Outperforming Expectations
Raw scores are modest, but decoded performance is strong — these schools are doing more than their context predicts.
- Kendall Elementary #1289 → #414
- Everson Elementary #1065 → #461
- Nooksack Valley Middle School #877 → #332
Metro overview
Bellingham, WA — 2023 Decoded Rankings
45 schools ranked · Updated September 4, 2026
- 3 outperforming expectations
- 4 strong by both measures
- 3 high scores, context matters
- 17 typical profile
Where rankings diverge
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.
Strong by Both Measures
High raw scores AND high decoded performance — doing more with their context than peer schools at the same level.
- Silver Beach Elementary School #143 → #63
- Fairhaven Middle School #402 → #202
- Whatcom Middle School #493 → #203
- Kulshan Middle School #368 → #295
- Parkview Elementary School #365 → #389
High Scores, Context Matters
Raw scores are high, but the school's advantaged context predicts even higher — raw scores may overstate the school's effect.
- Northern Heights Elementary Schl #508 → #931
- Columbia Elementary School #420 → #610
Elementary & Middle Schools
View all 40 →Elementary / Middle Schools (40 ranked)
| Rating | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Beach Elementary SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #143 | #63 (WA)#1 (Bellingham metro) | ★Strong by Both Measures | High | ||
| Fairhaven Middle SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #402 | #202 (WA)#2 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Whatcom Middle SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #493 | #203 (WA)#3 (Bellingham metro) | ★★Outperforming Expectations | High | ||
| Kulshan Middle SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #368 | #295 (WA)#4 (Bellingham metro) | ★Strong by Both Measures | High | ||
| Nooksack Valley Middle SchoolNeighborhood | Nooksack Valley School District | #877 | #332 (WA)#5 (Bellingham metro) | ★★Outperforming Expectations | High | ||
| Parkview Elementary SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #365 | #389 (WA)#6 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Kendall ElementaryNeighborhood | Mount Baker School District | #1289 | #414 (WA)#7 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Nooksack ElementaryNeighborhood | Nooksack Valley School District | #522 | #458 (WA)#8 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Everson ElementaryNeighborhood | Nooksack Valley School District | #1065 | #461 (WA)#9 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High | ||
| Wade King Elementary SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #451 | #525 (WA)#10 (Bellingham metro) | Typical Profile | High |
High Schools
View all 14 →High Schools (14 ranked)
8 official · 2 unranked (N/A — not yet eligible)
| Rating | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham High SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #52 | #33 (WA)HS#1 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Mount Baker Senior HighNeighborhood | Mount Baker School District | #146 | #47 (WA)HS#2 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Sehome High SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #72 | #59 (WA)HS#3 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Nooksack Valley High SchoolNeighborhood | Nooksack Valley School District | #130 | #134 (WA)HS#4 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Lynden High SchoolNeighborhood | Lynden School District | #127 | #160 (WA)HS#5 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Meridian High SchoolNeighborhood | Meridian School District | #95 | #178 (WA)HS#6 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Ferndale High SchoolNeighborhood | Ferndale School District | #168 | #179 (WA)HS#7 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Squalicum High SchoolNeighborhood | Bellingham School District | #189 | #248 (WA)HS#8 (Bellingham metro) | HS outcome | Medium | ||
| Unranked (2 not yet eligible for a rank) | |||||||
| Bellingham Re-Engagement Program | Bellingham School District | — | N/A | N/A | — | Not enough data to rank | |
| Blaine High School | Blaine School District | — | N/A | N/A | — | Not enough data to rank | |
Districts in Bellingham, WA
Districts in this metro
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 →