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Southworth Elementary

Q: Is Southworth Elementary a good school?

Southworth Elementary ranks 744 th of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

744^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Southworth Elementary is a PK–5 school in Yelm, Washington, serving 671 students in the Yelm School District. It is a relatively large elementary school in the area and serves a community with a mix of residential and rural characteristics. Although the district ranks in the 62nd percentile statewide, Southworth ranks in the 35th percentile, placing it 744th among 1,138 Washington elementary schools and earning a two-star rating.

The school’s latest results show its biggest challenges are English language arts and math. In 2025–2026, 40.54% of students met standards in ELA and 36.45% in math, compared with 52.24% and 43.04% across the district. These were the lowest ELA and math results among the Yelm schools in this comparison, including McKenna Elementary, Yelm Prairie Elementary, Mill Pond Elementary School, and Fort Stevens Elementary. Third-grade ELA was particularly low at 29.52%, while fifth-grade math was the sharpest concern at 20%. Fourth-grade math was a relative strength at 53.45%, slightly above both district and state results.

Science is a more encouraging area: 49.06% of Southworth students met standards, close to the 50.95% statewide result, although performance declined from stronger results in the two previous years. The school’s ranking has also fallen from the 49th percentile in 2020–2021 to the 35th percentile currently, while nearby schools such as Fort Stevens Elementary, Meadows Elementary, and Mill Pond Elementary School rank considerably higher. Parents may also want to ask about staffing and student support: Southworth’s reported student-teacher ratio is 20.1, higher than the comparison schools, and its special education effectiveness ranking is at the 7th percentile statewide. These figures do not establish causes, but they highlight useful topics for families to discuss with school leaders.

671

Students ?

20.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,276

Per pupil spending ?

46.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13849 Yelm Hwy SE
Yelm, WA 98597-8761

(360) 458-2500

District: Yelm School District

Students who attend Southworth Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Yelm Middle School
High:	Yelm High School 12

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.4%

Hispanic:

21.3%

Two or more races:

11.0%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Southworth Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 37th percentile in 2016 → 35th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (40% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!English Language Arts scores 12 pts below the Washington average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg49%

Washington avg48%

744^th of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Yelm School District

91^st of 238Yelm School District among Washington districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	34.5	744 of 1138	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.2	679 of 1160	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	645 of 1168	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.5	667 of 1169	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.3	628 of 1169	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.1	560 of 1107	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.3	626 of 1130	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.3	754 of 1054	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.5	793 of 1056	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	39.7	667 of 1053	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.0	769 of 1067	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	61.8	442 of 1106	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	77.6	194 of 1097	82.3%	★★★★☆
2011	73.4	239 of 1092	78.1%	★★★★☆
2010	60.4	414 of 1088	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	54.5	491 of 1072	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.7	453 of 1067	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	78.4	161 of 1069	84.9%	★★★★☆
2006	76.5	193 of 1051	81.6%	★★★★☆
2005	58.4	432 of 1031	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	79.1	164 of 1026	84.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	34.6	705 of 1020	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.9	731 of 1092	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	606 of 1093	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.7	713 of 1094	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.5	597 of 1100	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.9	563 of 1008	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.2	661 of 1068	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.8	837 of 1004	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	260 of 649	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.2	158 of 659	76.0%	★★★★☆
2024	85.6	46 of 651	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	54.9	267 of 633	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.9	165 of 694	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	42.4	255 of 501	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.9	261 of 697	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	31.4	391 of 540	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	744 of 1008	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.0	591 of 1013	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.1	501 of 1024	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.2	465 of 1013	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.5	210 of 1019	79.4%	★★★★☆
2021	66.9	191 of 854	77.6%	★★★★☆
2019	55.2	435 of 979	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.3	603 of 835	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	684 of 1059	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.8	563 of 1098	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	634 of 1099	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.5	538 of 1099	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.4	555 of 1113	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.4	464 of 1025	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.6	511 of 1075	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.3	591 of 999	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	19 of 27	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.7	40 of 45	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	36 of 39	7.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.9	36 of 48	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.1	40 of 50	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	57.4	11 of 32	65.6%	★★★★☆
2019	38.6	40 of 50	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	40.2	72 of 119	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.5	116 of 197	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.3	143 of 188	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.9	143 of 194	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.0	198 of 252	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	241 of 303	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.3	160 of 212	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	401 of 432	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.9	363 of 363	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	345 of 478	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.2	129 of 158	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.8	223 of 566	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.4	309 of 637	51.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	27.4	726 of 901	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.4	727 of 1007	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.0	736 of 1009	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	767 of 1011	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.4	678 of 1031	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.5	637 of 943	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.6	648 of 1027	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.6	633 of 833	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile+25 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)39th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)35th percentile~ school

Female (2026)31st percentile-4 vs school

Military Connected (2026)30th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)26th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)19th percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2026)7th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

Science49%~ state avg

English Language Arts41%-12 vs state

Math36%-7 vs state

1.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Saturday, February 25, 2023

The principal at this school has created a toxic work environment and ran off all the great teachers and paraeducators. Rather than helping students succeed he threatens them with punishments inconsistent with standardized protocols for behavior. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Where shall I begin?! The teachers well some starting off with the iep teachers have been nothing but rude and down right disrespectful and do not care about my child's education. Last year I had some other issues with another teacher. And it took weeks to get resolved to the point I had to go to the people above the principal. My child loves to learn yet these teachers just don't give to craps about their education and you wonder why they are ranked at where they are. I am beyond done with this school!!! My child deserves the best education and not the crappiest. How can someone be satisfied with not teaching kids and call it good teaching. And yet here my child is and not progressing at all??? That's what I would love to find out!? Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, March 31, 2013

Southworth has a good staff, and may be doing better with the new principal. District wide it is known for its bullying and disrespect among the children. Sad for such a small town, but having met with the new principal I feel there is more being done to help those who are feeling bullied, not just giving self esteem classes to the bullies themselves. I'm still not sure about the 1-4 grading system that has taken over WA state. It has allowed my student who was graded and placed in the top of his class in reading for the first four years of school, to fall into "needing special assistance." Close Quote

Schools Near Southworth Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)		SBAC English Language Arts (2026)				SBAC Math (2026)				% Completely Immunized (2024)	% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Diphtheria (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% Pertussis (2024)	% Tetanus (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 5th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 3rd Grade	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Measles KG	% Mumps KG	% Rubella KG	% Diphtheria KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% Pertussis KG	% Tetanus KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southworth Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13849 Yelm Hwy SE	Yelm	98597	Thurston County	Yelm School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 458-2500	671	33	20.1	46.5%	372 (55.4%)	26 (3.9%)	143 (21.3%)	28 (4.2%)	15 (2.2%)	13 (1.9%)	74 (11.0%)	34.5	744^th of 1138 public elementary schools	34.6%		40.2	679^th of 1160 public elementary schools	41.5%	65	49.1	49.1	29.5	46.6	44.6	40.5	34.9	53.5	20.0	36.5	95.3	96.2	98.1	98.1	98.1	95.3	98.1	98.1	95.3	95.3	$16,276	$564	$15,712
Mill Pond Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	909 Mill Road SE	Yelm	98597	Thurston County	Yelm School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 458-3400	374	22	17.0	49.2%	227 (60.7%)	7 (1.9%)	64 (17.1%)	16 (4.3%)	4 (1.1%)	9 (2.4%)	47 (12.6%)	59.9	430^th of 1138 public elementary schools	62.2%		47.6	584^th of 1160 public elementary schools	49.7%	154	51.0	51.0	48.4	53.0	59.2	53.1	59.7	50.0	49.0	53.1	95.7	95.7	95.7	95.7	95.7	95.7	95.7	95.7	95.7	95.7	$18,340	$598	$17,742
Fort Stevens Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	16525 100th Way SE	Yelm	98597	Thurston County	Yelm School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 458-4800	462	30	15.3	58.2%	256 (55.4%)	15 (3.2%)	115 (24.9%)	14 (3.0%)	4 (0.9%)	13 (2.8%)	45 (9.7%)	72.4	291^st of 1138 public elementary schools	74.4%		67.6	343^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	70.4%	52	60.3	60.3	73.1	52.0	60.3	61.3	86.6	48.1	54.8	62.2	93.8	95.0	97.5	97.5	97.5	93.8	96.3	97.5	93.8	93.8	$18,506	$1,163	$17,343
Yelm Prairie Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	16535 110th Ave. SE	Yelm	98597	Thurston County	Yelm School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 458-6261	427	25	17.2	49.9%	276 (64.6%)	5 (1.2%)	98 (23.0%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (9.6%)	57.3	455^th of 1138 public elementary schools	60.0%		51.2	547^th of 1160 public elementary schools	52.8%	92	62.3	62.3	51.4	36.4	54.7	47.1	55.7	51.5	52.8	53.4	94.8	96.6	96.6	96.6	96.6	96.6	98.3	94.8	96.6	96.6	$18,584	$829	$17,755
McKenna Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	35120 Sr 507 S	McKenna	98597	Thurston County	Yelm School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 458-2400	418	23	17.9	49.3%	257 (61.5%)	7 (1.7%)	103 (24.6%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	41 (9.8%)	50.3	543^rd of 1138 public elementary schools	52.3%		56.4	480^th of 1160 public elementary schools	58.6%	63	50.0	50.0	40.0	63.9	54.6	52.9	67.2	63.9	33.3	54.3	89.7	91.4	98.3	98.3	98.3	91.4	94.8	93.1	91.4	91.4	$17,017	$536	$16,481
Roy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	340 Peterson St	Roy	98580	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-5100	285	22	12.7	61.4%	189 (66.3%)	4 (1.4%)	44 (15.4%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.4%)	39 (13.7%)	36.5	730^th of 1138 public elementary schools	35.9%		30.2	821^st of 1160 public elementary schools	29.2%	91	50.0	50.0	38.5	39.7	53.7	44.4	33.3	39.7	51.9	42.4	92.5	95.0	92.5	92.5	92.5	95.0	95.0	92.5	95.0	95.0	$20,947	$1,172	$19,775
Rainier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	600 W 3rd	Rainier	98576	Thurston County	Rainier School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 446-4020	493	30	16.5	45.6%	390 (79.1%)	2 (0.4%)	58 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (6.9%)	57.5	452^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	60.3%		54.4	500^th of 1160 public elementary schools	56.9%	48	56.2	56.2	53.0	51.3	49.3	51.2	57.6	55.1	39.7	50.7	76.0	81.3	82.7	82.7	82.7	81.3	84.0	78.7	81.3	81.3	$15,565	$864	$14,700
Evergreen Forest Elementary	Public	K-5	3025 Marvin Rd SE	Lacey	98503	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4670	442	28	15.6	43.2%	191 (43.2%)	29 (6.6%)	109 (24.7%)	23 (5.2%)	23 (5.2%)	11 (2.5%)	55 (12.4%)	57.4	454^th of 1138 public elementary schools	60.1%		57.1	469^th of 1160 public elementary schools	59.6%	15	72.1	72.1	46.2	40.5	71.0	51.8	57.7	40.5	43.5	47.4	96.3	96.3	98.2	98.2	98.2	96.3	96.3	96.3	96.3	96.3	$18,052	$748	$17,304
Woodland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4630 Carpenter Rd SE	Lacey	98503	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4680	458	32	14.3	42.4%	240 (52.4%)	21 (4.6%)	82 (17.9%)	21 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.5%)	77 (16.8%)	60.1	428^th of 1138 public elementary schools	62.4%		52.2	529^th of 1160 public elementary schools	54.4%	101	60.9	60.9	39.1	62.7	49.3	50.7	56.5	60.0	42.0	53.1	90.9	93.2	93.2	93.2	93.2	93.2	95.5	90.9	93.2	93.2	$18,393	$1,126	$17,267
Meadows Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	836 Deerbrush Dr SE	Lacey	98513	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4690	765	45	16.9	39.1%	311 (40.7%)	45 (5.9%)	169 (22.1%)	86 (11.2%)	8 (1.0%)	13 (1.7%)	133 (17.4%)	67.1	343^rd of 1138 public elementary schools	69.9%		60.1	429^th of 1160 public elementary schools	63.0%	86	63.6	63.6	46.2	64.5	63.6	58.1	58.7	55.7	43.4	52.8	95.8	96.8	99.0	99.0	99.0	96.8	97.9	96.8	96.8	96.8	$17,931	$926	$17,005

Frequently Asked Questions about Southworth Elementary

What schools do graduates of Southworth Elementary attend?

Students who attend Southworth Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Yelm Middle School
High : Yelm High School 12

Is Southworth Elementary a good school?

Southworth Elementary ranks 744^th of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Southworth Elementary in?

Yelm School District

How many students attend Southworth Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 671 students attended Southworth Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Southworth Elementary?

Students at Southworth Elementary are 55% White, 21% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 4% African American, 2% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander.

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Latest Washington data All new data »

2025–26 SBAC & WCAS test scoresNewSep 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 8, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

2024–25 SBAC & WCAS test scoresSep 10, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.