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Whatcom Middle School

Q: Is Whatcom Middle School a good school?

Whatcom Middle School ranks 119 th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

119^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 534 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 78% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Whatcom Middle School is a public school serving 637 students in grades 6-8 in the Bellingham School District, consistently performing above state averages and earning a 4-star rating.

The school stands out for its strong and steady academic results, particularly in supporting English Language Learners and students with special needs, where it ranks among the top schools in the state. While it performs well overall in math and English, it faces a specific challenge with 8th-grade science scores, which are below the district average. Notably, Whatcom Middle School achieves these outcomes efficiently, with per-student spending comparable to other schools in the area, and it has shown resilience in maintaining stable performance over time, including through the pandemic years.

Within the Bellingham School District, Whatcom is a solid, above-average performer, positioned between the district's top schools like Kulshan Middle School and Fairhaven Middle School and the lower-performing Shuksan Middle School. It also outperforms several nearby middle schools in other districts, such as Horizon Middle School and Vista Middle School in the Ferndale School District, and Meridian Middle School, despite similar student demographics.

637

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,842

Per pupil spending ?

42.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

810 Halleck St
Bellingham, WA 98225-3243

(360) 676-6460

District: Bellingham School District

Students who attend Whatcom Middle School usually attend:

High:

Squalicum High School

Feeder schools for Whatcom Middle School:

Elementary:	Cordata Elementary School
	Parkview Elementary School
	Silver Beach Elementary School
	Sunnyland Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.9%

Hispanic:

20.9%

Two or more races:

9.6%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Whatcom Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 69th percentile in 2024 → 78th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Washington average (55% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of Washington middle schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 78th (2025) from a 69th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Bellingham School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg53%

Washington avg48%

119^th of 534

Washington public middle schools ?

Top 22%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to top 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Bellingham School District

89^th of 247Bellingham 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
2025	72.7	119 of 534	77.7%	★★★★☆
2024	65.7	165 of 535	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.0	127 of 539	76.4%	★★★★☆
2022	63.4	164 of 541	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.0	157 of 529	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	77.8	99 of 512	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	84.5	62 of 437	85.8%	★★★★☆
2017	84.1	53 of 435	87.8%	★★★★☆
2016	85.5	50 of 443	88.7%	★★★★☆
2015	86.9	42 of 445	90.6%	★★★★★
2013	84.1	50 of 498	90.0%	★★★★★
2012	83.6	52 of 497	89.5%	★★★★☆
2010	78.3	78 of 483	83.9%	★★★★☆
2009	83.6	53 of 476	88.9%	★★★★☆
2008	78.6	74 of 466	84.1%	★★★★☆
2007	72.1	100 of 463	78.4%	★★★★☆
2006	72.2	111 of 449	75.3%	★★★★☆
2005	75.0	94 of 425	77.9%	★★★★☆
2004	81.1	58 of 421	86.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	104 of 147	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	94 of 148	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.2	90 of 145	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.6	124 of 161	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.5	122 of 149	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	70.3	20 of 96	79.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	76.5	94 of 471	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	68.1	132 of 464	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.1	94 of 464	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	59.7	164 of 479	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.1	144 of 469	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.2	108 of 452	76.1%	★★★★☆
2018	81.7	67 of 376	82.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	118 of 347	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.4	171 of 344	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.5	136 of 336	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.8	174 of 360	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.9	145 of 353	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.0	192 of 344	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	70.1	62 of 259	76.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	66.5	118 of 457	74.2%	★★★★☆
2024	60.5	150 of 455	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.8	122 of 463	73.7%	★★★★☆
2022	33.0	333 of 475	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.1	307 of 458	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.3	88 of 448	80.4%	★★★★☆
2018	65.7	80 of 349	77.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	66.3	133 of 472	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	61.5	152 of 466	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.5	125 of 470	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	64.8	141 of 480	70.6%	★★★★☆
2021	66.5	131 of 476	72.5%	★★★★☆
2019	81.2	74 of 453	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	85.0	55 of 371	85.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	51.6	110 of 246	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	107 of 243	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.6	83 of 244	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.1	66 of 257	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	66.2	62 of 250	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	60.8	95 of 246	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.5	39 of 166	76.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	59.5	49 of 186	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	36.9	103 of 179	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.6	99 of 167	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.9	152 of 199	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.5	69 of 210	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.5	77 of 231	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.6	29 of 268	89.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	75.4	100 of 488	79.5%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	103 of 486	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	76.8	96 of 488	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	66.2	133 of 488	72.7%	★★★★☆
2021	66.7	133 of 480	72.3%	★★★★☆
2019	76.6	92 of 470	80.4%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	55 of 325	83.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2025)80th percentile~ school

White (2025)80th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)79th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)74th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)74th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)72nd percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)66th percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)55th percentile-22 vs school

Asian (2025)29th percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts59%+6 vs state

Math53%+11 vs state

Science52%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Whatcom Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)		SBAC English Language Arts (2025)				SBAC Math (2025)				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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Whatcom Middle School	Public	6-8	810 Halleck St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6460	637	34	18.5	42.4%	375 (58.9%)	6 (0.9%)	133 (20.9%)	48 (7.5%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (9.6%)	72.7	119^th of 534 public middle schools	77.7%		65.7	165^th of 535 public middle schools	69.2%	46	52.3	52.3	49.5	63.9	63.7	59.1	51.8	55.9	52.4	53.4	$17,842	$320	$17,522
Shuksan Middle School	Public	6-8	2717 Alderwood Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6454	606	36	16.7	52.1%	318 (52.5%)	12 (2.0%)	186 (30.7%)	25 (4.1%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	57 (9.4%)	38	320^th of 534 public middle schools	40.1%		32.2	358^th of 535 public middle schools	33.1%	38	48.5	48.5	45.0	42.9	46.4	44.7	28.7	30.1	31.1	29.9	$19,715	$1,712	$18,003
Kulshan Middle School	Public	6-8	1250 Kenoyer Dr	Bellingham	98229	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-4886	575	33	17.6	28.7%	422 (73.4%)	4 (0.7%)	73 (12.7%)	13 (2.3%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	54 (9.4%)	81.5	90^th of 534 public middle schools	83.1%		87	62^nd of 535 public middle schools	88.4%	28	66.0	66.0	62.4	75.6	65.4	67.5	42.9	65.9	53.2	53.5	$18,256	$607	$17,649
Fairhaven Middle School	Public	6-8	110 Park Ridge Rd	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6450	588	32	18.1	40.8%	393 (66.8%)	8 (1.4%)	91 (15.5%)	33 (5.6%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (9.4%)	80.2	93^rd of 534 public middle schools	82.6%		86.5	65^th of 535 public middle schools	87.9%	28	69.2	69.2	59.9	64.6	64.2	63.0	46.7	59.1	59.4	55.3	$17,779	$314	$17,465
Meridian Middle School	Public	6-8	861 Ten Mile Road	Lynden	98264	Whatcom County	Meridian School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 398-2291	350	22	16.2	53.1%	208 (59.4%)	2 (0.6%)	88 (25.1%)	25 (7.1%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.6%)	58.8	199^th of 534 public middle schools	62.7%		44.5	280^th of 535 public middle schools	47.7%	81	52.5	52.5	58.5	55.3	53.3	55.6	45.3	36.5	38.7	40.2	$18,417	$364	$18,052
Vista Middle School	Public	6-8	6051 Vista Drive	Ferndale	98248	Whatcom County	Ferndale School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 383-9370	550	32	17.1	55.6%	277 (50.4%)	12 (2.2%)	136 (24.7%)	32 (5.8%)	34 (6.2%)	8 (1.5%)	51 (9.3%)	45.4	274^th of 534 public middle schools	48.7%		55.2	216^th of 535 public middle schools	59.6%	58	40.9	40.9	47.0	52.4	50.3	49.8	34.8	38.0	33.7	35.5	$19,184	$1,383	$17,801
Horizon Middle School	Public	6-8	2671 Thornton Road	Ferndale	98248	Whatcom County	Ferndale School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 383-9850	433	25	17.1	55.4%	233 (53.8%)	6 (1.4%)	101 (23.3%)	13 (3.0%)	43 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.5%)	38	318^th of 534 public middle schools	40.4%		29.3	375^th of 535 public middle schools	29.9%	57	40.6	40.3	41.9	39.7	51.8	44.4	40.6	28.3	29.5	33.3	$20,342	$1,599	$18,743
Mount Baker Junior High	Public	7-8	4936 Deming Rd	Deming	98244	Whatcom County	Mount Baker School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 383-2015	244	14	17.6	60.2%	166 (68.0%)	5 (2.0%)	41 (16.8%)	3 (1.2%)	7 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (9.0%)	16.1	463^rd of 534 public middle schools	13.3%		23.7	414^th of 535 public middle schools	22.6%	49	24.2	24.2		39.7	27.8	33.9		26.5	14.7	21.0	$19,924	$865	$19,059
Nooksack Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	404 W. Columbia St.	Everson	98247	Whatcom County	Nooksack Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 966-7561	469	25	18.7	58.4%	248 (52.9%)	1 (0.2%)	175 (37.3%)	4 (0.9%)	18 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.7%)	44.2	280^th of 534 public middle schools	47.6%		43	292^nd of 535 public middle schools	45.4%	12	42.0	42.0	36.8	37.5	49.3	41.0	50.3	30.6	46.4	42.0	$16,808	$696	$16,112
Lynden Middle School	Public	6-8	8750 Line Rd	Lynden	98264	Whatcom County	Lynden School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 354-2952	705	37	18.9	47.5%	419 (59.4%)	6 (0.9%)	210 (29.8%)	41 (5.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.8%)	45	276^th of 534 public middle schools	48.3%		45.9	270^th of 535 public middle schools	49.5%	6	41.4	41.4	56.1	47.4	45.1	49.6	42.3	32.8	30.8	35.3	$15,117	$657	$14,461

Frequently Asked Questions about Whatcom Middle School

Is Whatcom Middle School a good school?

Whatcom Middle School ranks 119^th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Whatcom Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 637 students attended Whatcom Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Whatcom Middle School attend?

Students who attend Whatcom Middle School usually go on to attend Squalicum High School

What is the racial makeup of Whatcom Middle School?

Students at Whatcom Middle School are 59% White, 21% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 8% Asian, 1% Not Specified.

What district is Whatcom Middle School in?

Bellingham School District

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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.