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WARNER 鈥�  The banners stretch along the top of Warner Public Schools鈥� Event Center wall, each with the letter A as the centerpiece.

Every banner celebrates the 16 overall A grades that schools in the rural eastern Oklahoma district have received since 2013 on . A fresh one printed in 2025 signifies Warner鈥檚 high school and K-8 school were again among the top 5% highest-performing public schools in the state.

The A grades, though a heavy focus in the 800-student district, aren鈥檛 the point, Warner Superintendent David Vinson said. They鈥檙e a byproduct of students鈥� and teachers鈥� hard work. And if Warner can do it, he said, any district can.

鈥淵ou have to make sure your students understand the why,鈥� Vinson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about their education. It鈥檚 about bettering their lives. It鈥檚 not about getting an A on the report card or about getting high marks as a school district. That鈥檚 a result or a fallout of them being high achievers individually.鈥�

Public schools across Oklahoma are now implementing strategies Warner has been employing for years 鈥� a throughout the school day, frequent benchmark testing and . The district changed its culture and policies more than a decade ago after receiving disappointing results on state report cards.

The town of Warner, home to 1,500 residents and Connors State College, doesn鈥檛 have a wealth of industry to keep its school district flush with local tax revenue, Vinson said. State funding and community support for bond issues fill in the gap.

About 60% of Warner students come from households at or near the federal poverty line, . Many district students 鈥� 42% of whom are Native American, 31% white and 20% two or more races 鈥� have parents who work in farming and ranching in the area or drive 20 minutes north to Muskogee for industry jobs, Vinson said.

Not that he particularly pays attention to demographics. Those details, Vinson said, 鈥渢end to be used as excuses.鈥�

High academic expectations and strict discipline are core to the district鈥檚 success, he said. Principals are quick to handle behavioral issues, leaving teachers free to teach and students better able to learn without disruptions.

The principal鈥檚 office is not a 鈥渞evolving door,鈥� he said. Any student sent in must leave with a consequence.

鈥淚 think education in general across the board has lost sight of that mentality, has lost sight of that philosophy,鈥� Vinson said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 why you have schools that are in chaos, and you have entire schools scoring 0% proficient on assessments because the school has become so chaotic that teachers can鈥檛 teach and kids can鈥檛 learn. And there are just as smart of kids in those schools as there are in my school. They鈥檙e just not being afforded that opportunity to learn like our kids are.鈥�

Small behavioral problems are addressed consistently, and big incidents are punished 鈥渟everely,鈥� he said. 

In Warner, that includes the rare use of corporal punishment, a method of discipline that . Simply having it on the table as an option, Vinson said, usually is enough to discourage most students from bad behavior.

While administrators handle discipline, teachers are expected to maximize every minute of their class time, a concept known in Warner as 鈥渂ell-to-bell teaching.鈥� That means no movies and no downtime, said Charla Jackson, the district鈥檚 curriculum director and elementary counselor.

Middle and high school students are discouraged from mingling in the hallways during passing periods. Instead they鈥檙e expected to hustle to their lockers and then to their next class, where a bellringer assignment is usually waiting. They鈥檙e expected to read a book if they finish their classwork early.

Literacy is a major emphasis in Warner, Jackson said. Several Warner Elementary teachers have completed in-depth training on the science of reading, and the school provides reading interventionists and tutoring for students who need extra help.

鈥淭hey are the experts,鈥� Jackson said of Warner鈥檚 teachers. 鈥淭hey are the ones making the difference. We just try to support them and allow them to do their job. So, that鈥檚 first and foremost.鈥�

High morale keeps teacher turnover low, Jackson said. Class sizes, though increasing with Warner鈥檚 enrollment growth, max out at about 24 students per classroom.

But, Warner isn鈥檛 immune from the teacher shortage impacting public schools across Oklahoma.

About half of the teachers at Warner High School entered the classroom through non-traditional means, like adjunct teaching and alternative or emergency certification, Vinson said. The district tries to support those educators with training, pre-written curriculum plans and co-teaching hours with a veteran teacher.

Having fewer classroom disruptions, too, 鈥渏ust makes everybody a better teacher,鈥� he said.

Several district teachers told Oklahoma Voice that behavioral issues are rarely a problem in their classrooms, but when they do occur, school administrators readily step in.

When asked what sets Warner apart, kindergarten teacher Lisa Lee pointed to elementary Principal Alan Gordon鈥檚 desk. 

鈥淭his man right here, he鈥檚 great,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淭he administration here, it just makes you feel good. You know what I mean? Like they鈥檙e backing us. They believe in us. They push us, and that makes a huge difference.鈥�

Fourth-grade math teacher Pam White said she was ready to quit teaching before she came to Warner Elementary five years ago. White, 65, is eligible to retire but has chosen not to 鈥渂ecause I love this school so much.鈥�

She said the supportive administration has been 鈥渉uge.鈥�

鈥淭hey鈥檙e in our classrooms,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l take care of problems immediately.鈥�

During a visit to White鈥檚 classroom, students in her afternoon math class were equally enthusiastic about their school, complimenting the quality of their teachers, school staff and principal.

But, Warner didn鈥檛 always have this culture of success. The turning point was 2012. That year, the district scored straight C鈥檚 on state report cards.

Vinson, then in his first year as superintendent, sent an email to Warner families to inform them 鈥渨e are not pleased with the overall grade on these report cards for our schools.鈥� The district鈥檚 administrators and teachers were already implementing changes, he wrote in the email. He still keeps a copy.

That鈥檚 when Warner adopted a more structured and disciplined culture, banned cellphones, started adhering to bell-to-bell teaching and aimed to have 90% of students make a proficient score on state tests. 

The following year, the district met or exceeded the statewide average on nearly every state exam.

That trajectory continued over the following decade, despite state test scoring becoming more rigorous in 2017 and COVID-19 interrupting schooling in 2020. In 2025, Warner students scored above the state average in every tested grade level, .

Families in the area have taken notice. While the town of Warner has experienced little population change, its school district has grown from 600 students at the start of the turnaround to more than 800 today. Student transfers are a major source of the spike.  

鈥淚 think a big thing is we established a culture here where kids want to succeed,鈥� middle and high school counselor Misty Durrett said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something they take pride in.

鈥淭hey know our ranking. They know where we stand. They want to maintain that.鈥�

It鈥檚 not all structure and discipline, Vinson said. School still needs to be fun.

That鈥檚 why Warner has expanded extracurricular activities, electives and class options available to students. It鈥檚 added a competition choir, an art program, boys and girls wrestling, and a high school construction class, where students are building a house that should be ready to sell this spring. 

Students on the high school racing team design and build a dirt-track racing car that Vinson drives in competitions on the team鈥檚 behalf.

School spirit events, like Homecoming, consume entire school days. With the winter holidays approaching, the interior of every Warner school is decorated for Christmas with lights, trees and door decals.

鈥淵ou have to create those opportunities for kids to enjoy school,鈥� Vinson said. 鈥淚t can鈥檛 be structure, discipline, learning, structure, discipline, learning 170 days a year.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: [email protected].

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