Bellingham School District — Decoded Rankings
21 of 25 schools ranked · Updated 2026-07-26
District profile
- Total enrollment
- 7,311
- Free/reduced lunch
- 44.9%
- Avg SES index
- 51.8
- State
- WA
Schools in Bellingham School District
Elementary / Middle Schools (18 ranked)
| Kulshan Middle SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #2 | #1 | ★Strong by Both Measures | High | |
| Fairhaven Middle SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #3 | #2 | ★Strong by Both Measures | High | |
| Whatcom Middle SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #12 | #3 | Typical Profile | High | |
| Lowell Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #4 | #4 | ★Strong by Both Measures | Medium | |
| Silver Beach Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #1 | #11 | Typical Profile | High | |
| Parkview Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #6 | #13 | High Scores, Context Matters | High | |
| Shuksan Middle SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #32 | #15 | Typical Profile | Medium | |
| Alderwood Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #35 | #16 | Typical Profile | High | |
| Cordata Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #39 | #17 | Typical Profile | Medium | |
| Wade King Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #11 | #18 | Typical Profile | High | |
| Columbia Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #7 | #21 | High Scores, Context Matters | High | |
| Sunnyland Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #17 | #24 | Typical Profile | High | |
| Happy Valley Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #13 | #25 | Typical Profile | High | |
| Carl Cozier Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #26 | #28 | Typical Profile | High | |
| Geneva Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #8 | #33 | High Scores, Context Matters | High | |
| Birchwood Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #37 | #35 | Lower by Both Measures | High | |
| Roosevelt Elementary SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #30 | #36 | Lower by Both Measures | Medium | |
| Northern Heights Elementary SchlNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #15 | #39 | Typical Profile | High |
High Schools (3 ranked)
| Sehome High SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #2 | #2HS | HS outcome | HS pool | |
| Bellingham High SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #3 | #3HS | HS outcome | HS pool | |
| Squalicum High SchoolNeighborhoodBellingham School District | #8 | #9HS | HS outcome | HS pool |
Story type breakdown
- 0Outperforming Expectations
- 3Strong by Both Measures
- 3High Scores, Context Matters
- 10Typical Profile
- 2Lower 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) | 60.1 | 50 | 10.1 points above the metro median |
| Avg decoded percentile (metro) | 54.0 | 50 | 4.0 points above the metro median |
| Avg rank shift (places gained after context) | -2.4 | 0 | Schools lose 2.4 places on average after context. |
Data & sources
- Assessment data
- 2023–24 school year
- NCES CCD vintage
- 2023
- Census ACS 5-year vintage
- 2020-2024
- Last updated
- July 26, 2026
- Methodology version
- 0.9.0
Source files (3)
- NCES CCD 2023 directory (Urban Institute) (accessed 2026-07-26)
- ACS 5-year 2020-2024 (accessed 2026-07-26)
- Washington OSPI 2023-24 school-level results (accessed 2026-07-26)
SchoolDecoder publishes context-adjusted residuals, not causal estimates. Decoded Rank is one signal — not a verdict on teaching quality. Read about limitations →