Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 98502

ZIP code 98502 has two public middle schools serving grades 6–8: Thurgood Marshall Middle School and Jefferson Middle School. Both are part of the Olympia School District, a highly rated district ranked in the 82nd percentile statewide. Together, the schools enroll 931 students and are similar in size, with 469 students at Thurgood Marshall and 462 at Jefferson. Both schools perform above Washington’s statewide proficiency rates in English language arts, math, and science.

Jefferson Middle School is the clear academic leader in the area. Its 2025–26 proficiency rates were 66.50% in English language arts, 56.58% in math, and 67.81% in science, placing it 68th out of 514 Washington middle schools, or in the 87th percentile. It outperformed Thurgood Marshall Middle School in every reported grade and subject. Jefferson’s largest advantage was in math, particularly in sixth grade, while its eighth-grade English language arts proficiency reached 73.05%. Its ranking has also remained consistently strong over the past three school years.

Thurgood Marshall Middle School ranks lower than Jefferson but shows encouraging recent progress. Its 2025–26 proficiency rates were 57.27% in English language arts, 44.49% in math, and 64.74% in science, and its statewide ranking improved to 142nd of 514. Science was its strongest area and improved by more than 12 percentage points in one year; English language arts also rose substantially. Math is the main area needing attention at both schools, especially at Thurgood Marshall, where sixth-grade proficiency was 35.77%. Reported spending per student is nearly identical, and the schools have similar economic indicators, so the data do not show an obvious resource difference explaining Jefferson’s stronger results.