Welcome to
Union Public Schools!
Union Public Schools, whose 19 sites are located in portions of SE Tulsa and NW Broken Arrow, has an enrollment of about 16,000 students. The number of businesses, higher education, foundation, and community partnerships investing in the district’s key areas of emphasis -- Early Childhood Education, Community Schools, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Curriculum, and College/Career Readiness remains constant.
The district slogan, “Together We Make a Difference,” continues to be underscored as student engagement continued to soar, and great strides were made toward accomplishing Union’s mission – To Graduate 100 Percent of Our Students College and/or Career Ready. Download brochure.
Core Values
The following core values serve to guide our strategic focus and actions in accomplishing our mission:
"Our mission is to graduate 100 percent of our students, college and/or career ready."
Together We Make a Difference
Strategic Goals
These strategic goals in the following focus areas provide guidance for leadership, policy decisions, and development of initiatives, programs, and strategies to achieve our mission. See Strategic Plan
District Focus
In order to fulfill our mission of graduating 100 percent of our students college and career ready, Union focuses on four main areas: Early Childhood Education, Community Schools, STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and the Union Collegiate Academy Experience.
Accreditation
Union is accredited by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and AdvancED. Its accreditation process, involving parents, teachers and administrators at each site, is considered a model for other school districts.
Enrollment
Union has experienced significant growth in the past decade. During the 2004-2005 school year, the district recorded total enrollment of 13,969. In 2016-2017, enrollment reached 15,960. See Statistics and Annual Reports for a breakdown on specifics.
About the District
The eighth largest public school district in Oklahoma, Union has approximately 15,700 students, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, residing within a 28-square-mile boundary encompassing both southeast Tulsa and a portion of Broken Arrow. The school system is the heart of the community and serves as a unifying force. It includes an early childhood center for three-year-olds; 13 elementary schools pre-kindergarten through fifth grade including the brand new Ellen Ochoa Elementary School; and five secondary schools—a 6th/7th Grade Center, 8th Grade Center, 9th Grade Center, High School (Grades 10-12,) and an Alternative School for grades 9-12.
In addition, Union's Adult Education Learning Center serves northeastern Oklahoma, offering GED classes, English as a Second Language and more.
Parents choose the Union district for its all-around excellence. They take great pride in its wide-ranging, dynamic academic programs; award-winning activities; caring, talented teachers; highly respected elected and administrative leaders; and remarkable facilities. Union is one of the leading districts in Oklahoma in the number of teachers earning National Board Certification and in number of Presidential Math and Science Award recipients.
Union’s Community Schools—elementary schools complete with health clinics and services from community agencies—serve as a model to other districts nationwide. They increase academic success by forming community partnerships to provide extra supports such as early care, health and social services, out-of-school activities, family/community engagement, neighborhood development and lifelong learning.
In addition to challenging Pre-Advanced Placement (AP) classes, Union offers a variety of Advanced Placement classes which allow students to earn college credit while learning about a subject in depth. In partnership with Tulsa Community College (TCC), Union was one of the first to pilot a unique concurrent enrollment program at the Union Collegiate Academy (UCA) on its High School campus, enabling qualifying students to earn both high school and college credits at the same time – virtually tuition free! It has not been unusual for some to graduate with both a high school diploma and enough credits for an associate degree.
UCA provides students a challenging college-like experience with TCC instructors, tiered lecture halls, advanced science labs, student lounges, and specialty food shops, along with a safety net of high school staff members there to ensure their success. Counselors in the UCA’s College and Career Center help students and their parents complete college entrance, financial aid, and scholarship applications or bank college credit through Tulsa Technology Center. Students love the UCA’s online courses – Union Virtual Learning Academy –because of the flexibility they provide and because teachers are always there to assist.
The Union community provides whatever it takes to ensure all students graduate college/career ready. Successful bond issues have funded state-of-the-art tools to enhance reading, language, math, science, and writing skills at every grade level. Art, music, and physical education enrich the traditional curriculum. Professionals in remedial reading, speech therapy, and special education are assigned to the schools along with library media specialists, nurses, and counselors. Courses for gifted students are offered at all levels, as are programs for English Language Learners.
Students
Parent and Community Involvement
Union is part of a community that consistently supports the school system. More than 2,000 volunteers from throughout the community work in its schools.
The Parent Teacher Association is active in all the schools and works with Union to provide equipment and scholarships for students and supplies for teachers. The Union Schools Education Foundation, which was established in 1991, raises and distributes funds to teachers for classroom-based projects. In addition, a number of parents are active in booster clubs for athletics and spirit programs, as well as band, music and drama.
The Community Action Project partners with Union to provide the program for three year-olds, while the Community Service Council, the City/County Health Department and a number of organizations such as the YMCA and Boy Scouts of America team with the district to offer a variety of services and programs.
Student Engagement: Co-Curricular Activities
Employees Statistics & Achievements
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Child Nutrition
The Child Nutrition Department served 1,681,986 lunches and 993,215 breakfasts during the school year. Summer meals included 16,422 breakfasts and 25,031 lunches. The Child Nutrition department trains around 280 employees in culinary arts and safe food handling; has four chefs; and three dietitians. The number of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch has steadily increased over recent years and is currently at 69.3 percent.
The district purchased fresh vegetables and fruits and local grass fed beef from six local farms and six elementary schools participated in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grant which provided fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks each day in the classroom.
Transportation
More than 10,000 students rode the bus on a regular basis during the 2018-19 school year. The district maintained a fleet of 109 school buses and 90 support vehicles. Our buses traveled 1,159,028 total miles – 1,040,601 miles on regular routes and 118,427 miles on field trips.
The district ran 15 after-school routes and 35 shuttles, and two vehicles for the McKinney-Vento/Foster Care programs. The district purchased 172,339 gallons of diesel fuel and 42,529 gallons of unleaded fuel for a combined cost of $446,750.
Facilities
The district maintains more than 2.8 million square feet of facilities. A strong corporate tax base and patrons who consistently pass bond issues have helped Union to build spacious, well-equipped facilities including the Performing Arts Center in the High School. The Union Multipurpose Activity Center, 6836 S. Mingo Road, is a state-of-the art building which houses the 6,000-seat John Q. Hammons Arena, fine arts and athletic offices, classrooms, a Wellness and Sports Medicine Center, and the U-Wear Spirit Store. The UMAC also hosts a number of community events and even college-level games. In the spring of 2020, Unopn opened its Community Heath Connection Clinicn at Ellen Ochoa Elementary.
Other outstanding facilities include Union-Tuttle Stadium at the High School, a new soccer complex at the 8th Grade, a 3-meter swimming poolwith a seating capacity of 400 at the 6th/7th Grade Center, a modern baseball/softball complex and a new tennis court at the Union High School Fresman Academy.
The Operations buildings house transportation, maintenance, warehouse and grounds crew behind the Union Alternative School. Union also maintains Central Park at Union at 62nd and Mingo, a practice field at 61st and Mingo.