Public schools in Bellingham, WA
Bellingham has 34 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 11 high, 4 middle, 17 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 12,666 students. They are run by 7 districts and agencies; Bellingham School District No 501 runs 25 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 7 districts and agencies that run Bellingham's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Bellingham | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham School District No 501 | 25 | 11,614 | $17,886 |
| Meridian School District | 4 | 1,816 | $16,219 |
| Mount Baker School District | 1 | 1,692 | $20,586 |
| Ferndale School District | 1 | 4,651 | $18,722 |
| Intergenerational High School | 1 | 69 | $31,014 |
| Blaine School District | 1 | 2,081 | $19,968 |
| Northwest Educational Service District 189 | 1 | 21 | not reported |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
11 high schools in Bellingham, 4,531 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squalicum High School | 1,273 | 21.1 | 35.9% | Bellingham |
| Bellingham High School | 1,165 | 21.3 | 28.4% | Bellingham |
| Sehome High School | 1,116 | 21.8 | 23.7% | Bellingham |
| Meridian High School | 534 | 20.7 | 26.2% | Meridian |
| Options High School | 176 | 8.6 | 43.2% | Bellingham |
| Bellingham Re-Engagement Program | 110 | not reported | 56.4% | Bellingham |
| Intergenerational High School | 107 | 13.4 | 21.5% | Intergenerational High School |
| Meridian Impact Re-Engagement | 21 | not reported | 33.3% | Meridian |
| Blaine Re-Engagement | 14 | not reported | 21.4% | Blaine |
| Visions (Seamar Youth Center) | 11 | not reported | 63.6% | Bellingham |
One more high school
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whatcom Co Detention Center | 4 | not reported | not reported | Northwest Educational Service District 189 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
4 middle schools in Bellingham, 2,406 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whatcom Middle School | 637 | 18.5 | 34.2% | Bellingham |
| Shuksan Middle School | 606 | 16.8 | 44.6% | Bellingham |
| Fairhaven Middle School | 588 | 18.1 | 34.4% | Bellingham |
| Kulshan Middle School | 575 | 17.6 | 22.3% | Bellingham |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
17 elementary schools in Bellingham, 5,445 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Valley Elementary School | 455 | 17.6 | 41.1% | Bellingham |
| Parkview Elementary School | 422 | 16.7 | 33.6% | Bellingham |
| Geneva Elementary School | 412 | 18.2 | 23.8% | Bellingham |
| Northern Heights Elementary Schl | 396 | 15.6 | 28.8% | Bellingham |
| Silver Beach Elementary School | 357 | 20.3 | 18.5% | Bellingham |
| Cordata Elementary School | 357 | 12.5 | 61.6% | Bellingham |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | 348 | 14.3 | 41.4% | Bellingham |
| Lowell Elementary School | 338 | 17.3 | 27.8% | Bellingham |
| Birchwood Elementary School | 335 | 14.0 | 50.1% | Bellingham |
| Carl Cozier Elementary School | 325 | 14.4 | 46.5% | Bellingham |
The other 7 elementary schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alderwood Elementary School | 305 | 14.1 | 57.7% | Bellingham |
| Wade King Elementary School | 297 | 16.4 | 14.8% | Bellingham |
| Sunnyland Elementary School | 288 | 14.5 | 35.1% | Bellingham |
| Harmony Elementary | 288 | 14.9 | 34.0% | Mount Baker |
| Meridian Parent Partnership Program | 208 | 26.3 | 14.4% | Meridian |
| Columbia Elementary School | 187 | 17.0 | 19.3% | Bellingham |
| North Bell Learning Center | 127 | not reported | 52.8% | Ferndale |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
2 other schools in Bellingham, 284 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham Family Partnership Program | 258 | 26.1 | 22.1% | Bellingham |
| Meridian Special Programs | 26 | not reported | 50.0% | Meridian |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Bellingham's public schools compare with Washington's
The median Bellingham school has 17.0 students per full-time teacher, about the same as the Washington median of 16.7. 18% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 37% across the state. Its median school enrolls 330 students (state 391).
| Bellingham | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 17.0 | 16.7 |
| Median school size (students) | 330 | 391 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 18% | 37% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 41% | 53% |
| Charter schools | 2.9% | 0.6% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 34 Bellingham schools and the 2,437 Washington schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Bellingham
- Bellingham School District No 501Runs 25 of Bellingham's 34 public schools and spent $17,886 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,886
- Squalicum High School, the largest high school in Bellingham1,273 students in 2024-25, 21.1 per teacher.1,273
- Compare Bellingham School District No 501 with Meridian School DistrictBellingham's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in WashingtonWashington's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Bellingham addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Washington
Questions about schools in Bellingham
How many public schools are in Bellingham, WA?
34 public schools with an address in Bellingham were open in 2024-25: 11 high, 4 middle, 17 elementary, 2 other, enrolling 12,666 students. 1 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Bellingham?
Squalicum High School, with 1,273 students in 2024-25 (Bellingham School District No 501).Which districts run Bellingham's schools?
Bellingham School District No 501 (25 schools), Meridian School District (4 schools), Mount Baker School District (1 school), Ferndale School District (1 school), and 3 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25