Summary:
Yelm School District has two middle schools in the Yelm, Washington, area, both serving grades 6–8: Yelm Middle School and Ridgeline Middle School. Together, they enroll about 1,220 students, with Yelm Middle serving 652 students and Ridgeline serving 568. Both schools rank at the 63rd statewide percentile for 2025–26, placing them at a similar middle-to-above-average level compared with Washington schools.
Yelm Middle School has the stronger recent improvement trend. Its ranking rose from the 51st percentile in 2023–24 to the 63rd percentile in 2025–26, and its results improved in ELA, math, and science. It slightly leads Ridgeline in overall ELA, at 51.52% proficient compared with 50.75%, and in math, at 40.03% compared with 39.43%. Yelm’s notable grade-level strengths include sixth-grade ELA and seventh-grade math. Its biggest recent gain was in science, which increased by 11.8 percentage points. Families should also note that Yelm has a somewhat higher reported free- or reduced-price lunch rate and a higher student–teacher ratio than Ridgeline.
Ridgeline Middle School has been more consistent in statewide rankings and stands out for eighth-grade performance. Its eighth-grade math proficiency is 46.89%, nearly 10 points higher than Yelm’s, while its eighth-grade ELA and science results are also strong. Ridgeline’s overall science result is slightly higher than Yelm’s—55.43% versus 55.19%—and both schools outperform the district and state in science. Math is the clearest improvement opportunity across both schools because results remain below district and state levels. Overall, the schools are closely matched: Yelm offers stronger recent momentum, while Ridgeline shows particular strength in eighth grade and has a lower student–teacher ratio.
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