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Bellingham School District

1306 Dupont St
Bellingham, WA 98225-3118
(District boundaries shown in map)
8/
10
Top 30%

Top Rankings

Bellingham School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Washington for:

Category
Attribute
Science Proficiency
Highest science proficiency (Top 20%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025-26 school year, there are 14 public preschools serving 4,914 students in Bellingham School District. This district's average pre testing ranking is 6/10, which is in the top 50% of public pre schools in Washington.
Public Preschools in Bellingham School District have an average math proficiency score of 45% (versus the Washington public pre school average of 45%), and reading proficiency score of 50% (versus the 49% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 37% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the Washington public preschool average of 54% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (WA)
# Schools
25 Schools
801 Schools
# Students
11,487 Students
280,418 Students
# Teachers
665 Teachers
17,799 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
17:1
17:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Bellingham School District, which is ranked within the top 30% of all 306 school districts in Washington (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 79% has decreased from 85% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (WA)
#68 out of 307 school districts
(Top 30%)
45%
41%
57%
53%
57%
49%
79%
84%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.55
0.71
% American Indian
1%
1%
% Asian
5%
9%
% Hispanic
19%
26%
% Black
2%
6%
% White
64%
46%
% Hawaiian
n/a
2%
% Two or more races
9%
10%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $18,822 is higher than the state median of $18,796. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $22,233 is higher than the state median of $19,247. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (WA)
Total Revenue
$216 MM
$20,715 MM
Spending
$255 MM
$21,212 MM
Revenue / Student
$18,822
$18,796
Spending / Student
$22,233
$19,247

Best Bellingham School District Public Preschools (2025-26)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Silver Beach Elementary School
(Math: 65-69% | Reading: 73%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
4101 Academy St
Bellingham, WA 98226
(360) 676-6443
Gr: PK-5 | 342 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 23%
Rank: #22.
Lowell Elementary School
(Math: 50-54% | Reading: 60-64%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
914 15th St
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 676-6430
Gr: PK-5 | 308 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 28%
Rank: #33.
Parkview Elementary School
(Math: 55-59% | Reading: 55-59%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
3030 Cornwall Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 676-6433
Gr: PK-5 | 387 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 29%
Rank: #4 - 54. - 5.
Columbia Elementary School
(Math: 50-54% | Reading: 55-59%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
2508 Utter St
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 676-6413
Gr: PK-5 | 210 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 21%
Rank: #4 - 54. - 5.
Wade King Elementary School
(Math: 50-54% | Reading: 55-59%)
Rank:
8/
10
Top 30%
2155 Yew Street Rd
Bellingham, WA 98229
(360) 676-6840
Gr: PK-5 | 315 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 23%
Rank: #66.
Northern Heights Elementary School
(Math: 50-54% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
4000 Magrath Rd
Bellingham, WA 98226
(360) 647-6820
Gr: PK-5 | 420 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 40%
Rank: #77.
Geneva Elementary School
(Math: 45-49% | Reading: 52%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
1401 Geneva St
Bellingham, WA 98229
(360) 676-6416
Gr: PK-5 | 424 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 25%
Rank: #88.
Happy Valley Elementary School
(Math: 47% | Reading: 51%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
1041 24th St
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 676-6420
Gr: PK-5 | 468 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 32%
Rank: #99.
Sunnyland Elementary School
(Math: 40-44% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
2800 James St
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 676-6446
Gr: PK-5 | 328 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 36%
Rank: #1010.
Carl Cozier Elementary School
(Math: 40-44% | Reading: 45-49%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
1330 Lincoln St
Bellingham, WA 98229
(360) 676-6410
Gr: PK-5 | 342 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 40%
Rank: #1111.
Roosevelt Elementary School
(Math: 35-39% | Reading: 45-49%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
2900 Yew St
Bellingham, WA 98226
(360) 676-6440
Gr: PK-5 | 373 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 40%
Rank: #1212.
Alderwood Elementary School
(Math: 30-34% | Reading: 30-34%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
3400 Hollywood Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 676-6404
Gr: PK-5 | 282 students Student-teacher ratio: 11:1 Minority enrollment: 46%
Rank: #1313.
Birchwood Elementary School
(Math: 25-29% | Reading: 30-34%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
3200 Pinewood Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 676-6466
Gr: PK-5 | 362 students Student-teacher ratio: 13:1 Minority enrollment: 58%
Rank: #1414.
Cordata Elementary School
(Math: 10-14% | Reading: 10-14%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
4420 Aldrich Rd
Bellingham, WA 98226
(360) 676-6461
Gr: PK-5 | 353 students Student-teacher ratio: 11:1 Minority enrollment: 69%

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Quick Facts (2025-26)

  • District size: 25 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 11,487 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 17:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 36%
  • : 79% (Top 50% in WA)
  • : Top 30%
  • : 45% (Top 30%)
  • : 57% (Top 30%)
  • : 57% (Top 20%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), WA Dept. of Education

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