Is Bellingham High School a good school?

Bellingham High School ranks 94 th of 437 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Bellingham High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,218 students attended Bellingham High School.

What is the racial makeup of Bellingham High School?

Students at Bellingham High School are 67% White, 18% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% Not Specified, 1% African American.

What schools feed into Bellingham High School?

Bellingham High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Birchwood Elementary School Elementary : Columbia Elementary School Elementary : Geneva Elementary School Elementary : Parkview Elementary School Middle : Kulshan Middle School

Bellingham High School

Summary:

Bellingham High School is a public high school in Bellingham, Washington, serving 1,218 students in grades 9-12. This school stands out as a high-performing institution within the Bellingham School District, consistently ranking among the top high schools in the state.

Bellingham High School's academic performance is exceptional, with 74.83% of 10th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 37.59% proficient or better in Math, significantly outpacing the state and district averages. The school's science proficiency rates are also impressive, with 60.78% of 11th-grade students proficient or better. Bellingham High School maintains a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 84.2% to 91.1% over the past five years, and a relatively low dropout rate compared to the state and district. The school's diverse student population, with 66.83% White, 17.98% Hispanic, 3.45% Asian, and 7.72% two or more races, is higher than the surrounding Squalicum High School and Sehome High School.

Bellingham High School's specialized programs, such as the Bellingham Re-Engagement Program and Options High School, provide valuable educational opportunities for students with unique needs or alternative educational paths. While these specialized programs have lower academic performance and higher dropout rates compared to the main Bellingham High School, they demonstrate the school's commitment to serving a diverse student population. Additionally, Bellingham High School's relatively high per-student spending of $18,736 in the 2021-2022 school year may contribute to its strong academic performance and the support it provides for its diverse student body.

Detail:

Public 9-12

2020 Cornwall Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225-3648

(360) 676-6575

District: Bellingham School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
94^th of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,736

Feeder schools for Bellingham High School:

Elementary:	Birchwood Elementary School
	Columbia Elementary School
	Geneva Elementary School
	Parkview Elementary School
Middle:	Kulshan Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 20.8

Number of students: 1,218

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.8%

Hispanic:

18.0%

Two or more races:

7.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 34.3%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Bellingham High School ranks better than 78.5% of high schools in Washington. It also ranks first among 4 ranked high schools in the Bellingham School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 72.23. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Bellingham High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (66.8%), Hispanic (18%), two or more races (7.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 34.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Bellingham High School is 20.8, which is the 3^rd best among 4 high schools in the Bellingham School District. (See more...)

Compare Bellingham High School employs 58.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bellingham High School is $18,736. 3 high schools in the Bellingham School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Bellingham High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Bellingham High School 94^th of 437 Washington public high schools. (See Bellingham High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Bellingham School District:

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

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Bellingham High School

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Rank History for all students at Bellingham High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	79.65	67^th	390	82.8%
2005	90.38	22^nd	394	94.4%
2006	74.39	85^th	395	78.5%
2007	74.91	88^th	399	77.9%
2008	79.00	58^th	396	85.4%
2009	80.18	56^th	402	86.1%
2010	83.31	47^th	423	88.9%
2011	73.24	49^th	440	88.9%
2012	73.11	55^th	450	87.8%
2013	74.47	54^th	454	88.1%
2015	46.55	175^th	341	48.7%
2016	77.05	55^th	306	82.0%
2017	77.87	54^th	301	82.1%
2018	79.13	54^th	315	82.9%
2019	86.10	38^th	417	90.9%
2021	75.91	80^th	455	82.4%
2022	80.43	65^th	434	85.0%
2023	77.56	73^rd	442	83.5%
2024	72.23	94^th	437	78.5%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Bellingham High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	58.56	41^st	91	54.9%
2019	61.61	52^nd	163	68.1%
2021	57.64	71^st	195	63.6%
2022	78.80	30^th	179	83.2%
2023	73.10	32^nd	166	80.7%
2024	48.39	75^th	161	53.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Bellingham High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	57.81	41^st	139	70.5%
2019	95.31	4^th	128	96.9%
2021	82.40	10^th	212	95.3%
2022	55.31	43^rd	130	66.9%
2023	69.07	26^th	110	76.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bellingham High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	69.50	49^th	227	78.4%
2019	79.17	45^th	344	86.9%
2021	59.14	120^th	392	69.4%
2022	53.18	156^th	370	57.8%
2023	74.34	54^th	362	85.1%
2024	53.24	155^th	356	56.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Bellingham High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	75.49	50^th	243	79.4%
2019	83.58	40^th	358	88.8%
2021	70.72	81^st	390	79.2%
2022	80.92	55^th	368	85.1%
2023	75.68	79^th	357	77.9%
2024	71.37	79^th	347	77.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Bellingham High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	79.06	44^th	254	82.7%
2019	87.69	32^nd	355	91.0%
2021	78.60	61^st	395	84.6%
2022	76.91	69^th	363	81.0%
2023	75.25	66^th	358	81.6%
2024	66.94	105^th	362	71.0%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Bellingham High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	58.14	45^th	121	62.8%
2021	7.44	132^nd	136	2.9%
2022	26.32	97^th	124	21.8%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Bellingham High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	75.64	25^th	156	84.0%
2019	72.93	50^th	241	79.3%
2021	58.68	93^rd	278	66.5%
2022	47.68	122^nd	261	53.3%
2023	51.41	109^th	249	56.2%
2024	48.00	119^th	248	52.0%

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

Rank History for White students at Bellingham High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	77.32	46^th	222	79.3%
2019	86.43	27^th	382	92.9%
2021	76.07	76^th	413	81.6%
2022	81.23	53^rd	390	86.4%
2023	75.76	73^rd	379	80.7%
2024	75.99	71^st	374	81.0%

See the entire list of Best Washington High 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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a student
Thursday, May 12, 2011

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Enrollment information for Bellingham High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1213	7	46	14	40	n/a	n/a	0	1320
1989	1200	9	46	14	43	n/a	n/a	0	1312
1990	1194	14	54	19	42	n/a	n/a	0	1323
1991	1148	13	56	25	48	n/a	n/a	0	1290
1992	1156	20	60	35	58	n/a	n/a	0	1329
1993	1194	24	73	50	47	n/a	n/a	0	1388
1994	1192	17	83	52	34	n/a	n/a	0	1378
1995	1234	21	87	59	35	n/a	n/a	0	1436
1996	1234	21	87	59	35	n/a	n/a	0	1436
1997	1239	26	104	77	31	n/a	n/a	0	1477
1998	1322	26	115	84	32	n/a	n/a	0	1579
2001	644	15	31	30	17	n/a	n/a	0	737
2002	920	20	37	49	26	n/a	n/a	0	1052
2003	920	20	37	49	26	n/a	n/a	0	1052
2004	944	20	37	53	37	n/a	n/a	0	1091
2005	1002	25	32	52	29	n/a	n/a	0	1140
2006	1019	27	34	48	20	n/a	n/a	8	1156
2007	1042	36	45	64	23	n/a	n/a	8	1218
2008	1031	35	41	85	21	n/a	n/a	15	1228
2009	932	32	28	68	23	n/a	n/a	20	1103
2010	939	32	36	79	19	n/a	n/a	0	1105
2011	921	30	32	113	10	3	0	0	1109
2012	903	32	40	123	11	2	0	0	1111
2013	857	20	29	136	6	5	65	0	1118
2014	854	16	23	138	7	3	78	0	1119
2015	802	12	23	137	13	1	82	0	1070
2016	763	13	26	156	13	2	74	0	1047
2017	771	13	33	160	13	1	69	0	1060
2018	786	18	42	182	17	2	72	0	1119
2019	799	13	47	184	11	3	70	0	1127
2020	848	18	44	188	7	2	82	4	1193
2021	841	13	42	192	9	1	86	10	1194
2022	810	14	34	200	10	2	91	11	1172
2023	814	16	42	219	10	3	94	20	1218

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 Bellingham High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1320	59.0	22.3	0
1989	1312	63.0	20.8	n/a
1990	1323	62.7	21.1	0
1991	1290	63.9	20.1	n/a
1992	1329	62.3	21.3	n/a
1993	1388	62.1	22.4	n/a
1994	1378	61.2	22.5	n/a
1995	1436	63.0	22.8	n/a
1996	1436	63.0	22.8	n/a
1997	1477	64.4	22.9	n/a
1998	1579	66.0	23.9	n/a
2001	737	35.3	20.9	n/a
2002	1052	47.6	22.1	21.9
2003	1052	47.6	22.1	21.9
2004	1091	48.0	22.7	n/a
2005	1140	48.5	23.5	6.1
2006	1156	50.3	23.0	0
2007	1218	52.9	23.0	20.8
2008	1228	53.6	22.9	23.8
2009	1103	53.6	20.6	26.6
2010	1105	48.4	22.8	26.8
2011	1109	47.9	23.1	23.4
2012	1111	47.1	23.5	32.3
2013	1118	48.5	23.0	33.8
2014	1119	n/a	n/a	30.6
2015	1070	44.0	24.3	30.6
2016	1047	46.0	22.7	32.5
2017	1060	46.0	23.0	29.7
2018	1119	52.9	21.1	30.1
2019	1127	57.2	19.6	31.3
2020	1193	55.3	21.5	31.9
2021	1194	56.4	21.1	29.6
2022	1172	60.5	19.3	27.6
2023	1218	58.3	20.8	34.3

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 Bellingham High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1320	59.0	22.3	0
1989	1312	63.0	20.8	n/a
1990	1323	62.7	21.1	0
1991	1290	63.9	20.1	n/a
1992	1329	62.3	21.3	n/a
1993	1388	62.1	22.4	n/a
1994	1378	61.2	22.5	n/a
1995	1436	63.0	22.8	n/a
1996	1436	63.0	22.8	n/a
1997	1477	64.4	22.9	n/a
1998	1579	66.0	23.9	n/a
2001	737	35.3	20.9	n/a
2002	1052	47.6	22.1	21.9
2003	1052	47.6	22.1	21.9
2004	1091	48.0	22.7	n/a
2005	1140	48.5	23.5	6.1
2006	1156	50.3	23.0	0
2007	1218	52.9	23.0	20.8
2008	1228	53.6	22.9	23.8
2009	1103	53.6	20.6	26.6
2010	1105	48.4	22.8	26.8
2011	1109	47.9	23.1	23.4
2012	1111	47.1	23.5	32.3
2013	1118	48.5	23.0	33.8
2014	1119	n/a	n/a	30.6
2015	1070	44.0	24.3	30.6
2016	1047	46.0	22.7	32.5
2017	1060	46.0	23.0	29.7
2018	1119	52.9	21.1	30.1
2019	1127	57.2	19.6	31.3
2020	1193	55.3	21.5	31.9
2021	1194	56.4	21.1	29.6
2022	1172	60.5	19.3	27.6
2023	1218	58.3	20.8	34.3

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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