Robert L Olds Junior High School

Robert L Olds Junior High School is a public school in Connell, Washington, serving 322 students in grades 7–8 in the largely rural, high-need North Franklin School District. In 2024–25, 79.19% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio was 17.1. The school ranks 435th of 514 Washington middle schools, placing it at the 15th percentile for 2025–26. Although this is a low statewide standing, it has improved from the 6th percentile in 2021–22.

Academic results are below Washington averages but are very similar to those at nearby McFarland Middle School in Othello, about 17.4 miles away. At Robert L Olds, proficiency was 34.64% in English language arts, 21.57% in math, and 24.81% in science. Compared with McFarland, the school was slightly higher in ELA and science but slightly lower in math. ELA is the school’s strongest subject, while math is the clearest challenge. Eighth-grade math was particularly weak at 18.71%, compared with 23.95% for seventh grade. Science offers the most encouraging trend, rising from 16.78% in 2022–23 to 24.81% in 2025–26, while math has remained near 20% for several years.

The school’s results are somewhat below those of its district—by 1.92 percentage points in ELA, 3.80 in math, and 4.40 in science—but the differences are smaller than the gaps separating the school from state averages. Notably, subgroup rankings vary widely: the White-student subgroup ranked at the 76th percentile, while female students ranked at the 7th percentile, Hispanic students at the 6th percentile, and low-income students at the 8th percentile. These results point to a need for more consistent support and instructional effectiveness across student groups. Compared with McFarland, Robert L Olds has higher per-student spending and a lower student-teacher ratio, but similar overall achievement, making eighth-grade math and equitable student support important priorities.