Is Shuksan Middle School a good school?

Shuksan Middle School ranks 358 th of 535 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Shuksan Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 579 students attended Shuksan Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Shuksan Middle School?

Students at Shuksan Middle School are 48% White, 33% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 2% African American.

What high school do graduates of Shuksan Middle School attend?

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

Shuksan Middle School

Summary:

Shuksan Middle School is a public middle school located in Bellingham, Washington, serving grades 6-8 with a student population of 579. The school is part of the Bellingham School District, which is ranked 86 out of 247 districts in Washington and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Shuksan Middle School consistently underperforms compared to the Bellingham School District and the state of Washington in standardized test scores for English Language Arts, Math, and Science. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 37.64% of Shuksan students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 56.23% for the district and 52.63% for the state. The school also has a more diverse student population, with 47.84% White, 33.33% Hispanic, and 10.54% two or more races, compared to the nearby schools that have higher percentages of White students. Additionally, Shuksan Middle School has a higher percentage of students from low-income families, with 59.76% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year.

Despite the increased funding, from $10,904 per student in 2019-2020 to $21,879 per student in 2021-2022, Shuksan Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Washington middle schools, with a ranking of 358 out of 535 schools in the 2023-2024 school year, and has received a 1 or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger in most years. In comparison, the nearby Kulshan Middle School and Fairhaven Middle School consistently outperform Shuksan Middle School in academic measures and have higher rankings, despite serving similar student populations.

Detail:

Public 6-8

2717 Alderwood Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225-1222

(360) 676-6454

District: Bellingham School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
358^th of 535 Washington Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $21,879

Students who attend Shuksan Middle School usually attend:

High:

Squalicum High School

Feeder schools for Shuksan Middle School:

Elementary:	Alderwood Elementary School
	Birchwood Elementary School
	Columbia Elementary School
	Northern Heights Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.8

Number of students: 579

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.8%

Hispanic:

33.3%

Two or more races:

10.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 59.8%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Shuksan Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Shuksan Middle School ranks worse than 66.9% of middle schools in Washington. It also ranks last among 4 ranked middle schools in the Bellingham School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 32.22. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Shuksan Middle School has the smallest middle school student body size in the Bellingham School District. Racial makeup is: White (47.8%), Hispanic (33.3%), two or more races (10.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 59.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Bellingham School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Shuksan Middle School is 15.8, which is the lowest among 4 middle schools in the Bellingham School District! (See more...)

Compare Shuksan Middle School employs 36.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Shuksan Middle School is $21,879, which is the highest among 4 middle schools in the Bellingham School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Shuksan Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Shuksan Middle School 358^th of 535 Washington public middle schools. (See Shuksan Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education 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:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Shuksan Middle School.

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Rank History for Shuksan Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	49.92	222^nd	421	47.3%
2005	45.71	250^th	425	41.2%
2006	40.47	284^th	449	36.7%
2007	42.00	287^th	463	38.0%
2008	34.42	314^th	466	32.6%
2009	29.23	369^th	476	22.5%
2010	32.28	350^th	483	27.5%
2011	42.64	308^th	492	37.4%
2012	32.52	364^th	497	26.8%
2013	39.58	321^st	498	35.5%
2015	39.27	262^nd	445	41.1%
2016	29.64	317^th	443	28.4%
2017	31.39	307^th	435	29.4%
2018	36.68	280^th	437	35.9%
2019	25.88	392^nd	512	23.4%
2021	31.68	361^st	529	31.8%
2022	31.59	372^nd	541	31.2%
2023	28.28	390^th	539	27.6%
2024	32.22	358^th	535	33.1%

See the entire list of Washington Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	30.02	183^rd	246	25.6%
2021	32.76	174^th	250	30.4%
2022	41.44	142^nd	257	44.7%
2023	29.72	175^th	244	28.3%
2024	36.49	156^th	243	35.8%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	28.84	110^th	135	18.5%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	30.07	197^th	268	26.5%
2019	27.86	177^th	231	23.4%
2021	27.41	167^th	210	20.5%
2024	18.34	157^th	179	12.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	34.69	239^th	349	31.5%
2019	19.06	392^nd	448	12.5%
2021	20.46	403^rd	458	12.0%
2022	23.82	399^th	475	16.0%
2023	20.91	386^th	463	16.6%
2024	26.69	349^th	455	23.3%

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

Rank History for Migrant students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	53.79	17^th	39	56.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Migrant Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	56.05	18^th	59	69.5%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	34.81	252^nd	376	33.0%
2019	26.59	351^st	452	22.3%
2021	33.58	310^th	469	33.9%
2022	35.38	307^th	479	35.9%
2023	29.87	331^st	464	28.7%
2024	27.19	349^th	464	24.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	34.50	246^th	371	33.7%
2019	23.98	356^th	453	21.4%
2021	31.73	319^th	476	33.0%
2022	28.69	344^th	480	28.3%
2023	26.02	359^th	470	23.6%
2024	35.65	285^th	466	38.8%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	25.31	100^th	123	18.7%
2019	17.88	135^th	152	11.2%
2021	15.60	134^th	149	10.1%
2022	11.73	149^th	161	7.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	18.34	231^st	259	10.8%
2019	17.02	307^th	344	10.8%
2021	22.16	293^rd	353	17.0%
2022	20.67	306^th	360	15.0%
2023	14.25	312^th	336	7.1%
2024	11.81	328^th	344	4.7%

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

Rank History for White students at Shuksan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	28.18	359^th	470	23.6%
2021	49.37	234^th	480	51.3%
2022	45.53	257^th	488	47.3%
2023	41.55	277^th	488	43.2%
2024	51.89	222^nd	486	54.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle 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: 4.5)

50%

by a parent on FaceBook
Saturday, April 3, 2010

This school has gotten a bad rap which it does not deserve. My daughter has found some great teachers and some great friends at this school. Her grades are not great, but I don't attribute this to the school. There are plenty of extra-curricular activities, and plenty of parents who care about the well-being of their children. I believe that public school is what you make it. All teachers in public school everywhere are being stretched to their limits right now. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Shuksan Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	524	6	16	6	22	n/a	n/a	0	574
1989	539	12	18	10	19	n/a	n/a	0	598
1990	533	7	16	10	21	n/a	n/a	0	587
1991	588	4	18	18	19	n/a	n/a	0	647
1992	631	5	23	22	18	n/a	n/a	0	699
1993	621	7	42	28	21	n/a	n/a	0	719
1994	613	8	36	36	26	n/a	n/a	0	719
1995	447	6	28	21	28	n/a	n/a	0	530
1996	447	6	28	21	28	n/a	n/a	0	530
1997	419	5	32	23	27	n/a	n/a	0	506
1998	423	15	35	23	31	n/a	n/a	0	527
1999	400	7	35	24	16	n/a	n/a	0	482
2000	378	9	27	33	18	n/a	n/a	0	465
2001	338	10	30	34	17	n/a	n/a	0	429
2002	372	9	45	63	18	n/a	n/a	0	507
2003	372	9	45	63	18	n/a	n/a	0	507
2004	369	13	53	67	20	n/a	n/a	0	522
2005	397	19	59	88	24	n/a	n/a	4	591
2006	362	21	57	91	22	n/a	n/a	8	561
2007	337	21	51	99	19	n/a	n/a	10	537
2008	346	16	52	115	17	n/a	n/a	11	557
2009	346	17	51	128	19	n/a	n/a	14	575
2010	360	23	64	142	18	n/a	n/a	0	607
2011	502	29	72	185	17	5	0	0	810
2012	375	29	67	163	20	5	0	0	659
2013	353	13	70	150	13	3	50	0	652
2014	334	11	64	164	9	2	43	0	627
2015	300	8	74	169	11	3	43	0	608
2016	297	10	71	161	13	4	51	0	607
2017	315	13	84	170	13	4	48	0	647
2018	337	11	70	190	9	3	42	0	662
2019	309	16	70	220	6	4	54	1	680
2020	305	13	68	226	8	6	59	1	686
2021	282	16	60	231	10	5	56	3	663
2022	251	8	29	186	6	4	46	7	537
2023	277	10	27	193	3	4	61	4	579

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 Shuksan Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	574	31.0	18.5	0
1989	598	32.0	18.6	n/a
1990	587	32.4	18.1	0
1991	647	35.5	18.2	n/a
1992	699	35.7	19.5	n/a
1993	719	35.7	20.1	n/a
1994	719	37.7	19.1	n/a
1995	530	25.4	20.9	n/a
1996	530	25.4	20.9	n/a
1997	506	25.3	20.0	n/a
1998	527	27.2	19.4	n/a
1999	482	24.8	19.4	n/a
2000	465	25.3	18.4	n/a
2001	429	21.1	20.3	n/a
2002	507	31.4	16.1	45.2
2003	507	31.4	16.1	45.2
2004	522	34.0	15.4	50.8
2005	591	33.9	17.4	51.1
2006	561	35.1	16.0	52.8
2007	537	33.4	16.1	54.8
2008	557	33.3	16.7	53.1
2009	575	33.3	17.3	54.4
2010	607	32.1	18.9	58.2
2011	810	42.2	19.1	47
2012	659	36.3	18.1	65.1
2013	652	36.1	18.0	63.3
2014	627	n/a	n/a	62.8
2015	608	34.0	17.8	64
2016	607	36.0	16.8	61.9
2017	647	35.6	18.1	61.5
2018	662	37.6	17.5	58.9
2019	680	41.0	16.5	56.8
2020	686	39.7	17.2	58.5
2021	663	40.7	16.2	58.2
2022	537	36.8	14.5	47.3
2023	579	36.4	15.8	59.8

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 Shuksan Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	574	31.0	18.5	0
1989	598	32.0	18.6	n/a
1990	587	32.4	18.1	0
1991	647	35.5	18.2	n/a
1992	699	35.7	19.5	n/a
1993	719	35.7	20.1	n/a
1994	719	37.7	19.1	n/a
1995	530	25.4	20.9	n/a
1996	530	25.4	20.9	n/a
1997	506	25.3	20.0	n/a
1998	527	27.2	19.4	n/a
1999	482	24.8	19.4	n/a
2000	465	25.3	18.4	n/a
2001	429	21.1	20.3	n/a
2002	507	31.4	16.1	45.2
2003	507	31.4	16.1	45.2
2004	522	34.0	15.4	50.8
2005	591	33.9	17.4	51.1
2006	561	35.1	16.0	52.8
2007	537	33.4	16.1	54.8
2008	557	33.3	16.7	53.1
2009	575	33.3	17.3	54.4
2010	607	32.1	18.9	58.2
2011	810	42.2	19.1	47
2012	659	36.3	18.1	65.1
2013	652	36.1	18.0	63.3
2014	627	n/a	n/a	62.8
2015	608	34.0	17.8	64
2016	607	36.0	16.8	61.9
2017	647	35.6	18.1	61.5
2018	662	37.6	17.5	58.9
2019	680	41.0	16.5	56.8
2020	686	39.7	17.2	58.5
2021	663	40.7	16.2	58.2
2022	537	36.8	14.5	47.3
2023	579	36.4	15.8	59.8

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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