hard work and dedication to Oklahoma’s future.”
High schools named Oklahoma’s Promise 2021 State Champions are:
Class B
- Champion: Boise City, with 10 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
- Runner-up: Cement, with nine Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Class A
- Champion: Carnegie, with 18 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
- Runner-up: Wright City, with 15 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Class 2A
- Champion: Frederick, with 19 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
- Runner-up: Howe, with 17 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Class 3A
- Champion: Dove Science Academy (Oklahoma City), with 30 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates. This is Dove Science Academy’s 11th championship.
- Runners-up: Harding Fine Arts Academy (Oklahoma City) and Millwood, with 24 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates each.
Class 4A
- Champion: Broken Bow, with 41 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates. This is Broken Bow’s sixth championship.
- Runner-up: Classen School of Advanced Studies at Northeast (Oklahoma City), with 37 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Class 5A
- Champion: Santa Fe South (Oklahoma City), with 80 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates. This is Santa Fe South’s 13th consecutive year as champion.
- Runner-up: Southeast (Oklahoma City), with 54 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
Class 6A
- Champion: Union (Tulsa), with 191 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates. Union has been the Class 6A champion for 10 consecutive years.
- Runner-up: Putnam City, with 107 Oklahoma’s Promise graduates.
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.
To be eligible for Oklahoma’s Promise, students must apply during the eighth, ninth, 10th or 11th grade, and their family’s annual income must not exceed $60,000 when they apply. A student’s family income also must not exceed $100,000 each year the student is enrolled in college.
To receive the scholarship upon high school graduation, students must achieve a minimum 2.50 GPA in 17 core courses that prepare them for college and an overall GPA of 2.50 or better for all courses in grades nine through 12. Oklahoma’s Promise graduates also must attend class regularly and refrain from drug and alcohol abuse and delinquent acts.
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 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 2021, about 6,300 students met the requirements to be eligible for the scholarship. During the current 2021-22 year, about 15,000 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.