Bellingham School District — Decoded Rankings
21 of 25 schools ranked · Updated 2026-09-04
District profile
- Total enrollment
- 7,389
- Free/reduced lunch
- 41.9%
- Avg SES index
- 52.4
- State
- WA
Schools in Bellingham School District
Elementary / Middle Schools (18 ranked)
| Rating | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Beach Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #143 | #63 (WA)#1 (Bellingham metro) | ★Strong by Both Measures | High | ||
| Fairhaven Middle SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #402 | #202 (WA)#2 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Whatcom Middle SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #493 | #203 (WA)#3 (Bellingham metro) | ★★Outperforming Expectations | High | ||
| Kulshan Middle SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #368 | #295 (WA)#4 (Bellingham metro) | ★Strong by Both Measures | High | ||
| Parkview Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #365 | #389 (WA)#6 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Wade King Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #451 | #525 (WA)#10 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Lowell Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #450 | #584 (WA)#12 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Columbia Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #420 | #610 (WA)#13 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Alderwood Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #1136 | #627 (WA)#15 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Sunnyland Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #698 | #782 (WA)#18 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Geneva Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #533 | #824 (WA)#20 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Shuksan Middle SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #1167 | #903 (WA)#22 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | Medium | ||
| Northern Heights Elementary SchlNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #508 | #931 (WA)#24 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Carl Cozier Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #784 | #1004 (WA)#26 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Happy Valley Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #601 | #1030 (WA)#28 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Birchwood Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #1293 | #1237 (WA)#32 (Bellingham metro) | Lower by Both Measures | High | ||
| Roosevelt Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #951 | #1354 (WA)#34 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | Medium | ||
| Cordata Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #1490 | #1416 (WA)#36 (Bellingham metro) | Lower by Both Measures | Medium |
High Schools (3 ranked)
| Rating | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham High SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #52 | #33 (WA)HS#1 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Sehome High SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #72 | #59 (WA)HS#3 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Squalicum High SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #189 | #248 (WA)HS#8 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium |
Story type breakdown
- 1Outperforming Expectations
- 4Strong by Both Measures
- 3High Scores, Context Matters
- 6Typical Profile
- 4Lower by Both Measures
How this district compares
District-level averages relative to the Bellingham, WA metro median.
| Measure | District avg | Metro median | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg achievement percentile (metro) | 62.9 | 50 | 12.9 points above the metro median |
| Avg decoded percentile (metro) | 56.8 | 50 | 6.8 points above the metro median |
| Avg rank shift (places gained after context) | -2.3 | 0 | Schools lose 2.3 places on average after context. |
Data & sources
- Assessment data
- 2022–23 school year
- NCES CCD vintage
- 2022
- Census ACS 5-year vintage
- 2020-2024
- Last updated
- September 4, 2026
- Methodology version
- 0.14.0
Source files (3)
- NCES CCD 2022 directory (Urban Institute) (accessed 2026-09-04)
- ACS 5-year 2020-2024 (accessed 2026-09-04)
- Washington OSPI 2022-23 school-level results (accessed 2026-09-04)
SchoolDecoder publishes context-adjusted residuals, not causal estimates. Decoded Rank is one signal — not a verdict on teaching quality. Read about limitations →