Lackamas Elementary, Yelm WA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Lackamas Elementary

Lackamas Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of the Yelm School District, located in Yelm, Washington. Yelm has grown rapidly in recent decades and is largely a bedroom community for people working in Olympia, Tacoma, and Centralia, with a significant portion of families connected to nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The city has a suburban, car-oriented layout, with schools spread across separate campuses rather than clustered downtown. A major annexation in early 2026 added a large number of residents and land area.

The school itself operates as a regular public elementary school. It enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population representing a substantial share, and smaller numbers of students who identify as two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian, Black, or American Indian or Alaska Native. Just over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need that aligns with the presence of military families and the area's commuter-based economy. Data on the share of students with disabilities and English learners was not available.

State assessment results for the 2024-25 school year are available for grades three through five. In English language arts, about half of third and fourth graders met proficiency, while the proficiency rate for fifth graders was lower, closer to a quarter of students. In math, third and fourth graders had proficiency rates in the mid-range, but fifth graders again showed a lower rate, with roughly a quarter of students meeting the bar. In science, only fifth graders are tested; the proficiency rate was below a third. Compared to other elementary schools in Thurston County, the overall proficiency index placed the school in the bottom quartile. There is no multi-year trend data yet, as this is the only year available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent a steady pattern or a single year's picture. A parent may want to ask the school about its approach to supporting fifth-grade performance across subjects.

Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate, and the school does not offer high school programs such as Advanced Placement or career and technical education pathways. The district brief yielded little information about recent changes or initiatives at the district level, so it is unclear whether any broader strategic priorities are in motion that might affect programs or academic support at Lackamas. Similarly, no data on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing ratios was available, so those dimensions of the school environment cannot be assessed here.

For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a mid-sized elementary school in a rapidly growing, commuter-heavy community with strong ties to the nearby military base. The student body has notable economic diversity, with a majority-white composition and a significant Hispanic presence. Academically, results in the tested grades are mixed, with third and fourth graders performing more strongly than fifth graders in both English and math, and fifth-grade science results also on the lower side. The school's position relative to other elementary schools in the county is in the bottom tier, though the data is limited to a single year. With no information on special education or English learner services, or on the school's programs and enrichment offerings, a family with a child who has specific learning needs or who is looking for a particular academic emphasis would want to contact the school directly to learn more.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 59% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 50% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 38% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 46% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 46%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 52% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 52% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

This schoolYelm School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income29%Higher-income62%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income41%Higher-income50%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income19%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income36%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income62%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income58%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income29%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income32%4 pp gap