Metro overview
48 schools ranked · Updated September 4, 2026
These are the schools where raw test performance and decoded performance disagree most. The shift column shows the gap between Achievement Rank and Decoded Rank.
Raw scores are modest, but decoded performance is strong — these schools are doing more than their context predicts.
High raw scores AND high decoded performance — doing more with their context than peer schools at the same level.
Raw scores are high, but the school's advantaged context predicts even higher — raw scores may overstate the school's effect.
| Rating | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairhaven Middle SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #373 | #149 (WA)plausibly #94–290#1 (Bellingham metro) | ★Strong by Both Measures | Medium | ||
| Whatcom Middle SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #453 | #202 (WA)plausibly #161–298#2 (Bellingham metro)≈ tied with next | ★★Outperforming Expectations | High | ||
| Nooksack ElementaryNeighborhood | Nooksack Valley School District | #579 | #224 (WA)plausibly #112–409#3 (Bellingham metro)≈ tied with next | ★★Outperforming Expectations | High | ||
| Kulshan Middle SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #358 | #277 (WA)plausibly #90–486#4 (Bellingham metro)≈ tied with next | ★Strong by Both Measures | High | ||
| Silver Beach Elementary SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #222 | #278 (WA)plausibly #116–545#5 (Bellingham metro)≈ tied with next | ★Strong by Both Measures | High | ||
| Vossbeck Elementary SchoolNeighborhood | Lynden School District | #385 | #303 (WA)plausibly #174–486#6 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Everson ElementaryNeighborhood | Nooksack Valley School District | #801 | #332 (WA)plausibly #211–629#7 (Bellingham metro) | ★★Outperforming Expectations | High | ||
| Meridian Middle SchoolNeighborhood | Meridian School District | #787 | #403 (WA)plausibly #273–603#8 (Bellingham metro)≈ tied with next | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Lowell Elementary SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #410 | #431 (WA)plausibly #276–663#9 (Bellingham metro)≈ tied with next | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Nooksack Valley Middle SchoolNeighborhood | Nooksack Valley School District | #942 | #442 (WA)plausibly #316–673#10 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High |
Rows marked ≈ are statistically tied with the row below them: on the current data the joint simulation gives the upper school less than a 65% chance of ranking above the lower one. Ties are between adjacent rows only.
| Rating | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sehome High SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #68 | #39 (WA)HS#1 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Bellingham High SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #83 | #67 (WA)HS#2 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Blaine High SchoolNeighborhood | Blaine School District | #114 | #92 (WA)HS#3 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Meridian High SchoolNeighborhood | Meridian School District | #71 | #94 (WA)HS#4 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | High | ||
| Nooksack Valley High SchoolNeighborhood | Nooksack Valley School District | #127 | #144 (WA)HS#5 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | High | ||
| Mount Baker Senior HighNeighborhood | Mount Baker School District | #208 | #149 (WA)HS#6 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Squalicum High SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #131 | #161 (WA)HS#7 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | High | ||
| Ferndale High SchoolNeighborhood | Ferndale School District | #159 | #166 (WA)HS#8 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Lynden High SchoolNeighborhood | Lynden School District | #147 | #172 (WA)HS#9 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | High | ||
| Intergenerational High SchoolCharter | Intergenerational High School | #200 | #255 (WA)HS#10 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Low |
SchoolDecoder publishes context-adjusted residuals, not causal estimates. Decoded Rank is one signal — not a verdict on teaching quality. Read about limitations →