Is Alderwood Elementary School a good school?

Alderwood Elementary School ranks in the bottom 18.2% of Washington elementary schools.

How many students attend Alderwood Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 282 students attended Alderwood Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Alderwood Elementary School?

Students at Alderwood Elementary School are 54% White, 32% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Alderwood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Alderwood Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Shuksan Middle School High : Squalicum High School

Alderwood Elementary School

Summary:

Alderwood Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in the Bellingham School District in Bellingham, Washington, with a student population of 291 as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Despite its location in Bellingham, Alderwood Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages on standardized tests, with only 33.9% of students proficient in English Language Arts and 27.35% proficient in math. The school has been ranked in the bottom quarter of Washington elementary schools for several years, receiving a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Alderwood's underperformance is particularly pronounced for certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic and White students. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reaching 73.88% in the 2022-2023 school year.

In comparison, nearby schools like Columbia Elementary and Lowell Elementary consistently rank in the top 30% of Washington elementary schools and have much higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math. Alderwood's challenges may be related to the socioeconomic factors of its student population, and the school could potentially benefit from targeted interventions and support to improve student learning outcomes.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

3400 Hollywood Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225-1134

(360) 676-6404

District: Bellingham School District

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $23,746

Students who attend Alderwood Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Shuksan Middle School
High:	Squalicum High School

Student/teacher ratio: 11.5

Number of students: 282

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.9%

Hispanic:

32.3%

Two or more races:

8.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 72.3%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Alderwood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Alderwood Elementary School ranks worse than 81.8% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 12^th among 14 ranked elementary schools in the Bellingham School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.01. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (53.9%), Hispanic (32.3%), two or more races (8.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 72.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Alderwood Elementary School is 11.5, which is the 2^nd best among 14 elementary schools in the Bellingham School District. (See more...)

Compare Alderwood Elementary School employs 24.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Alderwood Elementary School is $23,746, which is the highest among 14 elementary schools in the Bellingham School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Alderwood Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Alderwood Elementary School 955^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Alderwood Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Bellingham School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Bellingham School District 86^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Alderwood Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Alderwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	39.47	645^th	1026	37.1%
2005	41.65	652^nd	1031	36.8%
2006	28.37	821^st	1051	21.9%
2007	42.14	654^th	1069	38.8%
2008	31.58	791^st	1067	25.9%
2009	25.40	864^th	1072	19.4%
2010	23.44	907^th	1088	16.6%
2011	40.44	691^st	1092	36.7%
2012	37.32	758^th	1097	30.9%
2013	53.05	555^th	1106	49.8%
2015	49.10	546^th	1067	48.8%
2016	48.83	550^th	1053	47.8%
2018	20.34	869^th	1054	17.6%
2019	10.64	1055^th	1130	6.6%
2021	16.64	944^th	1107	14.7%
2022	21.66	946^th	1169	19.1%
2023	25.06	914^th	1169	21.8%
2024	21.01	955^th	1168	18.2%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Alderwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	31.05	261^st	333	21.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Alderwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	13.58	929^th	979	5.1%
2021	24.20	696^th	854	18.5%
2022	29.34	791^st	1019	22.4%
2023	36.20	684^th	1013	32.5%
2024	26.06	822^nd	1024	19.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Alderwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	35.19	672^nd	1004	33.1%
2019	22.28	878^th	1068	17.8%
2021	17.39	883^rd	1008	12.4%
2022	34.48	728^th	1100	33.8%
2023	34.19	717^th	1094	34.5%
2024	24.15	853^rd	1093	22.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Alderwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	12.02	928^th	999	7.1%
2019	6.29	1051^st	1075	2.2%
2021	14.60	920^th	1025	10.2%
2022	18.57	951^st	1113	14.6%
2023	18.79	941^st	1099	14.4%
2024	19.70	936^th	1099	14.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Alderwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	17.44	497^th	540	8.0%
2019	31.77	509^th	697	27.0%
2022	23.23	593^rd	694	14.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Alderwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	16.47	745^th	833	10.6%
2019	10.75	972^nd	1027	5.4%
2021	23.10	764^th	943	19.0%
2022	20.91	880^th	1031	14.6%
2023	37.84	647^th	1011	36.0%
2024	27.06	780^th	1009	22.7%

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

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Enrollment information for Alderwood Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	189	2	2	3	13	n/a	n/a	0	209
1989	205	1	7	5	16	n/a	n/a	0	234
1990	224	1	13	10	17	n/a	n/a	0	265
1991	186	2	11	15	25	n/a	n/a	0	239
1992	212	5	12	15	24	n/a	n/a	0	268
1993	214	6	14	7	21	n/a	n/a	0	262
1994	237	5	19	11	29	n/a	n/a	0	301
1995	175	6	20	25	27	n/a	n/a	0	253
1996	175	6	20	25	27	n/a	n/a	0	253
1997	190	5	16	20	25	n/a	n/a	0	256
1998	196	3	23	13	19	n/a	n/a	0	254
1999	189	2	31	23	15	n/a	n/a	0	260
2000	168	6	31	30	9	n/a	n/a	0	244
2001	170	10	36	40	11	n/a	n/a	0	267
2002	164	7	35	71	11	n/a	n/a	0	288
2003	164	7	35	71	11	n/a	n/a	0	288
2004	157	9	36	73	12	n/a	n/a	0	287
2005	173	4	35	96	7	n/a	n/a	0	315
2006	161	9	34	103	10	n/a	n/a	4	321
2007	158	13	22	118	15	n/a	n/a	8	334
2008	161	15	31	107	17	n/a	n/a	11	342
2009	180	13	35	130	17	n/a	n/a	16	391
2010	169	13	34	134	14	n/a	n/a	0	364
2011	173	13	34	143	8	0	0	0	371
2012	147	19	24	123	7	1	0	0	321
2013	127	9	21	125	3	1	18	0	304
2014	122	13	26	124	5	1	15	0	306
2015	102	5	18	103	5	1	10	0	244
2016	100	4	16	109	4	0	8	0	241
2017	102	3	19	101	2	0	9	0	236
2018	203	8	20	111	4	0	19	0	365
2019	107	6	20	98	1	0	25	0	257
2020	131	4	18	92	5	0	25	1	276
2021	119	3	13	86	3	0	28	0	252
2022	122	2	11	80	10	0	35	0	260
2023	149	2	7	94	8	0	30	1	291
2024	152	3	3	91	7	1	24	1	282

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 Alderwood Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	209	13.0	16.0	0
1989	234	11.0	21.2	n/a
1990	265	12.0	22.0	0
1991	239	12.0	19.9	n/a
1992	268	14.5	18.4	n/a
1993	262	13.5	19.4	n/a
1994	301	15.7	19.2	n/a
1995	253	17.0	14.9	n/a
1996	253	17.0	14.9	n/a
1997	256	17.1	15.0	n/a
1998	254	15.5	16.4	n/a
1999	260	15.3	17.0	n/a
2000	244	16.2	15.1	n/a
2001	267	15.7	17.0	n/a
2002	288	18.5	15.6	59
2003	288	18.5	15.6	59
2004	287	18.0	15.9	59.2
2005	315	18.0	17.5	64.4
2006	321	19.0	16.9	61.2
2007	334	20.0	16.7	64.4
2008	342	20.0	17.1	67.1
2009	391	20.0	19.6	73.3
2010	364	20.1	18.1	78.3
2011	371	21.2	17.4	56.3
2012	321	22.6	14.1	82.2
2013	304	19.8	15.3	80.3
2014	306	n/a	n/a	79.4
2015	244	19.0	12.8	80.7
2016	241	18.0	13.3	83.8
2017	236	19.1	12.3	84.3
2018	365	21.1	17.2	55.1
2019	257	22.3	11.5	68.9
2020	276	21.9	12.5	59.1
2021	252	22.0	11.4	54
2022	260	25.1	10.3	60
2023	291	23.7	12.2	73.9
2024	282	24.5	11.5	72.3

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 Alderwood Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	209	13.0	16.0	0
1989	234	11.0	21.2	n/a
1990	265	12.0	22.0	0
1991	239	12.0	19.9	n/a
1992	268	14.5	18.4	n/a
1993	262	13.5	19.4	n/a
1994	301	15.7	19.2	n/a
1995	253	17.0	14.9	n/a
1996	253	17.0	14.9	n/a
1997	256	17.1	15.0	n/a
1998	254	15.5	16.4	n/a
1999	260	15.3	17.0	n/a
2000	244	16.2	15.1	n/a
2001	267	15.7	17.0	n/a
2002	288	18.5	15.6	59
2003	288	18.5	15.6	59
2004	287	18.0	15.9	59.2
2005	315	18.0	17.5	64.4
2006	321	19.0	16.9	61.2
2007	334	20.0	16.7	64.4
2008	342	20.0	17.1	67.1
2009	391	20.0	19.6	73.3
2010	364	20.1	18.1	78.3
2011	371	21.2	17.4	56.3
2012	321	22.6	14.1	82.2
2013	304	19.8	15.3	80.3
2014	306	n/a	n/a	79.4
2015	244	19.0	12.8	80.7
2016	241	18.0	13.3	83.8
2017	236	19.1	12.3	84.3
2018	365	21.1	17.2	55.1
2019	257	22.3	11.5	68.9
2020	276	21.9	12.5	59.1
2021	252	22.0	11.4	54
2022	260	25.1	10.3	60
2023	291	23.7	12.2	73.9
2024	282	24.5	11.5	72.3

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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