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
, Washington, 98225United States | |
| Coordinates | 48°46′17″N 122°26′52″W / 48.7714°N 122.4477°W |
| 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 |
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
editHigh schools
editBellingham 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
edit- 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
edit- 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
editReferences
edit- ^ "Early Childhood Education". Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Bellingham School District". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences.
- ^ "Bellingham School District". Search for Public School Districts. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ "Bellingham School District". Washington State Report Card. OSPI. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ "2021 Whatcom County Top Employers List" (PDF). Center for Economic and Business Research. Western Washington University.
- ^ "The Bellingham Promise". Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ "Digital School Boards Survey". Center for Digital Education. Archived from the original on November 30, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Teehan, Joe (November 25, 2019). "Bellingham Schools Board of Directors honored". 790 KGMI. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ Hoffman, Hailey (April 23, 2022). "Bellingham Public Schools awarded Green Ribbon for sustainability". Cascadia Daily News. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ "Our Schools". Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ "Bellingham School District". FinalForms. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ "Bellingham High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c "CityIQ Online Map Viewer". City of Bellingham. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Neighborhood Map". City of Bellingham. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Attendance Areas". Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ "Options High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ "Registration". Options High School. Bellingham Public Schools. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ Mittan, Kyle (June 6, 2016). "What to know as new Options High School gets built in Bellingham". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Sehome High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ "Squalicum High School". Search for Public Schools. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ Gallagher, Mary Lane (March 15, 2012) [November 10, 2007]. "Milestones: Bellingham students still walk historic hallways". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Historic Bellingham middle school destroyed by fire". king5.com. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ "Whatcom Middle School history". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ 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.