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> Say I have a commutative ring $R$ with a maximal ideal $m$. Then $m/m^k$ is a maximal ideal in $R/m^k$ for any $k$. Is it the only maximal ideal, i.e. is $R/m^k$ a local ring? 
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This is a well known result for $k = 1$, as $R/m$ is a field. It seems to be true in other cases, e.g. $p\mathbb{Z}\subset \mathbb{Z}$ for prime $p$ and for $(x,y) \subset \mathbb{F}[x,y]$, the maximal ideal generated by $x$ and $y$ in a polynomial ring over the field $\mathbb{F}$. 

Equivalently, if an element $x\notin m$, is $x + m^k$ an invertible element in $R/m^k$?