IDABEL MS

As a close-knit junior high in Idabel, Oklahoma, IDABEL MS serves 242 students from grades 6 through 8, operated by IDABEL. That puts it 38% below the typical public school in Oklahoma, which averages around 388 students.

Across the 4 schools in IDABEL (1,277 students total), IDABEL MS accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, IDABEL MS lists that 25% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 21% White, 19% Hispanic, 19% multiracial, 11% Native American. The wider county runs roughly 8% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 18.5:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 15.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 89% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, McCurtain County runs at roughly 77%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

Around the school, community-level numbers for McCurtain County indicate median household earnings sit near $51,929, roughly 16% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across McCurtain County's 29 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,370 students), IDABEL MS is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: CENTRAL ES, around 0.3 miles off. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a town-center area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 14%: 212 students in 2018 compared to 242 in 2025. Class-load math has loosened: from 11.8:1 in 2018 to 18.5:1 in 2025.

On this page, members of the IDABEL MS community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.