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Bellingham School District

Coordinates: 48°46′17″N 122°26′52″W / 48.7714°N 122.4477°W / 48.7714; -122.4477
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Bellingham Public Schools
Address
1985 Barkley Boulevard
, Washington, 98225
United States
Coordinates48°46′17″N 122°26′52″W / 48.7714°N 122.4477°W / 48.7714; -122.4477
District information
MottoA Collective Commitment
GradesK12, with preschool and pre-K offered for certain students.[1]
SuperintendentGreg Baker
Schools14 elementary, 4 middle, 4 high
NCES District ID5300420[2]
Students and staff
Students11,614 (2022–2023)
Teachers705.48 (FTE; 2022–2023)
Student–teacher ratio16.46 (2022–2023)
Other information
Websitebellinghamschools.org

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]

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

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High schools

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Bellingham Public Schools has four high schools 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,[14][15] 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.[16]
Options High School (OHS) Armadillos 188[17] None Located directly adjacent to Bellingham High School, Options is a "school of choice" and does not have its own attendance area.[18][16] Options provides an alternative education experience, with smaller class sizes for more accessible learning.[19][20]
Sehome High School (SHS) Mariners 1,163[21] Northwest Conference (2A) Located in the Happy Valley neighborhood,[14][15] Sehome is the southernmost of the district's high schools.[16]
Squalicum High School (SqHS) Storm 1,280[22] Northwest Conference (2A) Located in the Barkley neighborhood,[14][15] Squalicum is the northernmost of the district's high schools.[16]

Middle schools

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Grades 6–8

  • Fairhaven Middle School
    • This 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.[23]
  • Kulshan Middle School
  • Shuksan Middle School
  • Whatcom Middle School
    • The school was originally build in 1903,[24] and named North Side High School, later named Whatcom High School, all before becoming a middle school.[25] Whatcom Middle School burned down on November 5, 2009, and classes were originally closed until the 12th, but due to rebuilding, the school was eventually reopened in 2011.[26]

Elementary schools

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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.[16]
  • Lowell Elementary School
    • The entirety of Lowell's attendance area feeds into Fairhaven Middle School.[16]
  • 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.[16]

Other programs

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References

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  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. ^ a b c "CityIQ Online Map Viewer". City of Bellingham. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "Neighborhood Map". City of Bellingham. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g "Attendance Areas". Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  17. ^ "Options High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  18. ^ "Registration". Options High School. Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  19. ^ Mittan, Kyle (June 6, 2016). "What to know as new Options High School gets built in Bellingham". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ "Sehome High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  22. ^ "Squalicum High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  23. ^ Gallagher, Mary Lane (March 15, 2012) [November 10, 2007]. "Milestones: Bellingham students still walk historic hallways". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  24. ^ "Historic Bellingham middle school destroyed by fire". king5.com. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  25. ^ "Whatcom Middle School history". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  26. ^ 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.
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