Is Southworth Elementary a good school?

Southworth Elementary ranks 645 th of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Southworth Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 669 students attended Southworth Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Southworth Elementary?

Students at Southworth Elementary are 55% White, 21% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 3% Pacific Islander, 2% American Indian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Southworth Elementary attend?

Students who attend Southworth Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Yelm Middle School High : Yelm High School 12

Southworth Elementary

Summary:

Southworth Elementary is a public elementary school in Yelm, Washington, serving 628 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Yelm School District, which is ranked 125 out of 247 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southworth Elementary has a higher percentage of White (55.73%) and Hispanic (19.11%) students compared to the state averages, as well as a higher percentage of students identifying as two or more races (11.15%). The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Washington elementary schools, maintaining a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past 8 years. While Southworth performs well for its Hispanic student population, ranking in the top 46 out of 651 Washington elementary schools, it struggles with its White and multi-racial student populations, as well as its special education and military-connected students, all of which rank in the bottom 25% of schools. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math are consistently below the district and state averages, though it performs better in Science.

Compared to other Yelm School District elementary schools, such as McKenna Elementary, Yelm Prairie Elementary, and Mill Pond Elementary, Southworth Elementary underperforms across various metrics. When compared to elementary schools in the neighboring North Thurston Public Schools district, Southworth also falls short, with lower proficiency rates and school rankings. However, Southworth outperforms the nearby Roy Elementary in the Bethel School District.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

13849 Yelm Hwy SE
Yelm, WA 98597-8761

(360) 458-2500

District: Yelm School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
645^th of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,812

Students who attend Southworth Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Yelm Middle School
High:	Yelm High School 12

Student/teacher ratio: 17.5

Number of students: 669

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.7%

Hispanic:

21.2%

Two or more races:

12.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 45%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Southworth Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Southworth Elementary ranks worse than 55.2% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 5^th among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Yelm School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 42.96. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Southworth Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Yelm School District. Student population at Southworth Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (54.7%), Hispanic (21.2%), two or more races (12.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 45% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Yelm School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Southworth Elementary is 17.5, which is the highest among 6 elementary schools in the Yelm School District! (See more...)

Compare Southworth Elementary employs 38.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Southworth Elementary is $15,812, which is the lowest among 6 elementary schools in the Yelm School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Southworth Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Southworth Elementary 645^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Southworth Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Yelm School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Yelm School District 125^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Southworth Elementary.

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Rank History for Southworth Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Southworth Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	79.06	164^th	1026	84.0%
2005	58.45	432^nd	1031	58.1%
2006	76.55	193^rd	1051	81.6%
2007	78.37	161^st	1069	84.9%
2008	58.74	453^rd	1067	57.5%
2009	54.50	491^st	1072	54.2%
2010	60.38	414^th	1088	61.9%
2011	73.38	239^th	1092	78.1%
2012	77.55	194^th	1097	82.3%
2013	61.84	442^nd	1106	60.0%
2015	31.98	769^th	1067	27.9%
2016	39.66	667^th	1053	36.7%
2017	27.55	793^rd	1056	24.9%
2018	30.29	754^th	1054	28.5%
2019	46.26	626^th	1130	44.6%
2021	45.08	560^th	1107	49.4%
2022	44.32	628^th	1169	46.3%
2023	41.49	667^th	1169	42.9%
2024	42.96	645^th	1168	44.8%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Southworth Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	31.29	160^th	212	24.5%
2019	27.72	241^st	303	20.5%
2022	25.96	198^th	252	21.4%
2023	32.86	143^rd	194	26.3%
2024	31.26	143^rd	188	23.9%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Southworth Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	46.41	309^th	637	51.5%
2019	49.79	223^rd	566	60.6%
2021	28.18	129^th	158	18.4%
2022	31.12	345^th	478	27.8%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Southworth Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	34.31	603^rd	835	27.8%
2019	55.20	435^th	979	55.6%
2021	66.92	191^st	854	77.6%
2022	69.54	210^th	1019	79.4%
2023	52.15	465^th	1013	54.1%
2024	50.14	501^st	1024	51.1%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Southworth Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	20.76	837^th	1004	16.6%
2019	41.17	661^st	1068	38.1%
2021	40.91	563^rd	1008	44.1%
2022	43.47	597^th	1100	45.7%
2023	34.74	713^th	1094	34.8%
2024	43.03	606^th	1093	44.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Southworth Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	38.64	40^th	50	20.0%
2021	57.37	11^th	32	65.6%
2022	32.15	40^th	50	20.0%
2023	43.91	36^th	48	25.0%
2024	26.41	36^th	39	7.7%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Southworth Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	41.32	591^st	999	40.8%
2019	52.60	511^th	1075	52.5%
2021	49.38	464^th	1025	54.7%
2022	46.39	555^th	1113	50.1%
2023	47.53	538^th	1099	51.0%
2024	41.37	634^th	1099	42.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Southworth Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	31.44	391^st	540	27.6%
2019	57.92	261^st	697	62.6%
2021	42.39	255^th	501	49.1%
2022	64.94	165^th	694	76.2%
2023	54.88	267^th	633	57.8%
2024	85.64	46^th	651	92.9%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Southworth Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	28.60	633^rd	833	24.0%
2019	42.62	648^th	1027	36.9%
2021	34.49	637^th	943	32.4%
2022	36.40	678^th	1031	34.2%
2023	29.50	767^th	1011	24.1%
2024	31.04	736^th	1009	27.1%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1.7)

33%

67%

Reviews:

by a teacher
Saturday, February 25, 2023

The principal at this school has created a toxic work environment and ran off all the great teachers and paraeducators. Rather than helping students succeed he threatens them with punishments inconsistent with standardized protocols for behavior. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Where shall I begin?! The teachers well some starting off with the iep teachers have been nothing but rude and down right disrespectful and do not care about my child's education. Last year I had some other issues with another teacher. And it took weeks to get resolved to the point I had to go to the people above the principal. My child loves to learn yet these teachers just don't give to craps about their education and you wonder why they are ranked at where they are. I am beyond done with this school!!! My child deserves the best education and not the crappiest. How can someone be satisfied with not teaching kids and call it good teaching. And yet here my child is and not progressing at all??? That's what I would love to find out!? Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, March 31, 2013

Southworth has a good staff, and may be doing better with the new principal. District wide it is known for its bullying and disrespect among the children. Sad for such a small town, but having met with the new principal I feel there is more being done to help those who are feeling bullied, not just giving self esteem classes to the bullies themselves. I'm still not sure about the 1-4 grading system that has taken over WA state. It has allowed my student who was graded and placed in the top of his class in reading for the first four years of school, to fall into "needing special assistance." Close Quote

Enrollment information for Southworth Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	377	6	8	5	64	n/a	n/a	0	460
1989	392	3	11	10	48	n/a	n/a	0	464
1990	389	8	8	13	44	n/a	n/a	0	462
1991	312	9	4	17	38	n/a	n/a	0	380
1992	316	8	7	16	30	n/a	n/a	0	377
1993	322	9	7	13	31	n/a	n/a	0	382
1994	286	9	12	10	27	n/a	n/a	0	344
1995	268	7	7	17	20	n/a	n/a	0	319
1996	268	7	7	17	20	n/a	n/a	0	319
1997	312	7	9	19	21	n/a	n/a	0	368
1998	346	10	8	14	19	n/a	n/a	0	397
1999	309	13	9	15	8	n/a	n/a	0	354
2000	291	12	12	14	10	n/a	n/a	0	339
2001	327	11	8	11	8	n/a	n/a	0	365
2002	356	19	14	22	5	n/a	n/a	0	416
2003	356	19	14	22	5	n/a	n/a	0	416
2004	357	15	19	33	8	n/a	n/a	0	432
2005	450	19	24	39	13	n/a	n/a	1	546
2006	407	18	19	33	14	n/a	n/a	23	514
2007	283	6	16	34	18	n/a	n/a	31	388
2008	304	13	13	30	24	n/a	n/a	59	443
2009	350	15	22	42	32	n/a	n/a	62	523
2010	323	14	16	52	38	n/a	n/a	65	508
2011	308	6	8	82	14	3	71	0	492
2012	325	9	7	65	20	8	77	0	511
2013	335	8	7	80	21	6	66	0	523
2014	337	17	10	96	22	6	84	0	572
2015	319	16	13	111	27	7	72	0	565
2016	345	4	10	109	25	15	64	0	572
2017	375	8	8	108	29	12	71	0	611
2018	319	8	7	104	28	8	67	0	541
2019	324	10	16	106	26	11	66	0	559
2020	306	11	18	99	25	16	68	0	543
2021	294	13	18	99	22	22	66	0	534
2022	328	14	24	106	15	24	65	0	576
2023	350	21	26	120	19	22	70	0	628
2024	366	15	26	142	16	20	84	0	669

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Southworth Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	460	19.0	24.2	0
1989	464	22.0	21.0	n/a
1990	462	22.1	20.9	0
1991	380	21.1	18.0	n/a
1992	377	21.5	17.5	n/a
1993	382	21.2	18.0	n/a
1994	344	19.2	17.9	n/a
1995	319	16.6	19.2	n/a
1996	319	16.6	19.2	n/a
1997	368	18.1	20.3	n/a
1998	397	19.2	20.7	n/a
1999	354	19.0	18.6	n/a
2000	339	18.6	18.2	n/a
2001	365	19.0	19.2	n/a
2002	416	23.7	17.6	41.1
2003	416	23.7	17.6	41.1
2004	432	24.0	18.0	37.3
2005	546	23.8	22.9	38
2006	514	27.1	19.0	41.8
2007	388	22.1	17.6	44.3
2008	443	23.6	18.8	49
2009	523	23.2	22.5	42.5
2010	508	26.7	18.9	42.7
2011	492	25.2	19.5	39.8
2012	511	24.2	21.1	44
2013	523	26.1	19.9	42.6
2014	572	n/a	n/a	42
2015	565	33.0	17.1	43
2016	572	32.0	17.8	40
2017	611	33.6	18.1	43.4
2018	541	30.9	17.5	42.3
2019	559	33.5	16.6	42.4
2020	543	36.2	14.9	42.2
2021	534	35.2	15.1	39.5
2022	576	37.1	15.4	38.7
2023	628	37.1	16.8	45.1
2024	669	38.1	17.5	45

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Southworth Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	460	19.0	24.2	0
1989	464	22.0	21.0	n/a
1990	462	22.1	20.9	0
1991	380	21.1	18.0	n/a
1992	377	21.5	17.5	n/a
1993	382	21.2	18.0	n/a
1994	344	19.2	17.9	n/a
1995	319	16.6	19.2	n/a
1996	319	16.6	19.2	n/a
1997	368	18.1	20.3	n/a
1998	397	19.2	20.7	n/a
1999	354	19.0	18.6	n/a
2000	339	18.6	18.2	n/a
2001	365	19.0	19.2	n/a
2002	416	23.7	17.6	41.1
2003	416	23.7	17.6	41.1
2004	432	24.0	18.0	37.3
2005	546	23.8	22.9	38
2006	514	27.1	19.0	41.8
2007	388	22.1	17.6	44.3
2008	443	23.6	18.8	49
2009	523	23.2	22.5	42.5
2010	508	26.7	18.9	42.7
2011	492	25.2	19.5	39.8
2012	511	24.2	21.1	44
2013	523	26.1	19.9	42.6
2014	572	n/a	n/a	42
2015	565	33.0	17.1	43
2016	572	32.0	17.8	40
2017	611	33.6	18.1	43.4
2018	541	30.9	17.5	42.3
2019	559	33.5	16.6	42.4
2020	543	36.2	14.9	42.2
2021	534	35.2	15.1	39.5
2022	576	37.1	15.4	38.7
2023	628	37.1	16.8	45.1
2024	669	38.1	17.5	45

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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