Summary:
Yelm School District has two high schools serving grades 9–12 in the Yelm area: Yelm High School 12 and Yelm Extension School. Together, they enroll 1,809 students, although the schools serve very different populations and purposes. The larger high school enrolls 1,693 students, while the extension school enrolls 116, so percentages at the smaller school may change more noticeably from year to year. Overall, the district ranks 91st out of 238 Washington districts, placing it in the 62nd percentile.
Yelm High School 12 is the stronger overall performer. It ranks in the 64th percentile statewide and has an 82.2% graduation rate, nearly matching Washington’s 82.6% rate and exceeding the district’s 78.0%. Its English Language Arts proficiency is particularly strong at 63.32%, and science proficiency is 53.71%, slightly above the state. Math is the main concern: only 31.41% of students were proficient, about 12 percentage points below district and state results. Science improved substantially, rising more than 11 points in the latest year, while math improved only slightly. Families considering this school should see a generally solid academic and graduation profile, with math as the clearest area needing additional support.
Yelm Extension School has shown encouraging progress, with its ranking percentile rising from 0 to 16 over three years and gains in both ELA and science. However, it remains well behind the larger high school: graduation is 59.5%, dropout is 19.0%, ELA proficiency is 38.46%, and science proficiency is 33.33%. Its student-teacher ratio is higher, at 29.0 to 1, and its reported student need is also greater. The school’s math result is suppressed, so it cannot be fairly evaluated. For parents, the most important questions are likely to involve graduation planning, credit completion, attendance, and individualized support, while continued science and ELA improvement remains encouraging.
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