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Yelm High School 12

Q: Is Yelm High School 12 a good school?

Yelm High School 12 ranks 142 nd of 396 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

142^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 396 Washington High Schools

Better than 64% of Washington high schools

Summary

Yelm High School 12 is a large traditional public high school in the Yelm area of Washington, serving grades 9–12 and 1,693 students through the Yelm School District. The school ranks 142nd of 396 Washington high schools, placing it in the 64th percentile for 2025–26—a notable improvement from the 48th percentile the previous year. Yelm offers a mixed academic picture: English Language Arts is a clear strength, while mathematics remains the biggest concern. Its science performance is slightly above the state average, and its overall standing is stronger than nearby Bethel High School, Tenino High School, and River Ridge High School.

In 2025–26, 63.32% of Yelm students were proficient in ELA, well above the district’s 52.24% and the state’s 52.81%. That result was competitive with Rainier Senior High School and higher than Bethel and Tenino, although it trailed Olympia High School and North Thurston High School. Science proficiency was 53.71%, slightly above the statewide 50.95%. Math, however, was only 31.41%, about 12 percentage points below both the district and state. Although math has improved from 23.47% in 2022–23, it remains a persistent schoolwide challenge.

Parents may also want to watch student completion trends. Yelm’s 2024–25 graduation rate was 82.2%, close to the state’s 82.6% but down from 87.6% the prior year; its 10.3% dropout rate was higher than the state’s 9.8%. Subgroup effectiveness varies: recent results were especially strong for English Language Learners, while effectiveness for students receiving special education services ranked in the 13th percentile. The reported student-teacher ratio of 24.6 is higher than at most nearby comprehensive high schools, including Bethel, North Thurston, Olympia, and Timberline. Overall, Yelm is a mid-performing large school with solid literacy and science foundations, but math achievement, graduation trends, and special education outcomes deserve close attention.

1,693

Students ?

24.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,431

Per pupil spending ?

42.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1315 West Yelm Avenue
Yelm, WA 98597-8612

(360) 458-7777

District: Yelm School District

Feeder schools for Yelm High School 12:

Elementary:	Fort Stevens Elementary
	Lackamas Elementary
	McKenna Elementary
	Mill Pond Elementary School
	More...
	Southworth Elementary
	Yelm Prairie Elementary
Middle:	Ridgeline Middle School
	Yelm Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.1%

Hispanic:

20.1%

Two or more races:

11.9%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Yelm High School 12 to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 43rd percentile in 2016 → 64th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Washington average (60% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the Washington median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Math scores 12 pts below the Washington average

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg49%

Washington avg48%

142^nd of 396

Washington public high schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 43% (2016) to top 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High 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	61.1	142 of 396	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.2	227 of 438	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.3	235 of 437	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.5	218 of 442	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.7	296 of 434	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.0	255 of 455	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.9	243 of 417	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.9	182 of 315	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	61.7	128 of 301	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	51.3	174 of 306	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	65.5	98 of 341	71.3%	★★★★☆
2013	61.8	171 of 454	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	52.0	230 of 450	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.6	218 of 440	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	53.4	218 of 423	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	65.4	150 of 402	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.1	160 of 396	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.5	183 of 399	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.6	185 of 395	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.7	187 of 394	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	46.0	235 of 390	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	30.6	63 of 89	29.2%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	25.9	104 of 136	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	88.7	9 of 104	91.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	50.7	144 of 309	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	37.9	214 of 350	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.9	222 of 347	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.2	193 of 357	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.7	291 of 368	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.4	228 of 390	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.4	238 of 358	33.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	69.1	60 of 236	74.6%	★★★★☆
2025	46.0	120 of 249	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.8	141 of 248	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.7	130 of 249	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.7	170 of 261	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.4	121 of 278	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.6	126 of 241	47.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	31.1	19 of 24	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	22 of 27	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	59.9	116 of 325	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.8	184 of 355	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.9	270 of 356	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.2	218 of 362	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.1	276 of 370	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.9	214 of 392	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.3	159 of 344	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.4	108 of 227	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	65.8	101 of 326	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.9	192 of 359	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.8	196 of 362	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.2	193 of 358	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	228 of 363	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.2	220 of 395	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.3	185 of 355	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	56.5	9 of 17	47.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.2	26 of 34	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.4	24 of 34	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.6	16 of 31	48.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	25.1	31 of 38	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.5	27 of 47	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.5	15 of 31	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	110 of 170	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.6	141 of 161	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	147 of 166	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.5	169 of 179	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.4	167 of 195	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.1	115 of 163	29.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	17.8	125 of 144	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.2	93 of 127	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.9	69 of 110	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.0	63 of 110	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.9	105 of 130	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.4	181 of 212	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.4	119 of 128	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	162 of 319	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.6	244 of 373	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.7	211 of 374	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	216 of 379	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.0	298 of 390	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.1	273 of 413	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.0	251 of 382	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.0	166 of 222	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)91st percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2026)75th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)69th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile~ school

Female (2026)53rd percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)49th percentile-15 vs school

Military Connected (2026)47th percentile-17 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)35th percentile-13 vs school

African American (2022)29th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2021)24th percentile-20 vs school

Homeless (2024)21st percentile-25 vs school

Special Education (2026)13th percentile-51 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts63%+11 vs state

Science54%+3 vs state

Math31%-12 vs state

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Schools Near Yelm High School 12

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)			SBAC English Language Arts (2026)				SBAC Math (2026)				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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 8th Grade	WCAS Science 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 10th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Yelm High School 12	Public	9-12	1315 West Yelm Avenue	Yelm	98597	Thurston County	Yelm School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 458-7777	1,693	69	24.6	42.9%	1,000 (59.1%)	40 (2.4%)	341 (20.1%)	35 (2.1%)	32 (1.9%)	30 (1.8%)	201 (11.9%)	61.1	142^nd of 396 public high schools	64.1%		46.2	227^th of 438 public high schools	48.2%	85		53.7	53.7			63.3	63.3			31.4	31.4	$17,431	$622	$16,808
Yelm Extension School	Public	9-12	107 First Street North	Yelm	98597	Thurston County	Yelm School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 458-6223	116	4	29.0	56.0%	73 (62.9%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (19.0%)	1 (0.9%)	3 (2.6%)	1 (0.9%)	16 (13.8%)	19.7	332^nd of 396 public high schools	16.2%		9.2	414^th of 438 public high schools	5.5%	82		33.3	33.3			38.5	38.5					$11,198	$106	$11,092
Rainier Senior High School	Public	9-12	308 2nd St W	Rainier	98576	Thurston County	Rainier School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 446-2205	283	16	18.1	49.5%	222 (78.4%)	1 (0.4%)	32 (11.3%)	2 (0.7%)	4 (1.4%)	1 (0.4%)	21 (7.4%)	73.1	95^th of 396 public high schools	76.0%		62.4	141^st of 438 public high schools	67.8%	46		63.8	63.8			67.2	67.2			36.4	36.4	$17,730	$359	$17,371
Timberline High School	Public	9-12	6120 Mullen Rd SE	Lacey	98503	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4860	1,401	66	21.0	40.9%	640 (45.7%)	80 (5.7%)	305 (21.8%)	88 (6.3%)	10 (0.7%)	57 (4.1%)	210 (15.0%)	53.5	175^th of 396 public high schools	55.8%		45.2	233^rd of 438 public high schools	46.8%	58		43.7	43.7			72.1	72.1			24.5	24.5	$16,429	$550	$15,879
River Ridge High School	Public	9-12	350 River Ridge Drive SE	Lacey	98513	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4820	1,547	77	20.1	46.9%	532 (34.4%)	99 (6.4%)	425 (27.5%)	174 (11.2%)	32 (2.1%)	48 (3.1%)	231 (14.9%)	53.1	178^th of 396 public high schools	55.1%		40	264^th of 438 public high schools	39.7%	86		42.0	42.0			65.9	65.9			30.6	30.6	$16,528	$729	$15,800
Envision Career Academy	Public, Magnet	9-12	411 College St NE	Lacey	98516	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(360) 412-4880	139	8	16.9	59.0%	70 (50.4%)	3 (2.2%)	29 (20.9%)	8 (5.8%)	3 (2.2%)	2 (1.4%)	24 (17.3%)	53.9	174^th of 396 public high schools	56.1%		17.5	367^th of 438 public high schools	16.2%	193		50.0	50.0			54.8	54.8					$14,918	$679	$14,239
North Thurston High School	Public	9-12	600 Sleater Kinney Rd NE	Lacey	98506	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4800	1,378	64	21.4	50.2%	579 (42.0%)	60 (4.4%)	368 (26.7%)	125 (9.1%)	9 (0.7%)	50 (3.6%)	181 (13.1%)	65.5	129^th of 396 public high schools	67.4%		64.5	133^rd of 438 public high schools	69.6%	4		54.4	54.4			73.8	73.8			28.4	28.4	$16,949	$540	$16,410
Tenino High School	Public	9-12	500 West Second Ave	Tenino	98589	Thurston County	Tenino School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 264-3500	383	18	20.7	45.4%	293 (76.5%)	1 (0.3%)	60 (15.7%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.8%)	44.1	217^th of 396 public high schools	45.2%		57.1	176^th of 438 public high schools	59.8%	41		55.6	55.6			50.0	50.0			19.6	19.6	$17,997	$703	$17,294
Olympia High School	Public	9-12	1302 North St SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-7000	1,901	83	22.9	22.7%	1,132 (59.5%)	44 (2.3%)	226 (11.9%)	203 (10.7%)	6 (0.3%)	9 (0.5%)	199 (10.5%)	91.4	31^st of 396 public high schools	92.2%		91.5	29^th of 438 public high schools	93.4%	2		70.8	70.8			76.3	76.3			58.1	58.1	$16,028	$388	$15,640
Challenger High School	Public	7-12	18117 A Street South	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-6800	318	20	15.9	62.3%	157 (49.4%)	13 (4.1%)	76 (23.9%)	4 (1.3%)	5 (1.6%)	7 (2.2%)	52 (16.4%)	19.3	333^rd of 396 public high schools	15.9%		17.5	369^th of 438 public high schools	15.8%	36	27.6	20.6	22.1	42.9	31.0	54.0	46.0		10.3	8.5	9.2	$19,563	$861	$18,702

Frequently Asked Questions about Yelm High School 12

What district is Yelm High School 12 in?

Yelm School District

What schools feed into Yelm High School 12?

Yelm High School 12 is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Fort Stevens Elementary
Elementary : Lackamas Elementary
Elementary : McKenna Elementary
Elementary : Mill Pond Elementary School
Elementary : Southworth Elementary
Elementary : Yelm Prairie Elementary
Middle : Ridgeline Middle School
Middle : Yelm Middle School

Is Yelm High School 12 a good school?

Yelm High School 12 ranks 142^nd of 396 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Yelm High School 12?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,693 students attended Yelm High School 12.

What is the racial makeup of Yelm High School 12?

Students at Yelm High School 12 are 59% White, 20% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian, 2% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander.

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Latest Washington data All new data »

2025–26 SBAC & WCAS test scoresSep 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.