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Northern Heights Elementary School

Q: Is Northern Heights Elementary School a good school?

Northern Heights Elementary School ranks 468 th of 1160 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

468^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,160 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 60% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Northern Heights Elementary is a public Pre-K through 5th grade school serving about 400 students in the Bellingham School District, known for its steady improvement and strong math program relative to its student population.

The school has shown remarkable growth, moving from a lower-performing ranking five years ago to a solid mid-tier position, now outperforming both district and state averages in math and science. A key strength is its mathematics instruction, where it often outperforms nearby schools with similar student demographics, especially in the early grades. For example, its third-grade math scores are notably strong. However, performance can dip in fifth grade, and support for some student groups has been inconsistent year-to-year. Compared to a top-performing neighbor like Silver Beach Elementary, Northern Heights serves a community with greater economic need, yet it achieves commendable academic results and does so very efficiently, spending less per student than several schools with lower rankings like Cordata Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary.

In summary, Northern Heights represents a story of consistent improvement and effective resource use. It doesn't reach the peak test scores of some area schools but performs well given its context, demonstrating particular success in math. Parents can expect a school that is on a positive trajectory, with a focus on science and math that aligns with district strengths, though with some ongoing challenges in maintaining consistent support across all grades and student subgroups.

396

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,262

Per pupil spending ?

35.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4000 Magrath Rd
Bellingham, WA 98226-1729

(360) 647-6820

District: Bellingham School District

Students who attend Northern Heights Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Shuksan Middle School
High:	Squalicum High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.1%

Hispanic:

14.9%

Two or more races:

13.9%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Northern Heights Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 63rd percentile in 2015 → 60th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Washington average (54% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Above the Washington median (60th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school54%

District avg53%

Washington avg48%

468^th of 1,160

Washington public elementary schools ?

Top 40%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 37% (2015) to top 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 14Elementary 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	57.1	468 of 1160	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.7	511 of 1168	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.3	404 of 1169	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.2	557 of 1169	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.2	610 of 1107	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.2	831 of 1130	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.2	635 of 1054	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.5	620 of 1056	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	51.6	515 of 1053	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.9	392 of 1067	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.9	529 of 1106	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	52.1	563 of 1097	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.2	694 of 1092	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.9	673 of 1088	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	40.5	690 of 1072	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	65.6	356 of 1067	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	62.1	403 of 1069	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.8	589 of 1051	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2005	46.6	576 of 1031	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	52.4	496 of 1026	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	58.5	433 of 1092	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.0	568 of 1093	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.5	454 of 1094	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.8	457 of 1100	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.8	654 of 1008	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.4	748 of 1068	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.0	590 of 1004	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	42.5	376 of 694	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	12.8	668 of 697	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	46.8	274 of 540	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	52.9	454 of 1013	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.9	620 of 1024	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	423 of 1013	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.1	274 of 1019	73.1%	★★★★☆
2021	57.1	289 of 854	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	18.9	884 of 979	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	40.0	532 of 835	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	53.8	475 of 1098	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.2	425 of 1099	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.5	368 of 1099	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.4	570 of 1113	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.7	543 of 1025	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.7	775 of 1075	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.9	638 of 999	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	43.9	120 of 197	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.3	158 of 188	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	68.3	57 of 194	70.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	35.0	254 of 363	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.2	259 of 339	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.7	138 of 308	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.1	85 of 478	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	20.1	511 of 566	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	64.1	157 of 637	75.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	449 of 1007	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.4	418 of 1009	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.7	355 of 1011	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.1	520 of 1031	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.5	540 of 943	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.5	835 of 1027	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.1	515 of 833	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)60th percentile~ school

Male (2025)57th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)55th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)55th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2022)46th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)39th percentile-21 vs school

Special Education (2025)30th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

Science61%+12 vs state

English Language Arts52%~ state avg

Math50%+8 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, January 30, 2019

I cannot understand why NH gets such poor reviews. We have been so impressed with them so far. Close Quote

Schools Near Northern Heights Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)		SBAC English Language Arts (2025)				SBAC Math (2025)				% Completely Immunized (2024)	% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Diphtheria (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% Pertussis (2024)	% Tetanus (2024)	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 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	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Measles KG	% Mumps KG	% Rubella KG	% Diphtheria KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% Pertussis KG	% Tetanus KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northern Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4000 Magrath Rd	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 647-6820	396	25	15.6	35.9%	254 (64.1%)	1 (0.3%)	59 (14.9%)	21 (5.3%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	55 (13.9%)	57.1	468^th of 1160 public elementary schools	59.7%		53.7	511^th of 1168 public elementary schools	56.3%	43	61.3	61.3	54.7	44.3	58.1	51.7	62.5	48.7	40.3	50.5	88.5	88.5	93.6	93.6	93.6	91.0	92.3	89.7	91.0	91.0	$18,262	$325	$17,937
Silver Beach Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4101 Academy St	Bellingham	98226	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6443	357	18	20.3	23.8%	269 (75.4%)	2 (0.6%)	44 (12.3%)	6 (1.7%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.0%)	80.2	208^th of 1160 public elementary schools	82.1%		84.2	171^st of 1168 public elementary schools	85.4%	37	63.0	63.0	69.4	78.1	63.0	71.1	70.8	75.0	47.8	65.8	93.2	93.2	94.9	94.9	94.9	93.2	94.9	94.9	93.2	93.2	$17,184	$605	$16,579
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%)	28.1	850^th of 1160 public elementary schools	26.7%		31.6	799^th of 1168 public elementary schools	31.6%	51	43.9	43.9	40.7	44.1	40.7	41.9	35.2	40.7	21.4	32.5	87.1	90.0	90.0	90.0	90.0	90.0	94.3	87.1	90.0	90.0	$20,422	$1,435	$18,987
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%)	55.7	490^th of 1160 public elementary schools	57.8%		43.8	637^th of 1168 public elementary schools	45.5%	147	74.3	74.3	58.0	29.7	64.7	51.2	60.0	37.8	41.2	47.9	89.4	90.9	92.4	92.4	92.4	92.4	97.0	90.9	92.4	92.4	$20,783	$539	$20,244
Geneva Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1401 Geneva St	Bellingham	98229	Whatcom County	Bellingham School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 676-6416	412	23	18.1	32.0%	300 (72.8%)	6 (1.5%)	50 (12.1%)	8 (1.9%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.7%)	41 (10.0%)	63.1	398^th of 1160 public elementary schools	65.7%		67.6	343^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	70.6%	55	70.7	70.7	65.2	52.6	75.9	63.4	44.9	42.9	44.8	44.1	87.2	88.4	90.7	90.7	90.7	88.4	96.5	89.5	88.4	88.4	$16,989	$313	$16,675
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	450^th of 1160 public elementary schools	61.2%		65.7	375^th of 1168 public elementary schools	67.9%	75	71.7	71.7	48.5	57.8	59.3	54.8	46.4	46.9	47.2	46.8	84.3	88.6	88.6	88.6	88.6	88.6	92.9	88.6	88.6	88.6	$19,517	$363	$19,154
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%)	34.5	759^th of 1160 public elementary schools	34.6%		43.3	643^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	44.9%	116	51.9	51.9	15.1	45.2	53.6	37.8	11.1	45.2	43.4	32.2	81.3	84.4	87.5	87.5	87.5	81.3	92.2	84.4	81.3	81.3	$19,532	$624	$18,907
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%)	67.6	345^th of 1160 public elementary schools	70.3%		72.7	290^th of 1168 public elementary schools	75.2%	55	80.0	80.0	51.3	70.4	60.0	59.4	51.3	63.0	40.0	50.5	78.6	89.3	96.4	96.4	96.4	89.3	92.9	85.7	89.3	89.3	$22,437	$311	$22,126
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%)	20.2	964^th of 1160 public elementary schools	16.9%		17.9	997^th of 1168 public elementary schools	14.6%	33	48.8	48.8	32.7	35.0	35.0	34.2	27.3	30.0	22.0	26.9	81.3	84.4	84.4	84.4	84.4	84.4	90.6	81.3	84.4	84.4	$20,255	$1,908	$18,347
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%)	12.9	1052^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	9.3%		6.4	1131^st of 1168 public elementary schools	3.2%	79	44.2	44.2	14.5		38.6	18.9	17.7	9.5	21.4	16.4	80.7	83.1	84.3	84.3	84.3	83.1	95.2	84.3	83.1	83.1	$23,284	$2,731	$20,552

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern Heights Elementary School

What district is Northern Heights Elementary School in?

Bellingham School District

Is Northern Heights Elementary School a good school?

Northern Heights Elementary School ranks 468^th of 1160 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Northern Heights Elementary School?

Students at Northern Heights Elementary School are 64% White, 15% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

How many students attend Northern Heights Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 396 students attended Northern Heights Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Northern Heights Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Northern Heights Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Shuksan Middle School
High : Squalicum High School

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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.