Farris is an unincorporated community in Atoka County, Oklahoma, United States. It lies east of the county seat of Atoka on Highway 3 near the county border.
A post office was established at Farris, Indian Territory on May 17, 1902. It was named for the first postmaster, John L. Farris. At the time of its founding, Farris was located in Jacks Fork County, Choctaw Nation.George H. Shirk, Oklahoma Place Names (University of Oklahoma Press, 1987), , p. 87. Excerpts available at Google Books; Morris, John W. Historical Atlas of Oklahoma (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986), plate 38.
McGee Creek Reservoir, which impounds the waters of McGee Creek, lies a short distance to the northwest. McGee Creek is a tributary to Muddy Boggy Creek, which flows west of Farris.
Education Farris is in the Lane Public School school district.Compare the 2010 map to the 2020 map: - Text list - Text list
From 1914 to 2013,Carrie Coppenoll, "Oklahoma school district closes, but questions, lawsuits remain", The Oklahoman, March 4, 2013. - Also see copy on the Oklahoman website. Copy of first and second page (with charts and graphs) at Newspapers.com. Farris had its own school district, Farris Public School, - Text list with a K-8 school.
Farris School had been renovated some time before 1964. That year, the district had 47 students. Circa 2003 to 2008 the number of students decreased. In 2008 the enrollment count was 70. That year, the district administration was seeking a merger with Lane school.
After years of declining enrollment, controversies over the district's management, and an "F" rating from the Oklahoma State Department of Education in December 2012,Megan Rolland, "Two Oklahoma school districts get F's on report card", The Oklahoman, December 10, 2012. Pages 1A, 4A. Also see copy on the Oklahoman website. the district voted to dissolve the school district and join the district in nearby Lane in early 2013. After the consolidation, Lane's enrollment increased by around 50 students.
Students above the eighth grade who graduated from the Lane School frequently attend Atoka High School in Atoka (of Atoka Public Schools), some twenty miles west of Farris, or Stringtown high school (of Stringtown School District).
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