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Birchwood Elementary School

Q: Is Birchwood Elementary School a good school?

Birchwood Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.1% of Washington elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Birchwood Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 335 students attended Birchwood Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Birchwood Elementary School?

Students at Birchwood Elementary School are 45% Hispanic, 40% White, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

Q: What schools do graduates of Birchwood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Birchwood Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Shuksan Middle School High : Bellingham High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

966^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Birchwood Elementary School serves 335 students in prekindergarten through grade 5 in Bellingham, Washington, and is part of the Bellingham School District. Located within roughly one to four miles of the comparison schools, Birchwood has a 13.9-to-1 student-teacher ratio and serves a community in which 58.51% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025. Although the district ranks around the 65th percentile statewide, Birchwood ranked in the 15th percentile in 2025–2026, placing it 966th out of 1,138 Washington schools and earning a one-star rating.

Birchwood’s academic results are well below district and state averages. In 2025–2026, 30.86% of students were proficient in English language arts, 23.56% in math, and 38.10% in science. Math is the clearest concern, especially in grade 5, where only 15.87% of students were proficient. Results also declined from the prior year in all three subjects, and Birchwood has remained at or below the 20th statewide percentile in most reported years since 2017–2018. Nearby schools show that stronger outcomes are possible in the same area: Lowell Elementary School reported 63.82% ELA, 60.26% math, and 66.67% science proficiency, while Sunnyland Elementary School and Parkview Elementary School also substantially outperformed Birchwood.

The school’s relatively favorable staffing ratio and $20,255 per-student spending do not yet translate into results comparable to most nearby schools. Birchwood’s higher economic-need rate provides important context, but schools with similar or higher rates, including Carl Cozier Elementary School, Cordata Elementary School, and Alderwood Elementary School, have different achievement patterns. Subgroup effectiveness was especially low for Hispanic students and students from low socioeconomic-status backgrounds, at the 1st and 0th percentiles statewide, respectively; these results warrant careful review alongside enrollment size, growth, attendance, and support access. The strongest priorities appear to be foundational math, targeted grade 5 intervention, and consistent support for students needing additional help.

335

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,255

Per pupil spending ?

58.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

82.4%

Kindergartners complete for all required immunizations (2025-26)

Exemptions: 2.9% (any vaccine)

3200 Pinewood Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225-1436

(360) 676-6466

District: Bellingham School District

Students who attend Birchwood Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Shuksan Middle School
High:	Bellingham High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.4%

White:

40.0%

Two or more races:

10.4%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Birchwood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 31st percentile in 2016 → 15th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (29% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg52%

Washington avg48%

966^th of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to bottom 15% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Bellingham School District

83^rd of 238Bellingham School District among Washington districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	14.7	966 of 1138	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.2	964 of 1160	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	997 of 1168	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	1041 of 1169	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	948 of 1169	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.9	902 of 1107	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	1026 of 1130	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	845 of 1054	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	34.5	718 of 1056	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.5	727 of 1053	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	40.6	654 of 1067	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.9	609 of 1092	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.9	545 of 1088	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	42.3	674 of 1072	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	28.8	824 of 1067	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	37.7	726 of 1069	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.8	617 of 1051	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	59.5	420 of 1031	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	61.2	368 of 1026	64.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2018	41.5	179 of 333	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	16.8	899 of 1020	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.0	863 of 1092	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.8	1039 of 1093	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.3	1033 of 1094	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	922 of 1100	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.5	762 of 1008	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.9	997 of 1068	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.6	811 of 1004	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	5.5	644 of 649	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.5	578 of 659	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	516 of 651	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	651 of 694	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.3	659 of 697	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	529 of 540	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	3.6	1006 of 1008	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.8	898 of 1013	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	968 of 1024	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.1	975 of 1013	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	951 of 1019	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.6	819 of 854	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.1	949 of 979	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	742 of 835	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	921 of 1059	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.5	938 of 1098	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.5	760 of 1099	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.0	878 of 1099	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.9	878 of 1113	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.2	933 of 1025	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	932 of 1075	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.8	774 of 999	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	47.5	493 of 901	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.1	530 of 1007	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.9	769 of 1009	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	747 of 1011	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.6	629 of 1031	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.9	652 of 943	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.1	756 of 1027	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.5	565 of 833	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2018)46th percentile+26 vs school

White (2026)45th percentile+30 vs school

Male (2026)13th percentile~ school

Female (2026)12th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)1st percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)<1st percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

Science38%-13 vs state

English Language Arts31%-22 vs state

Math24%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Birchwood Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)		SBAC English Language Arts (2026)				SBAC Math (2026)				Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 5th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 3rd Grade	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Birchwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3200 Pinewood Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6466	335	24	13.9	58.5%	134 (40.0%)	4 (1.2%)	152 (45.4%)	6 (1.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (10.4%)	14.7	966^th of 1138 public elementary schools	15.1%		20.2	964^th of 1160 public elementary schools	16.9%	2	38.1	38.1	28.6	30.9	32.8	30.9	28.6	27.3	15.9	23.6	82.4%	2.9%	$20,255	$1,908	$18,347
Alderwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3400 Hollywood Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6404	305	22	14.1	65.6%	149 (48.9%)	4 (1.3%)	113 (37.0%)	4 (1.3%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (9.2%)	13.5	985^th of 1138 public elementary schools	13.4%		11.2	1074^th of 1160 public elementary schools	7.4%	89	37.5	37.5	6.4	38.9	32.5	26.2	10.9	26.4	20.0	19.4	88.2%	2.9%	$22,963	$2,161	$20,802
Columbia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2508 Utter St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6413	187	11	16.9	24.6%	145 (77.5%)	2 (1.1%)	23 (12.3%)	7 (3.7%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.3%)								(n/a)			75.9	70.0	82.1	75.3	69.0	52.5	57.1	58.8	95.8%	0%	$22,437	$311	$22,126
Parkview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3030 Cornwall Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6433	422	25	16.7	44.3%	269 (63.7%)	6 (1.4%)	88 (20.9%)	26 (6.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.6%)	58.8	442^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	61.2%		58.8	450^th of 1160 public elementary schools	61.2%	8	69.0	69.0	51.5	47.1	63.8	53.6	47.0	42.3	53.5	47.2	84.9%	3.8%	$19,517	$363	$19,154
Cordata Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4420 Aldrich Rd	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6461	357	29	12.4	68.3%	115 (32.2%)	13 (3.6%)	134 (37.5%)	59 (16.5%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.0%)	7.1	1069^th of 1138 public elementary schools	6.1%		12.9	1052^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	9.3%	17	18.6	18.6	19.6	32.3	18.6	24.5	17.4	21.0	7.0	15.9	79%	1.6%	$23,284	$2,731	$20,552
Sunnyland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2800 James St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6446	288	20	14.5	44.1%	170 (59.0%)	5 (1.7%)	65 (22.6%)	12 (4.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (11.5%)	61.9	404^th of 1138 public elementary schools	64.5%		55.7	490^th of 1160 public elementary schools	57.8%	86	48.7	48.7	68.5	65.2	35.1	58.4	62.3	60.9	27.0	52.2	85.4%	0%	$20,783	$539	$20,244
Carl Cozier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1330 Lincoln St	Bellingham	98229	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6410	325	23	14.3	53.2%	192 (59.1%)	2 (0.6%)	81 (24.9%)	8 (2.5%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	38 (11.7%)	40	678^th of 1138 public elementary schools	40.4%		34.5	759^th of 1160 public elementary schools	34.6%	81	65.1	65.1	20.0	40.7	60.5	40.1	34.1	31.0	51.2	37.9	85.7%	0%	$19,532	$624	$18,907
Roosevelt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2900 Yew St	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 676-6440	348	24	14.3	49.4%	222 (63.8%)	11 (3.2%)	81 (23.3%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.0%)	38.1	705^th of 1138 public elementary schools	38.0%		28.1	850^th of 1160 public elementary schools	26.7%	145	60.0	60.0	51.0	30.5	44.1	41.4	54.0	30.5	26.3	36.1	83.3%	0%	$20,422	$1,435	$18,987
Lowell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	914 15th St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6430	338	20	17.3	34.3%	239 (70.7%)	5 (1.5%)	43 (12.7%)	11 (3.3%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (10.4%)	77.7	241^st of 1138 public elementary schools	78.8%		70.5	306^th of 1160 public elementary schools	73.6%	65	66.7	66.7	51.1	61.8	76.9	63.8	62.2	63.6	54.9	60.3	91.2%	0%	$18,643	$1,164	$17,479
Happy Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1041 24th St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6420	455	26	17.6	45.5%	304 (66.8%)	6 (1.3%)	75 (16.5%)	16 (3.5%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	48 (10.5%)	57.6	451^st of 1138 public elementary schools	60.4%		53	516^th of 1160 public elementary schools	55.5%	65	50.7	50.7	41.6	53.5	55.1	49.8	63.6	55.1	43.5	54.4	77.4%	0%	$16,848	$351	$16,497

Frequently Asked Questions about Birchwood Elementary School

How many students attend Birchwood Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 335 students attended Birchwood Elementary School.

What district is Birchwood Elementary School in?

Bellingham School District

What schools do graduates of Birchwood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Birchwood Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Shuksan Middle School
High : Bellingham High School

What is the racial makeup of Birchwood Elementary School?

Students at Birchwood Elementary School are 45% Hispanic, 40% White, 10% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

Is Birchwood Elementary School a good school?

Birchwood Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.1% of Washington elementary schools.

Rate Birchwood Elementary School!

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Latest Washington data All new data »

2016–17 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 SBAC & WCAS test scoresSep 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 8, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.