Yelm Middle School

Yelm Middle School is a junior high of moderately sized scale in Yelm, Washington, run under Yelm School District, instructing 652 students in grades 6 through 8.

Across the 10 schools in Yelm School District (5,671 students total), Yelm Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Yelm Middle School records that 62% of the student body identifies as White; the rest breaks down as 19% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 3% Pacific Islander, 2% Asian. By comparison, Thurston County as a whole is about 72% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Yelm Middle School has 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 21.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 18.9:1, putting Yelm Middle School higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 52% of students at Yelm Middle School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Thurston County (around 43%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Yelm Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 45.5%, the actual is 42.4%, a residual of -3.1 points.

In the broader community, census data for Thurston County shows median household earnings sit near $96,563, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Thurston County runs 86 public schools (combined enrollment of about 44,412 students), of which Yelm Middle School is one.

The closest other public school is Yelm Extension School, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Yelm Middle School comes 7th of 8 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 48.5%.

Geographically, the school is in a town-center area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count held roughly steady: 667 students in 2018 compared to 652 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 67% to 62% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 19.0:1 in 2018 to 21.8:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.