About Bellingham Schools

District Profile

Bellingham Public Schools has approximately 12,000 students and 1,700 staff members. Our district worked in partnership with our community to develop The Bellingham Promise our strategic plan.

About Bellingham

Located in northwest Washington, Bellingham is on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived in the Salish Sea basin, throughout the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades watershed. The Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe have shown enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways since time immemorial.

Bellingham is between two major metropolitan areas, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. Strategic investments in parks, trails and preserved open spaces offer numerous recreation opportunities. Several public/private partnerships support the arts and cultural district downtown. Bellingham’s active waterfront hosts a range of marine activities. Bellingham is also home to three institutions of higher education: Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College and Bellingham Technical College.

For information about Bellingham and the surrounding area please visit the City of Bellingham.

District Report Card

Student achievement data, demographics, absence and graduation rate, and teacher information for our district and individual schools can be viewed on the State Report Card. Use the search menu to find an individual school.

This Report Card also contains our district and schools’ Washington School Improvement Framework. Use the drop down menu for more detail.

District Recognition

Bellingham Public Schools was one of only two districts in Washington state awarded with the State Auditor’s Stewardship Award at the 74th annual Washington Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) conference in June 2018. This award recognizes the Department of Finance and Operations for being an outstanding example of commitment to safeguarding public resources through transparency and accountability.

School Day Information

Visit school day information to learn more about school meals, school supplies, transportation, safety, weather procedures and more.

14 Elementary Schools »

4 Middle Schools »

4 High Schools »

School Schedules and Calendar

Elementary School: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

All of our elementary schools offer full-time kindergarten.

Middle School: 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

High School: 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

View the school year calendar »

Registration Information

To register your child for school you can download and complete the registration forms, but you must take them in person to your local school.

In-person registration is required to verify identification and age. For students who have not previously enrolled in Bellingham Public Schools you will need:

Your child’s birth certificate or other official verification of age such as a passport, visa or DSHS Medicaid Voucher,
Proof of residency (your address), acceptable proof includes government issued documents, lease or rental agreement, utility bills,
Immunization Records

View registration information »

Transportation

Bellingham Public Schools safely transports more than 3,500 students to and from school buildings throughout the district, also transporting students on more than 2,000 sports, field and activity trips. Our buses travel more than 700,000 miles annually.

Our professional staff are dedicated to the safety and well-being of all students in the Bellingham Public Schools.

To find out where your bus stop is, type your address into our bus route locator.

Bellingham Public Schools does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth
groups. The following employee(s) has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:

Laurel Peak, Title IX Coordinator, Laurel.Peak@bellinghamschools.org, 360-676-6470 ext. 4403
Keith Schacht, 504 Coordinator, keith.schacht@bellinghamschools.org, 360-676-2787
Matthew Whitten, Civil Rights Coordinator, matthew.whitten@bellinghamschools.org 360-676-6400

You can report discrimination and discriminatory harassment to any school staff member or to the district’s coordinators, listed above. You also have the right to file a complaint (see below). For a copy of your district’s nondiscrimination policy and procedure, contact your school or district office or view Policy and Procedure 3210 online.