Summary:
The Yelm School District serves approximately 5,253 students across nine public schools in the 98597 zip code, including five elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools, ranking in the middle tier of Washington state districts.
Parents will find notable differences in performance between schools within the same district. Fort Stevens Elementary stands out as the highest-ranked school with strong math scores and a low student-teacher ratio, while Ridgeline Middle School is the top-performing middle school. At the high school level, Yelm High School has a solid graduation rate and excels in English, but Yelm Extension School, an alternative high school, has significantly lower graduation rates and faces considerable challenges.
Key takeaways for the area include that academic results don't always align with per-student spending, and performance can vary significantly from year to year at some schools. The district matches the state average in math but trails slightly in English and science. A common trend is that student proficiency, particularly in math and science, tends to decline in the higher grades, which is an important pattern for families to note as their children advance.
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