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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 98501

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At a glance

Schools

7,807

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedOlympia High School31^st of 396 Washington high schools

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Biggest riser

McKenny Elementary up 132 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Olympia Regional Learning Academy 13 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

4 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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Summary:

The 98501 area includes 15 public schools serving elementary, middle, high-school, alternative, and specialized students, with approximately 7,807 students overall. Most schools are part of the Olympia School District or Tumwater School District, both of which rank well statewide. The area offers several strong academic options, although results vary considerably by school and subject. The Mary M. Knight School District, which includes Washington Connections Academy - Mary M. Knight, has a lower district ranking and notably weaker aggregate test results.

Among high schools, Olympia High School has the strongest overall profile, ranking in the 92nd percentile with a 92.3% graduation rate, a 3.4% dropout rate, and proficiency above state levels in English language arts, math, and science. Tumwater High School reports the area’s highest graduation rate at 96.8% and the strongest high-school ELA result, but its math and science scores are less consistent. Washington Middle School is a strong middle-school option, ranking in the 88th percentile and showing especially good science performance. Alternative and specialized schools, including Olympia Regional Learning Academy, Avanti High School, and New Market High School, serve different student populations and should not be compared directly with comprehensive schools.

At the elementary level, McKenny Elementary stands out for its 64.58% math proficiency and area-best 80.85% science proficiency, along with substantial year-over-year gains. Pioneer Elementary School has the highest elementary ELA result and strong performance across all subjects, while Centennial Elementary also performs above state levels in ELA, math, and science. East Olympia Elementary is another solid option. Math is the most uneven subject, with lower results at Madison Elementary School, Peter G Schmidt Elementary, and Washington Connections Academy. Science is a notable area-wide strength, but suppressed results at some schools mean missing data should be treated as unknown rather than poor performance.

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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 8th Grade	WCAS Science 11th 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 6th Grade	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 3rd Grade	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math 10th 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
Washington Connections Academy - Mary M. Knight	Public, Virtual	K-8	111 Tumwater Blvd SE	Tumwater	98501	Thurston County	Mary M Knight School District	No	No	Yes	No	(360) 338-6340	600	26	23.5	32.8%	348 (58.0%)	7 (1.2%)	95 (15.8%)	7 (1.2%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	137 (22.8%)	28	819^th of 1138 public elementary schools	28.0%		24.9	909^th of 1160 public elementary schools	21.6%	90	46.3	38.1		40.9	54.4	29.1	41.8	39.7	36.8	31.7		37.7	46.7	23.6	19.6	20.8	18.2	10.5		20.7	89.7	92.3	92.3	92.3	92.3	92.3	92.3	89.7	92.3	92.3	$10,689	$00	$10,689
Madison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1225 Legion Way SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-6300	203	12	17.3	43.8%	105 (51.7%)	6 (3.0%)	45 (22.2%)	17 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	28 (13.8%)	42.3	647^th of 1138 public elementary schools	43.1%		54	503^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	56.6%	144	54.6			54.6	48.3	56.3	48.5					51.1	41.4	34.4	30.3					35.1	76.0	78.0	84.0	84.0	84.0	76.0	84.0	84.0	76.0	76.0	$18,333	$312	$18,021
Pioneer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1655 Carlyon Ave SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-6500	384	21	17.9	19.8%	225 (58.6%)	12 (3.1%)	53 (13.8%)	29 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	35 (9.1%)	80.3	217^th of 1138 public elementary schools	80.9%		75.4	254^th of 1160 public elementary schools	78.1%	37	71.0			71.0	81.8	56.5	68.7					69.2	76.1	53.2	52.2					60.6	77.4	83.9	88.7	88.7	88.7	83.9	88.7	83.9	83.9	83.9	$18,742	$228	$18,515
Washington Middle School	Public	6-8	3100 Cain Rd SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-3000	702	36	19.3	21.7%	441 (62.8%)	24 (3.4%)	94 (13.4%)	52 (7.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	83 (11.8%)	87.3	61^st of 514 public middle schools	88.1%		87.9	59^th of 534 public middle schools	89.0%	2		74.9		74.9				61.5	73.3	70.0		68.2				47.6	67.0	53.6		55.8											$14,672	$606	$14,066
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
McKenny Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3250 Morse Merryman Rd SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-8400	322	19	16.9	29.8%	159 (49.4%)	6 (1.9%)	62 (19.3%)	33 (10.2%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	41 (12.7%)	81.9	208^th of 1138 public elementary schools	81.7%		67.7	340^th of 1160 public elementary schools	70.7%	132	80.9			80.9	57.8	53.9	83.0					64.6	68.9	59.6	66.0					64.6	70.0	75.0	75.0	75.0	75.0	75.0	82.5	75.0	75.0	75.0	$19,918	$676	$19,242
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	K-5	213 21st Ave SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-6400	300	17	17.5	33.3%	177 (59.0%)	4 (1.3%)	35 (11.7%)	5 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (12.3%)	55.1	492^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	56.8%		60	430^th of 1160 public elementary schools	62.9%	62	74.0			74.0	39.6	51.2	65.9					51.9	36.4	38.5	51.2					41.9	85.1	87.2	93.6	93.6	93.6	89.4	85.1	89.4	89.4	89.4	$18,124	$237	$17,887
Centennial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2637 45th Ave SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-8300	434	24	17.7	21.7%	253 (58.3%)	14 (3.2%)	58 (13.4%)	43 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	58 (13.4%)	75.6	263^rd of 1138 public elementary schools	76.9%		77.3	240^th of 1160 public elementary schools	79.3%	23	63.2			63.2	68.3	65.1	65.9					66.2	54.0	65.1	47.7					55.7	84.2	86.0	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	$17,735	$371	$17,364
Avanti High School	Public	9-12	1113 Legion Way SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-7900	167	9	17.7	31.1%	107 (64.1%)	1 (0.6%)	18 (10.8%)	3 (1.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (10.8%)								(n/a)																			42.9	42.9											$13,737	$556	$13,181
Olympia Regional Learning Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	2400 15th Ave SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-7730	345	26	13.0	23.2%	190 (55.1%)	4 (1.2%)	45 (13.0%)	24 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.9%)								(n/a)		70.8		74.6			77.8			66.7		74.4			40.7			51.9	25.0	56.2	63.6	72.7	80.0	80.0	80.0	81.8	74.6	76.4	81.8	81.8	$15,875	$286	$15,589
Peter G Schmidt Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	237 Dennis Street SE	Tumwater	98501	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 709-7200	606	40	15.0	44.9%	361 (59.6%)	8 (1.3%)	107 (17.7%)	14 (2.3%)	8 (1.3%)	6 (1.0%)	101 (16.7%)	48.2	570^th of 1138 public elementary schools	49.9%		46.1	601^st of 1160 public elementary schools	48.2%	31	52.9			52.9	45.8	55.7	43.0					48.4	54.2	50.0	25.9					44.0	94.6	96.8	97.9	97.9	97.9	97.9	95.7	96.8	97.9	97.9	$18,168	$1,041	$17,127
Tumwater High School	Public	9-12	700 Israel Road	Tumwater	98501	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 709-7600	1,117	52	21.3	30.6%	779 (69.7%)	33 (3.0%)	171 (15.3%)	28 (2.5%)	4 (0.4%)	4 (0.4%)	98 (8.8%)	78.9	65^th of 396 public high schools	83.6%		60.6	147^th of 438 public high schools	66.4%	82			53.7	53.7							80.1	80.1							43.6	43.6											$16,050	$274	$15,776
New Market Skills Center	Public	11-12	7299 New Market Street SW	Tumwater	98501	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 570-4500	86	2	50.5	15.1%	47 (54.7%)	4 (4.7%)	16 (18.6%)	2 (2.3%)	2 (2.3%)	3 (3.5%)	12 (14.0%)								(n/a)																															$16,979	$393	$16,586
East Olympia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8700 Rich Road	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 709-7150	579	35	16.6	35.6%	373 (64.4%)	17 (2.9%)	114 (19.7%)	25 (4.3%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (8.1%)	66.5	351^st of 1138 public elementary schools	69.2%		61.8	412^th of 1160 public elementary schools	64.5%	61	58.0			58.0	47.3	64.4	56.8					56.2	62.5	58.3	43.2					55.8	90.8	92.0	94.3	94.3	94.3	92.0	90.8	92.0	92.0	92.0	$16,037	$274	$15,763
New Market High School	Public	10-12	7299 New Market Street SW	Tumwater	98501	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 570-4500	61	2	30.5	34.4%	42 (68.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (16.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.3%)	1 (1.6%)	4 (6.6%)								(n/a)																															$14,439	$274	$14,166

Cities Near Zip Code 98501

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Olympia	1.11 mi	26	58^th
Tumwater	1.49 mi	14	120^th
Lacey	2.26 mi	25	141^st
Tenino	9.01 mi	4	169^th
Yelm	11.02 mi	9	152^nd

See the top WA Washington cities

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.