IMO a middle school percussionist needs the following:
Snare (I recommend a 5B tip/weight. SD1 is too heavy) - two pairs of snare sticks.
Marimba (My preference is the IP Soloist series, get a 240 for a nice medium weight/hardness)
Marimba mallets can double on suspended cymbal in a pinch if needed. I know it's not good for them.
Xylophone (Mike Balter one 4B light green medium soft AND one 6B light grey rubber) - the grey mallets also work as bell mallets especially for practice.
Timpani (GTX2 and later GTX4 - I like the extra length on the X handles)
Your school should provide anything beyond this "generalist" set unless the student is serious about putting together their own kit. For example, a serious marimba player would likely need two pairs each of mallets at multiple hardnesses, not just a single medium pair. That's likely a high school decision.
I like IP stuff, but I acknowledge that there are other brands that are equal in quality.
All of this assumes you have kids and parents that will spend the appx. $250-300 it will take to buy all this as well with a stick bag.
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