Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Squalicum High School

Q: Is Squalicum High School a good school?

Squalicum High School ranks 190 th of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

190^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Washington High Schools

Better than 57% of Washington high schools

Summary

Squalicum High School is a large public high school serving about 1,270 students in grades 9-12 within the Bellingham School District, and it has shown one of the most remarkable improvement stories in the area, climbing from a low state ranking a decade ago to a solid 3-star, above-average rating today.

Academically, the school presents a unique profile with a significant strength in English Language Arts, where student proficiency is competitive with higher-ranked schools like Sehome High School and Bellingham High School. However, it faces clear challenges in math and science, where proficiency rates lag behind those same peer schools. The school maintains a strong graduation rate that exceeds both district and state averages. Its effectiveness varies across different student groups, showing notable success with Multi-racial students and a dramatic recent improvement in services for Special Education students, while indicating a need for more targeted support for other specific student populations.

Compared to other comprehensive high schools nearby, Squalicum occupies a middle position, outperforming alternative options like Options High School while trailing Sehome and Bellingham in overall ranking. It serves a student population with a higher level of economic need than those two schools and spends more per student, raising questions about how resources are allocated, particularly for improving STEM outcomes. The school's consistent upward trajectory suggests effective strategies are in place, with targeted attention to math and science being a clear opportunity for future growth.

1,273

Students ?

21.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,391

Per pupil spending ?

43.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3773 E McLeod Rd
Bellingham, WA 98226-7728

(360) 676-6471

District: Bellingham School District

Feeder schools for Squalicum High School:

Elementary:	Alderwood Elementary School
	Cordata Elementary School
	Northern Heights Elementary School
	Silver Beach Elementary School
Middle:	Shuksan Middle School
	Whatcom Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.6%

Hispanic:

26.8%

Asian:

8.7%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Squalicum High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2015 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓90% graduate in 4 years — above the Washington average (83%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 47 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Washington median (57th percentile)

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 school49%

District avg53%

Washington avg48%

190^th of 438

Washington public high schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 46 pts since 2015

From bottom 10% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4High 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	54.1	190 of 438	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.1	226 of 437	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.9	242 of 442	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.9	172 of 434	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.8	256 of 455	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.5	168 of 417	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.4	150 of 315	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	75.6	62 of 301	79.4%	★★★★☆
2016	51.2	175 of 306	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	16.8	306 of 341	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	64.6	153 of 454	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.0	120 of 450	73.3%	★★★★☆
2011	55.4	181 of 440	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	57.8	204 of 423	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.7	201 of 402	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.5	157 of 396	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.6	121 of 399	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.8	159 of 395	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	67.8	129 of 394	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	69.0	112 of 390	71.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	25.4	91 of 119	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.2	87 of 113	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	107 of 118	9.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.6	79 of 124	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.3	98 of 136	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.1	59 of 121	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.0	60 of 87	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	41.8	38 of 85	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	19.9	35 of 44	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	64.7	24 of 102	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	31.2	48 of 65	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	51.2	154 of 350	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.9	223 of 347	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.9	223 of 357	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.5	171 of 368	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.9	218 of 390	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.5	132 of 358	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.0	124 of 243	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	201 of 249	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	199 of 248	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	188 of 249	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.4	187 of 261	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.9	179 of 278	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.5	129 of 241	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.1	73 of 156	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2023	55.6	6 of 19	68.4%	★★★★☆
2019	40.6	25 of 43	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	42.0	205 of 355	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.5	242 of 356	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.1	235 of 362	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.1	246 of 370	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.1	287 of 392	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.3	235 of 344	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.9	162 of 227	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	51.5	166 of 359	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.1	195 of 362	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.3	205 of 358	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.3	145 of 363	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.6	237 of 395	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.6	162 of 355	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.7	133 of 254	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	84.5	23 of 170	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	53.5	63 of 161	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.1	73 of 166	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.5	69 of 179	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.7	102 of 195	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.0	89 of 163	45.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	53.5	49 of 127	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	20.4	116 of 130	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	52.8	74 of 212	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.9	44 of 128	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.9	94 of 139	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	60.0	132 of 373	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	188 of 374	49.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.2	212 of 379	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.4	161 of 390	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	38.7	254 of 413	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.4	170 of 382	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.1	122 of 222	45.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2025)86th percentile+30 vs school

Homeless (2023)68th percentile+23 vs school

White (2025)65th percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)61st percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)56th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)55th percentile~ school

Male (2025)54th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile-14 vs school

Asian (2025)24th percentile-33 vs school

Hispanic (2025)19th percentile-37 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts69%+16 vs state

Science43%-7 vs state

Math36%-7 vs state

4.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Squalicum High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, November 20, 2015

I have had 2 of my 4 boys graduate Squalicum High School. One is currently a Junior there. We have been very happy at Squalicum and feel it is a good school! Close Quote

Schools Near Squalicum High 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 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 10th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Squalicum High School	Public	9-12	3773 E McLeod Rd	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6471	1,273	60	21.1	43.2%	670 (52.6%)	20 (1.6%)	341 (26.8%)	111 (8.7%)	9 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	106 (8.3%)	54.1	190^th of 438 public high schools	56.6%		46.1	226^th of 437 public high schools	48.3%	36	42.9	42.9	69.4	69.4	35.5	35.5	$18,391	$342	$18,049
Bellingham Re-Engagement Program	Public, Virtual	9-12	1985 Barkley Blvd	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	Yes	No	(360) 676-6400	110	0		62.7%	70 (63.6%)	2 (1.8%)	24 (21.8%)	3 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	4 (3.6%)								(n/a)							$5,848	$311	$5,537
Visions (Seamar Youth Center)	Public	6-12	1603 E Illinois St	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 647-6871	11	0		63.6%	5 (45.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (54.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							$5,848	$311	$5,537
Options High School	Public	9-12	2015 Franklin St	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 647-6871	176	20	8.6	54.0%	124 (70.5%)	2 (1.1%)	27 (15.3%)	1 (0.6%)	4 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.8%)	18.4	361^st of 438 public high schools	17.6%		16	385^th of 437 public high schools	11.9%	24	38.7	38.7	38.1	38.1	16.7	16.7	$24,414	$385	$24,029
Bellingham High School	Public	9-12	2020 Cornwall Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6575	1,165	55	21.3	35.5%	788 (67.6%)	20 (1.7%)	215 (18.5%)	27 (2.3%)	10 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	89 (7.6%)	77.1	75^th of 438 public high schools	82.9%		72.2	94^th of 437 public high schools	78.5%	19	65.8	65.8	72.4	72.4	43.6	43.6	$17,636	$344	$17,292
Intergenerational High School	Public, Magnet, Charter	9-12	1 Bellis Fair Parkway	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Intergenerational High School	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(360) 927-1119	107	8	13.3	23.4%	52 (48.6%)	1 (0.9%)	12 (11.2%)	3 (2.8%)	11 (10.3%)	1 (0.9%)	6 (5.6%)	53.4	192^nd of 438 public high schools	56.2%		44.5	243^rd of 437 public high schools	44.4%	51	100.0	100.0	33.3	33.3			$34,079	$1,103	$32,977
Whatcom County Detention Center	Public	8-12	311 Grand Ave 6th Fl	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Northwest Educational Service District 189	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6707	4	0			3 (75.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Blaine Re-Engagement	Public	10-12	Bellingham Technical College	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Blaine School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 332-6045	14	0		64.3%	10 (71.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (21.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.1%)								(n/a)							$16,133	$186	$15,946
Meridian Impact Re-Engagement	Public	9-12	3028 Lindbergh Ave	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Meridian School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 318-2280	21	0		33.3%	8 (38.1%)	1 (4.8%)	9 (42.9%)	1 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)	1 (4.8%)								(n/a)							$4,616	$67	$4,548
Sehome High School	Public	9-12	2700 Bill McDonald Pkwy	Bellingham	98225	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6481	1,116	51	21.8	29.9%	775 (69.4%)	26 (2.3%)	135 (12.1%)	59 (5.3%)	8 (0.7%)	4 (0.4%)	94 (8.4%)	78.4	72^nd of 438 public high schools	83.6%		72	97^th of 437 public high schools	77.8%	25	66.0	66.0	71.8	71.8	46.1	46.1	$17,517	$341	$17,176

Frequently Asked Questions about Squalicum High School

Is Squalicum High School a good school?

Squalicum High School ranks 190^th of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Squalicum High School in?

Bellingham School District

What schools feed into Squalicum High School?

Squalicum High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Alderwood Elementary School
Elementary : Cordata Elementary School
Elementary : Northern Heights Elementary School
Elementary : Silver Beach Elementary School
Middle : Shuksan Middle School
Middle : Whatcom Middle School

How many students attend Squalicum High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,273 students attended Squalicum High School.

What is the racial makeup of Squalicum High School?

Students at Squalicum High School are 53% White, 27% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Not Specified.

Rate Squalicum High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

WAWashington High School Rankings

WAWashington District Rankings

Schools in Bellingham, WA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Squalicum High School!

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.