Bellingham School District

Bellingham School District No. 501 (operating as Bellingham Public Schools) is a public school district serving Bellingham, Washington. The district enrolls nearly 12,000 students across its schools and programs,^[3][4] and is the fourth-largest employer in Whatcom County.^[5] The strategic plan of Bellingham Public Schools is known as "The Bellingham Promise".^[6]

Bellingham Public Schools
Address
1985 Barkley Boulevard Bellingham , Washington, 98225 United States
Coordinates	48.7714°N 122.4477°W / 48.7714; -122.4477
District information
Motto	A Collective Commitment
Grades	K–12, with preschool and pre-K offered for certain students.[1]
Superintendent	Greg Baker
Schools	14 elementary, 4 middle, 4 high
NCES District ID	5300420[2]
Students and staff
Students	11,614 (2022–2023)
Teachers	705.48 (FTE; 2022–2023)
Student–teacher ratio	16.46 (2022–2023)
Other information
Website	bellinghamschools.org

In 2006, the Center for Digital Education, along with the National School Boards Association, named the Bellingham School District 6th in the nation for districts with 2501-15000 students.^[7][8] They were also awarded an "excellence in equity" award in 2019, from the Washington State School Directors' Association,^[9] and a green ribbon for sustainability from the U.S. Department of Education in 2022.^[10]

Schools

High schools

Bellingham Public Schools includes four high schools, all serving grades 9–12.^[11]

School	Mascot	Enrollment (2022–2023)	WIAA[12]	Notes
Bellingham High School (BHS)	Bayhawks	1,218[13]	Northwest Conference (2A)	Located in the Sunnyland neighborhood, Bellingham's attendance area includes most of Bellingham's city center, and is bound by Squalicum's area to the north and Sehome's to the south.[14]
Options High School (OHS)	Armadillos	188[15]	None	Located directly adjacent to Bellingham High School, Options is a "school of choice" and does not have its own attendance area.[16][14] Options provides an alternative education experience, with smaller class sizes for more accessible learning.[17][18]
Sehome High School (SHS)	Mariners	1,163[19]	Northwest Conference (2A)	Located in the Happy Valley neighborhood, Sehome is the southernmost of the district's high schools.[14]
Squalicum High School (SqHS)	Storm	1,280[20]	Northwest Conference (2A)	Located in the Barkley neighborhood, Squalicum is the northernmost of the district's high schools.[14]

Middle schools

The district includes four grade 6–8 middle schools.^[11]

School	Mascot	Feeds to[14]	Notes
Fairhaven Middle School	Grizzly Bears[21]	Sehome	Fairhaven is located in the Edgemoor neighborhood. The school was originally Fairhaven High School, but it burned down New Year's Eve of 1935, reopening as a junior high in 1937 and a middle school in 1967.[22]
Kulshan Middle School	Thunderbirds[23]	Bellingham, Sehome, and Squalicum	Kulshan is located in the Whatcom Falls neighborhood. The school was opened in 1994.
Shuksan Middle School	Cougars[24]	Bellingham and Squalicum	Shuksan is located in the Birchwood neighborhood.
Whatcom Middle School	Wildcats[25]	Bellingham and Squalicum	Whatcom is located in the Lettered Streets neighborhood. The school was originally built in 1903 and named North Side High School. It was also named Whatcom High School before becoming a middle school.[26][27] Whatcom Middle School burned down on November 5, 2009; due to rebuilding, the school reopened in 2011.[28]

Elementary schools

Grades K–5

• Alderwood Elementary School
• Birchwood Elementary School
• Carl Cozier Elementary School
• Columbia Elementary School
• Cordata Elementary School
• Geneva Elementary School
• Happy Valley Elementary School
  • The entirety of Happy Valley's attendance area feeds into Fairhaven Middle School.^[14]
• Lowell Elementary School
  • The entirety of Lowell's attendance area feeds into Fairhaven Middle School.^[14]
• Northern Heights Elementary School
• Parkview Elementary School
• Roosevelt Elementary School
• Silver Beach Elementary School
• Sunnyland Elementary School
• Wade King Elementary School
  • The majority of the school's attendance area feeds into Fairhaven, with some feeding into Kulshan.^[14]

Other programs

• Family Partnership Program

Neighborhood references: City of Bellingham.^[29][30]

References

1. "Early Childhood Education". Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
2. "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Bellingham School District". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
3. "Bellingham School District". Search for Public School Districts. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
4. "Bellingham School District". Washington State Report Card. OSPI. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
5. "2021 Whatcom County Top Employers List" (PDF). Center for Economic and Business Research. Western Washington University.
6. "The Bellingham Promise". Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
7. "Digital School Boards Survey". Center for Digital Education. Archived from the original on November 30, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
8. Rowe, Tanya Kerstiens. "Bellingham School Board Honored as Tech-Savvy" (Press release). Bellingham Public Schools. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
9. Teehan, Joe (November 25, 2019). "Bellingham Schools Board of Directors honored". 790 KGMI. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
10. Hoffman, Hailey (April 23, 2022). "Bellingham Public Schools awarded Green Ribbon for sustainability". Cascadia Daily News. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
11. "Our Schools". Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
12. "Bellingham School District". FinalForms. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
13. "Bellingham High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
14. "Attendance Areas". Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
15. "Options High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
16. "Registration". Options High School. Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
17. Mittan, Kyle (June 6, 2016). "What to know as new Options High School gets built in Bellingham". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
18. Showalter, Rachel (June 28, 2024). "Bellingham School District's first school-based health clinic in development at Options High". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
19. "Sehome High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
20. "Squalicum High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
21. "Students". Fairhaven Middle School. Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
22. Gallagher, Mary Lane (March 15, 2012) [November 10, 2007]. "Milestones: Bellingham students still walk historic hallways". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
23. "About Our School". Kulshan Middle School. Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
24. "About Our School". Shuksan Middle School. Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
25. "Whatcom: Track & Field and Cross Country Statistics". Athletic.net. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
26. "Historic Bellingham middle school destroyed by fire". king5.com. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
27. "Whatcom Middle School history". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
28. Cox, Kira M. (August 30, 2011) [February 9, 2011]. "Whatcom Middle School to reopen in fall 2011, one year early". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
29. "CityIQ Online Map Viewer". City of Bellingham. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
30. "Neighborhood Map". City of Bellingham. Retrieved November 2, 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Bellingham Public Schools Foundation