Best Public Schools in Bellingham, WA

Summary:

The Bellingham, Washington area is home to 34 schools, including 18 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 11 high schools, and 1 alternative school, serving students across several school districts such as Bellingham School District, Meridian School District, and Lummi Nation Tribal School.

The top-performing schools in the area include Bellingham High School and Sehome High School, which rank in the top 100 high schools statewide and earn 4 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. At the middle school level, Kulshan Middle School and Fairhaven Middle School are the top performers, also earning 4 out of 5 stars. For elementary schools, Silver Beach Elementary and Columbia Elementary stand out with high proficiency rates and 4-star ratings.

In contrast, schools like Cordata Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary rank in the bottom 50 elementary schools statewide and earn 0-2 stars, indicating significant performance gaps within the Bellingham school system. The data also reveals challenges at alternative and re-engagement programs, such as Options High School and Bellingham Re-Engagement Program, which struggle with low graduation rates and high dropout rates.

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School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				WCAS Science (2024)				SBAC English Language Arts (2024)								SBAC Math (2024)								% Completely Immunized (2024)	% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Diphtheria (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% Pertussis (2024)	% Tetanus (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 5th Grade	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 10th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 3rd Grade	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Measles KG	% Mumps KG	% Rubella KG	% Diphtheria KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% Pertussis KG	% Tetanus KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Happy Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1041 24th St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6420	456	27	17.0	37.7%	305 (66.9%)	3 (0.7%)	75 (16.4%)	16 (3.5%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	51 (11.2%)	52.3	530^th of 1168 public elementary schools	54.6%		54.6	494^th of 1169 public elementary schools	57.7%	36	46.3			46.3	56.9	46.2	49.3					51.0	60.6	55.4	40.3					52.2	78.7	79.8	80.9	80.9	80.9	83.2	88.8	80.9	82.0	83.2	$16,568	$909	$15,659
Lowell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	914 15th St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6430	303	20	14.9	35.3%	223 (73.6%)	8 (2.6%)	38 (12.5%)	3 (1.0%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.6%)	72.7	291^st of 1168 public elementary schools	75.1%		65.4	368^th of 1169 public elementary schools	68.5%	77	72.5			72.5	60.0	67.3	61.5					63.3	55.6	50.0	64.1					55.8	81.0	84.1	88.9	88.9	88.9	85.7	87.3	87.3	85.7	85.7	$19,813	$1,674	$18,139
Parkview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3030 Cornwall Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6433	399	25	16.0	34.1%	299 (74.9%)	4 (1.0%)	51 (12.8%)	17 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.5%)	65.7	375^th of 1168 public elementary schools	67.9%		73.6	289^th of 1169 public elementary schools	75.3%	86	68.3			68.3	59.7	60.0	59.0					59.5	56.9	50.0	46.7					51.2	84.3	88.6	88.6	88.6	88.6	88.6	92.9	88.6	88.6	88.6	$18,959	$1,114	$17,845
Roosevelt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2900 Yew St	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6440	374	27	13.6	54.5%	224 (59.9%)	5 (1.3%)	97 (25.9%)	10 (2.7%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (8.3%)	31.6	799^th of 1168 public elementary schools	31.6%		35.7	743^rd of 1169 public elementary schools	36.4%	56	45.8			45.8	52.7	35.1	33.3					40.1	51.9	34.5	23.7					36.1	87.1	90.0	90.0	90.0	90.0	90.0	94.3	87.1	90.0	90.0	$20,134	$1,671	$18,463
Sehome High School	Public	9-12	2700 Bill McDonald Pkwy	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6481	1,163	55	21.3	25.3%	846 (72.7%)	24 (2.1%)	129 (11.1%)	52 (4.5%)	10 (0.9%)	4 (0.3%)	88 (7.6%)	72	97^th of 437 public high schools	77.8%		80.9	69^th of 442 public high schools	84.4%	28			62.0	62.0							76.0	76.0							35.6	35.6											$18,970	$658	$18,312
Shuksan Middle School	Public	6-8	2717 Alderwood Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6454	579	36	15.8	59.8%	277 (47.8%)	10 (1.7%)	193 (33.3%)	27 (4.7%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.7%)	61 (10.5%)	32.2	358^th of 535 public middle schools	33.1%		28.3	390^th of 539 public middle schools	27.6%	32		41.9		41.9				35.1	39.6	38.4		37.6				22.5	36.5	29.5		29.2											$21,879	$1,393	$20,485
Silver Beach Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4101 Academy St	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6443	349	19	17.9	19.5%	264 (75.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.0%)	9 (2.6%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (11.7%)	84.2	171^st of 1168 public elementary schools	85.4%		84.1	174^th of 1169 public elementary schools	85.1%	3	94.8			94.8	77.8	58.1	79.3					73.2	70.3	62.8	54.4					62.8	93.2	93.2	94.9	94.9	94.9	93.2	94.9	94.9	93.2	93.2	$18,065	$1,477	$16,588
Sunnyland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2800 James St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6446	316	23	13.7	43.0%	186 (58.9%)	2 (0.6%)	76 (24.1%)	20 (6.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.2%)	43.8	637^th of 1168 public elementary schools	45.5%		51.1	527^th of 1169 public elementary schools	54.9%	110	54.6			54.6	43.2	58.8	43.4					47.6	37.8	50.0	35.9					40.3	89.4	90.9	92.4	92.4	92.4	92.4	97.0	90.9	92.4	92.4	$22,717	$1,642	$21,075
Whatcom Middle School	Public	6-8	810 Halleck St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6460	600	37	16.3	42.5%	371 (61.8%)	11 (1.8%)	114 (19.0%)	37 (6.2%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (9.0%)	65.7	165^th of 535 public middle schools	69.2%		73	127^th of 539 public middle schools	76.4%	38		46.6		46.6				50.3	61.3	44.3		51.6				55.4	58.0	42.4		51.7											$18,110	$484	$17,626
Options High School	Public	9-12	2015 Franklin St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 647-6871	188	21	9.1	55.9%	127 (67.6%)	3 (1.6%)	27 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.2%)	2 (1.1%)	11 (5.9%)	16	385^th of 437 public high schools	11.9%		17.6	386^th of 442 public high schools	12.7%	1			17.2	17.2							50.0	50.0							16.7	16.7											$24,904	$2,823	$22,082
Kulshan Middle School	Public	6-8	1250 Kenoyer Dr	Bellingham	98229	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-4886	623	37	16.7	29.9%	464 (74.5%)	9 (1.4%)	76 (12.2%)	14 (2.2%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (8.0%)	87	62^nd of 535 public middle schools	88.4%		84.2	75^th of 539 public middle schools	86.1%	13		63.5		63.5				64.0	67.5	70.8		67.5				55.4	62.9	58.9		59.1											$18,560	$719	$17,842
Squalicum High School	Public	9-12	3773 E McLeod Rd	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6471	1,280	65	19.7	44.8%	711 (55.5%)	14 (1.1%)	311 (24.3%)	116 (9.1%)	8 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	103 (8.0%)	46.1	226^th of 437 public high schools	48.3%		44.9	242^nd of 442 public high schools	45.2%	16			31.3	31.3							69.4	69.4							33.6	33.6											$19,037	$756	$18,282
Visions (Seamar Youth Center)	Public	6-12	1603 E Illinois St	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 647-6871	13	0		61.5%	7 (53.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.7%)	3 (23.1%)								(n/a)																															$7,374	$476	$6,899
Northern Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4000 Magrath Rd	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 647-6820	410	26	15.5	31.0%	259 (63.2%)	1 (0.2%)	57 (13.9%)	26 (6.3%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	62 (15.1%)	53.7	511^th of 1168 public elementary schools	56.3%		62.3	404^th of 1169 public elementary schools	65.4%	107	68.9			68.9	42.9	52.9	54.1					49.5	39.0	54.4	45.9					46.1	88.5	88.5	93.6	93.6	93.6	91.0	92.3	89.7	91.0	91.0	$19,796	$1,051	$18,745
Bellingham High School	Public	9-12	2020 Cornwall Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6575	1,218	58	20.8	34.3%	814 (66.8%)	16 (1.3%)	219 (18.0%)	42 (3.4%)	10 (0.8%)	3 (0.2%)	94 (7.7%)	72.2	94^th of 437 public high schools	78.5%		77.6	73^rd of 442 public high schools	83.5%	21			60.8	60.8							74.8	74.8							37.6	37.6											$18,736	$637	$18,099
Birchwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3200 Pinewood Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6466	369	27	13.8	60.4%	160 (43.4%)	3 (0.8%)	150 (40.7%)	13 (3.5%)	4 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	36 (9.8%)	17.9	997^th of 1168 public elementary schools	14.6%		15.2	1041^st of 1169 public elementary schools	10.9%	44	48.6			48.6	32.7	26.7	37.0					32.9	28.9	21.7	22.2					24.1	81.3	84.4	84.4	84.4	84.4	84.4	90.6	81.3	84.4	84.4	$20,881	$1,761	$19,120
Carl Cozier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1330 Lincoln St	Bellingham	98229	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6410	321	24	13.4	43.3%	198 (61.7%)	6 (1.9%)	65 (20.2%)	11 (3.4%)	7 (2.2%)	3 (0.9%)	31 (9.7%)	43.3	643^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	44.9%		40.8	675^th of 1169 public elementary schools	42.3%	32	69.0			69.0	27.1	49.2	57.9					45.7	31.3	45.8	36.8					38.4	81.3	84.4	87.5	87.5	87.5	81.3	92.2	84.4	81.3	81.3	$22,512	$3,686	$18,826
Columbia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2508 Utter St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6413	231	16	14.2	25.5%	190 (82.3%)	2 (0.9%)	23 (10.0%)	4 (1.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.8%)	72.7	290^th of 1168 public elementary schools	75.2%		68.3	341^st of 1169 public elementary schools	70.8%	51	83.7			83.7	74.1	60.6	74.4					69.9	59.3	39.4	48.8					48.5	78.6	89.3	96.4	96.4	96.4	89.3	92.9	85.7	89.3	89.3	$21,605	$1,274	$20,331
Fairhaven Middle School	Public	6-8	110 Park Ridge Rd	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6450	597	35	16.9	37.0%	407 (68.2%)	12 (2.0%)	88 (14.7%)	32 (5.4%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	46 (7.7%)	86.5	65^th of 535 public middle schools	87.9%		81.6	84^th of 539 public middle schools	84.4%	19		67.4		67.4				69.1	65.0	67.1		67.0				54.8	60.0	58.1		57.7											$18,164	$489	$17,675
Cordata Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4420 Aldrich Rd	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6461	393	33	12.0	74.6%	130 (33.1%)	11 (2.8%)	149 (37.9%)	58 (14.8%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.8%)	38 (9.7%)	6.4	1131^st of 1168 public elementary schools	3.2%		5.3	1149^th of 1169 public elementary schools	1.7%	18	29.6			29.6	6.7	26.1	25.0					19.3	6.7	22.2	13.6					14.2	80.7	83.1	84.3	84.3	84.3	83.1	95.2	84.3	83.1	83.1	$23,154	$2,731	$20,423
Bellingham Family Partnership Program	Public, Alternative	K-12	1409 18th St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6424	266	12	22.9	34.2%	218 (82.0%)	2 (0.8%)	18 (6.8%)	6 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	16 (6.0%)								(n/a)	100.0			80.0								36.4								33.3	69.2	84.6	84.6	84.6	84.6	84.6	84.6	69.2	84.6	84.6	$12,974	$1,646	$11,328
Bellingham Re-Engagement Program	Public, Virtual	9-12	1306 Dupont St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	Yes	No	(360) 676-6400	97	0		71.1%	59 (60.8%)	5 (5.2%)	23 (23.7%)	2 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.1%)	6 (6.2%)								(n/a)																															$7,374	$476	$6,899
Blaine Re-Engagement	Public	10-12	3028 Lindbergh Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Blaine School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 332-6045	13	0		69.2%	12 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																															$6,986	$2,016	$4,970
Meridian Impact Re-Engagement	Public	9-12	3028 Lindbergh Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Meridian School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 318-2280	9	0		33.3%	7 (77.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																															$5,174	$668	$4,506
Whatcom County Detention Center	Public	8-12	311 Grand Ave 6th Fl	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Northwest Educational Service District 189	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6707	5	0	3.0		1 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (60.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Intergenerational High School	Public, Magnet, Charter	9-12	1 Bellis Fair Parkway	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Intergenerational High School	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(360) 927-1119	69	8	8.5	47.8%	28 (40.6%)	5 (7.2%)	10 (14.5%)	1 (1.4%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (8.7%)	44.5	243^rd of 437 public high schools	44.4%					(n/a)			66.7	66.7							30.8	30.8																			$50,921	$3,348	$47,573
Alderwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3400 Hollywood Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6404	291	24	12.2	73.9%	149 (51.2%)	2 (0.7%)	94 (32.3%)	7 (2.4%)	8 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (10.3%)	21	955^th of 1168 public elementary schools	18.2%		25.1	914^th of 1169 public elementary schools	21.8%	41	47.2			47.2	22.0	35.0	46.0					33.9	29.3	32.5	19.4					27.4	74.2	75.8	82.3	82.3	82.3	77.4	85.5	75.8	77.4	77.4	$23,746	$3,291	$20,454
Geneva Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1401 Geneva St	Bellingham	98229	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6416	432	26	16.5	28.5%	322 (74.5%)	5 (1.2%)	46 (10.6%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (10.9%)	67.6	343^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	70.6%		56.1	478^th of 1169 public elementary schools	59.1%	135	66.7			66.7	56.4	64.4	65.2					61.6	57.7	60.3	37.9					52.0	87.2	88.4	90.7	90.7	90.7	88.4	96.5	89.5	88.4	88.4	$17,092	$876	$16,217
Wade King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2155 Yew Street Rd	Bellingham	98229	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6840	346	25	14.1	24.0%	261 (75.4%)	2 (0.6%)	36 (10.4%)	19 (5.5%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.2%)	60.4	442^nd of 1168 public elementary schools	62.2%		64.4	377^th of 1169 public elementary schools	67.8%	65	62.5			62.5	50.0	58.9	53.2					54.2	59.6	56.1	41.3					52.9	81.5	85.2	83.3	83.3	83.3	87.0	92.6	81.5	87.0	87.0	$22,289	$1,319	$20,970
North Bell Learning Center	Public	PK-K	5275 Northwest Drive	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Ferndale School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 383-9289	127	6	21.1	62.2%	70 (55.1%)	1 (0.8%)	28 (22.0%)	9 (7.1%)	6 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (10.2%)								(n/a)																															$5,491	$908	$4,583
Meridian High School	Public	9-12	194 W Laurel Road	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Meridian School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 398-8111	487	26	18.4	37.2%	312 (64.1%)	4 (0.8%)	91 (18.7%)	43 (8.8%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	29 (6.0%)	71.6	101^st of 437 public high schools	76.9%		64.7	138^th of 442 public high schools	68.8%	37			56.4	56.4							71.4	71.4							43.8	43.8											$20,070	$1,149	$18,921
Meridian Parent Partnership Program	Public	K-8	240 W Laurel Rd	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Meridian School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 398-9324	217	7	29.3	15.2%	182 (83.9%)	4 (1.8%)	12 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.8%)	51.4	544^th of 1168 public elementary schools	53.4%		48.8	562^nd of 1169 public elementary schools	51.9%	18	65.2	55.6		61.0	52.0	47.4	43.5	59.1	66.7	77.8		57.0	64.0	47.4	17.4	36.4	57.1	44.4		44.5	68.0	76.0	84.0	84.0	84.0	76.0	80.0	72.0	76.0	76.0	$11,312	$668	$10,644
Harmony Elementary	Public	K-6	5060 Sand Road	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Mount Baker School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 383-2050	309	21	14.5	44.7%	229 (74.1%)	2 (0.6%)	42 (13.6%)	3 (1.0%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.4%)	39.2	689^th of 1168 public elementary schools	41.0%		40.9	674^th of 1169 public elementary schools	42.3%	15	46.8			46.8	31.7	54.1	31.9	51.4				41.4	41.5	59.5	25.5	35.1				39.5	91.4	91.4	94.3	94.3	94.3	94.3	94.3	91.4	94.3	94.3	$21,258	$2,095	$19,163
Lummi High School	Public	9-12	2334 Lummi View Drive	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Lummi High School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(360) 758-4300	131	16	8.2	97.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	131 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Lummi Nation Tribal School	Public	K-8	2334 Lummi View Drive	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Lummi Nation Tribal School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(360) 758-4300	277	44	6.2	98.9%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	277 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Cities Near Bellingham

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ferndale	8.17 mi	11	187^th
Everson	8.58 mi	7	164^th
Lynden	8.76 mi	9	149^th
Lummi Island	8.97 mi	1
Bow	13.05 mi	2	178^th

See the top WA Washington cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.