Mill Pond Intermediate School

Yelm, WA 98597

Phone: (360) 458-3400
District: Yelm School District

4

GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades PK,KG,1,2,3,4,5 • 363 students

Mill Pond Intermediate School, a public school located in Yelm, WA, serves grades PK-5 in the Yelm School District.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 4 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

Mill Pond Intermediate School is a public school located in Yelm, WA. 363 students attend Mill Pond Intermediate School.

School Ratings

Category Rating Details
Test Scores 5/10 The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Smarter Balanced Assessment data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and using 2025 Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Student Growth 3/10 The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Posted: July 21, 2026

Posted: July 21, 2026

Posted: July 21, 2026

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Posted: July 21, 2026

Posted: July 21, 2026

Posted: July 21, 2026

Posted: July 21, 2026

The new principal, Mrs. Fowler, is AMAZING!!! She has done so much to make the school better for the kids, family, and community. I know there are some bad reviews of the school on here, but I guarantee you those are all due to the now-retired principal not caring anymore. This is an amazing school, with dedicated staff, and you would be lucky to have your kiddos go here!

Posted: July 2, 2016

The principal makes this school safe for the students, even at the cost of politics. No direct threats or walking dead language at this elementary school thanks. Parents of children who are allowed to watch and act out explicit material at home will not like the principal (obviously like the parents in some other reviews). The PTO is thriving. Movie night in the gym was our families favorite PTO event this year. If you enjoy hearing about what your child learned today and how much fun they had, enroll them at Milpond. This is where good kids thrive with a safe education.

Posted: July 2, 2016

Posted: July 2, 2016

Posted: July 2, 2016

Posted: May 23, 2015

Posted: May 23, 2015

Posted: May 23, 2015

Posted: May 23, 2015

What makes this school just simply awful is the principal. She is unprofessional, rude (to parents and staff), and well should simply not be allowed to be around children. She's so awful that aside from parent-teacher volunteers, there is NO PTO at the school and has not been one since she's been there. She does not care for the well being of the students. She has her own agendas and this is very apparent in how she runs the school.

Posted: January 5, 2014

I have a granddaughter that attends Mill Pond and I am very active in her education process. This school is a very good school. Teachers and principal are dedicated to educating the students and keeping them safe. My granddaughter has attended two others school, one in Olympia and one in Yelm. Out of the 3 Mill Pond is the best. My granddaughter has some special needs and they are all met. When I read the reviews I am shocked at some of the comments. I frequent this school and volunteer and I can assure anyone that Mill Pond is a great school to be educated at. The principal, the counselor, the teachers and the support staff work hard for our students. If you have a student at Mill Pond you are very lucky.

Posted: November 5, 2013

Mill Pond has been a positive environment for my kids. I would like to see more parrent involvement, but as a single working mother I understand it can be difficult. No school is perfect and unfortunately I think bureacracy has played a big role in 'tying' people's hands to just do what our teachers want to do. Teach our children!!! Be role models not parent our kids. It is a tough road for administrators, staff and students. I think Mill Pond staff try to find a reasonable balance. The one negative that I experiencing right is the complete lockdown of the building. I do not agree with the fact that children are unable to get back into the building quickly during recesses. Bad things can come on to the playground very easily and would put children outside at risk. Thank you Mill Pond for always trying to do what is best for all the kids.

Posted: October 19, 2013

Mill Pond Elementary has been in session for 7 years and is under the second principal. It has had many ups and down since it was converted to an elementary from a grade 5 & 6 intermediate school. It started with 200 students more than was planned but now is at a reasonable population. It was a combination of three schools and a lot of parents weren't happy leaving their school. The first principal came from a MS setting and no experience with lower grades but did a great job. The 2nd principal came to MP in the middle of a lot of staff changes and not always happy ones. It has been rough start but is now thriving and recently won a State Academic Achievement Award. The two principals have different working ways but both have students education put first. I would like to say that we have 100 % parent satisfaction but that isn't the case and the small % is what usually writes the negative comments. I have worked for Yelm SD for 30 years and for 8 principals; all have always had Yelm students and their education success as a top priority. I was shocked to see some of the comments and can assure you that all of the story is not stated.

Posted: August 6, 2013

The principal is ridiculous. She talks down to you as if you are beneath her. She could benefit from a communications course. In the first 2 weeks my child was there she was punched in the face and another incident happened to my child. My child reported it to the monitors who did nothing and I found out when my child came home. I also seen a kid walk off school grounds during recess as we live by the school and no one seemed to notice! Shall I go on???? And that was only in the first 2 weeks! All of her work she brought home in those 2 weeks were coloring sheets. Needless to say we pulled her out and it was the best educational and social move we made for her.

Posted: May 26, 2013

Teachers are great. Very involved and caring. They go out of their way to make learning fun. Not sure how the principal still has a job.

Posted: April 18, 2013

Overall, this school is too small for the amount of students attending; the play area is more of a postage stamp and not a playground. But the biggest problem is the principal. This person does not actively monitor the bullying problem. I'm not sure if she does not want to make waves or if she does not receive the support to handle this annoying problem. signed/ A concerned parent

Posted: April 16, 2013

This is a great school! Over the past seven years I have had two children going through this school, as well as being a very active volunteer myself. I love the entire staff and believe they have made my children's elementary years very successful. I am upset at some of these reviews as I am extremely involved in all aspects of my children's education and can speak from extensive experience that this truly is a great school. I do think that it is not only very important for us a parents to be involved in our children's education, but also to understand that school is for teaching not raising our children, and when an issue arises we need to make sure that we are helping to be a solution and not just finger pointers. Which only shows our children how to avoid taking responsibility for our part in situations.

Posted: January 8, 2013

Millpond told me they didn't have the right program for my son and dis-enrolled him from school, refusing to allow him to return. Even when the district got involved, claiming that they knew for a fact that Millpond had the services, the Principal refused to provide them. This Principal clearly is not interested in supporting the special needs students. Her solution is to kick them out and not take accountability for them. Shame on you.

Posted: August 28, 2012

Not a good principal. The other staff is ok,but the Principal is something else. AWFUL.

Posted: August 5, 2012

Mill Pond USED to be a great school. Operative word being USED TO. The current principal brought all her friends over from another school, and it has become a joke. It is nothing like the amazing school that it was when Mr. Batstone was there. Kids are not allowed to be kids there, but expected to act like college students. Parents are only allowed to have input on their child's education if it favors the opinion of the principal and joke of a school psychologist. With their unfortunate inability to know the difference between autism and adhd, I'm not sure how this favors any student there. If you are on the principal's good side, she will treat you as though you are made of gold. However, once you disagree with her, she is not above yelling at you, including in your own home via phone call. I have pulled my kids from this school as it is not the great facility I once knew it to be. While some of the teachers there are absolutely wonderful and a blessing to know, overall, until some major changes are made in the administration department, Mill Pond will never be the great school it once was.

Reviews provided by GreatSchools

# Name Type City State Overall Rating Distance
1 Tahoma Meadows Neighborhood/Subdivision Yelm WA 0.9 mi
2 Clocktower Neighborhood/Subdivision DuPont WA 11.1 mi
3 Avonlea Neighborhood/Subdivision Lacey WA 11.3 mi
4 Woodsmuir Neighborhood/Subdivision Olympia WA 11.7 mi
5 Hawaiian Village Apartment Complex Lakewood WA 17.6 mi
6 Silver Creek Neighborhood/Subdivision Puyallup WA 17.7 mi
7 Lost Creek Neighborhood/Subdivision Graham WA 18.1 mi
8 Gem Heights Neighborhood/Subdivision Puyallup WA 18.5 mi
9 westridge apartments Apartment Complex Tacoma WA 21.3 mi
10 North End Neighborhood/Subdivision Tacoma WA 23.7 mi
11 Stadium District Neighborhood/Subdivision Tacoma WA 24.2 mi
12 McCormick Woods Neighborhood/Subdivision Port Orchard WA 39.4 mi
13 The Ridge at McCormick Woods Neighborhood/Subdivision Port Orchard WA 39.9 mi
14 The Carriages at Fairwood Downs Apartment Complex Renton WA 41.6 mi
15 Manette Neighborhood/Subdivision Bremerton WA 43.9 mi
16 Kitsap Lake Neighborhood/Subdivision Bremerton WA 44.3 mi
17 Fairway Lane Apartment Complex Bremerton WA 45.9 mi
18 Blueberry Meadows Neighborhood/Subdivision Bremerton WA 47.1 mi
19 Whisper Ridge Neighborhood/Subdivision Bremerton WA 48.1 mi
# Name City State Overall Rating Distance
1 Stonegate Olympia WA 11.3 mi
2 Black Diamond Black Diamond WA 38.6 mi
3 Maple Valley Maple Valley WA 39.9 mi
4 Port Orchard Port Orchard WA 41.9 mi
5 Bainbridge Island Bainbridge Island WA 48 mi
6 Downtown Seattle Seattle WA 48.1 mi
Base Distance
Fort Lewis 10.6 mi.
McChord AFB 14.2 mi.
Naval Base Kitsap - Bremerton 43.5 mi.
Coast Guard Seattle 47.1 mi.
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