Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 98502

This analysis examines two public middle schools, serving grades 6-8, located in the Olympia, WA 98502 zip code, both of which are part of the highly-rated Olympia School District.

Among these schools, Jefferson Middle School stands out as the higher-performing option, consistently ranking in the top 15% of Washington middle schools, while Thurgood Marshall Middle School ranks in the top 65%. Jefferson demonstrates stronger academic results, with 69.4% of students proficient in English and 57.4% in math, compared to Thurgood Marshall's 51.9% and 44.7%, respectively. Both schools, however, perform well above the state averages in all subjects.

Interestingly, both schools serve similar student populations and have nearly identical per-student spending, yet a notable performance gap exists. Jefferson achieves its stronger outcomes despite having a slightly higher student-to-teacher ratio. This suggests that factors beyond basic resources or demographics, such as instructional practices or school culture, may influence results. Parents can be confident that both schools in this district outperform typical Washington state averages, with Jefferson offering particularly strong results in English Language Arts.