Bellingham Public Schools
About Our District
District Profile
Bellingham Public Schools has approximately 11,000 students and 1,400 staff members. We have four high schools, four middle schools and 14 elementary schools.
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.
A land acknowledgment is often read at larger school and/or district events:
We, Bellingham Public Schools, acknowledge we are residing on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of Coast Salish Peoples, including the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe. Lummi and Nooksack are the original inhabitants of Washington’s northernmost coastal region. Since Time Immemorial, Coast Salish People celebrated life on this land, the waterways and on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of their People to perpetuate their way of life. We honor their ancestors and acknowledge the past, present and future Coast Salish People.
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 four institutions of higher education: Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College, Bellingham Technical College and Northwest Indian 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.
School Day Information
Visit school day information to learn more about school meals, school supplies, transportation, safety, weather procedures and more.
Nondiscrimination Notice
Bellingham Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, neurodivergence, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.
The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Laura Cardinal, Title IX Coordinator, Laura.Cardinal@bellinghamschools.org, (360) 676-6455;
Mike Copland, Deputy Superintendent, Michael.Copland@bellinghamschools.org, (360) 676-6512;
Katie Jones, Section 504/ADA Coordinator, Katie.Jones@bellinghamschools.org, (360) 676-6532;
Janis Velazquez Farmer, Gender Inclusive Coordinator, Janis.VelasquezFarmer@bellinghamschools.org, (360) 676-6532;
Janis Velazquez Farmer, Civil Rights Coordinator, Janis.VelasquezFarmer@bellinghamschools.org, (360) 676-6532.
The mailing address for each coordinator is: Bellingham Public Schools, 1985 Barkley Blvd., Bellingham, WA 98226.
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.
