Santa Fe South Pathways Middle College: A catalyst for generational change

Since 2015, the average graduation rate at Pathways has been

99.5%

including a 100% rate in nine of the last 11 years.

On state testing in Oklahoma,

97%

of Pathways students met or exceeded their priority group targets.

In 2024, the overall grade for Pathways on Oklahoma's A-F Grade Card was

92%

well above the state's average of 55%.

Chris McAdoo doesn’t measure success solely by test scores or enrollment figures. While he values those metrics, the principal at Santa Fe South Pathways Middle College in Oklahoma City is focused on a much larger horizon.

When McAdoo walks around his classrooms each day, he is inspired and driven by the concept of generational change.

“We’re not changing these kids, we’re changing their children,” McAdoo said. “We’re really changing generations. We can’t afford to be close-minded because it’s important to think way down the road. We can make such a lasting impact.”

When McAdoo took the helm as Pathways’ principal in 2014, the school served 75 students. The challenge was immense, but the mission was clear: redefine the high school experience to prepare students for success in all aspects of their lives for years to come.

Building a culture of excellence

A self-described "data junkie" and former coach, McAdoo approached the turnaround with a coach's mindset, focusing on an unwavering principle: building a foundational culture of excellence.

The school’s ongoing commitment to excellence was recently recognized by the state. In December 2025, the Oklahoma State Department of Education recognized Santa Fe South Pathways Middle College with the inaugural Oklahoma Blue Ribbon Award, one of just six public schools statewide to receive the honor. This state-level award highlights schools for exceptional academic performance and dedication to student success.

McAdoo’s turnaround strategy hinged on "growing our people" and established a system built on relationships, relevance, and rigor. McAdoo credited the school’s long-standing partnership with Gradient Learning to achieve this vision. Gradient has provided the tools and systems necessary to manage his school’s growth while maintaining its rigorous academic standards.

This approach views continuous change as an opportunity, championing a growth mindset for all. To ensure his vision was executable, McAdoo restructured his leadership team, expanding his teaching staff from four to 25 and moving coaches into specialized instructional roles. He understood that the data tools provided by Gradient Learning had to be led with the same intensity applied to the classroom.

McAdoo stresses that the core focus is on developing student capability—the ability to handle, tackle, and overcome all aspects of life—not just academic qualification. This focus on building well-rounded, capable humans is dramatically evidenced by their commitment to service. For instance, the Class of 2024 provided over 10,000 hours of community service across just 59 students, illustrating a profound testament to their civic responsibility alongside academics.

“I am really proud of the fact that we put a student-centered model and the systems in place to really allow students to be successful,” McAdoo said.

A new standard for achievement

This dedication to culture, data, and capability has created an educational powerhouse. The school’s enrollment has gone from 75 students in 2014 to over 400 today, with the current senior class alone surpassing the original total enrollment.

This growth has not come at the expense of rigor. The data shows a systemic overhaul that has set a new standard for achievement:

— Santa Fe South Pathways Middle College has achieved a 100% graduation rate in nine of the last 11 years, averaging 99.5% in that span. 

— Pathways has earned all A's on the Oklahoma A–F Grade Card since at least 2019, with an overall grade of 92% in 2024, well above the state's average of 55%.

— The average ACT score has climbed to 21.1, ahead of the state average of 17.8.

— 97% of students met or exceeded their priority group targets on state tests. Notably, 59% of English Learners met or exceeded annual growth targets, nearly double the state rate of 33%.

— In 2024, an impressive 81% of the graduating class earned an Associate Degree alongside their high school diploma to give them a head start on higher education. This achievement far surpasses the national average of 23% for similar schools.

By setting high expectations and relentlessly pursuing continuous improvement through data, McAdoo and his team at Pathways have set the stage to make further impact, one generation at a time.