School Supplies
Why Do Our Schools Purchase Supplies for Students?
Bellingham Public Schools strive to provide a free, public education of the highest quality for all students. Buying school supplies — in addition to the many other fees associated with school and activities — is a financial hardship for many families. Our communitiy generously supports our levies and schools in numerous ways, and so much is already asked of parents related to fundraising and fees. Our schools will purchase the supplies students need for learning, as we do with books and other materials. This is a strong step in reducing expenses for families.
Goals:
- Reduce the school supply financial hardship to families as much as possible over time;
- Eliminate waste for supplies that aren’t used by the end of the year as well as parents’ time and gas money; and
- Support families in using time saved from school supply shopping to focus on setting learning goals for the new school year and planning for time and space at home for reading and homework.
School Supply Lists
Elementary School, Grades K-5
Backpacks only
Middle School, Grades 6-8
Middle schools have started to reduce and simplify supply lists.
High Schools, Grades 9-12
High schools continue to reduce course fees and other costs for students. For the first day, bring a pad of paper and a pen.
Donations
The main purpose of this initiative is to reduce expenses for families. Therefore, we ask that families only bring the supplies requested. Families and community organizations that want to help are encouraged to make a monetary donation to the Bellingham Public School Foundation in lieu of purchasing supplies for a school. This helps ensure equity for students by avoiding an abundance of supplies at one school and not enough at another.
