Summary:
ZIP code 98225 in Bellingham includes three public middle schools serving grades 6–8, all part of the Bellingham School District; together, they enroll about 1,831 students and offer families two high-performing schools and one school showing meaningful but incomplete progress.
Fairhaven Middle School is the strongest overall option based on the available data. It ranks 91st out of 514 Washington middle schools, placing it in the 82nd percentile, and earns four stars. Fairhaven leads the area in English language arts and science, with 60.61% and 68.72% of students proficient, respectively. It also has the highest seventh- and eighth-grade math results. Whatcom Middle School is a close second, ranking 109th statewide in the 79th percentile and also receiving four stars. Whatcom has the area’s strongest overall math result, at 55.42%, and its math performance is consistently strong across all three grades. It also improved substantially in science, rising nearly 10 percentage points in the latest year.
Shuksan Middle School ranks 281st statewide, in the 45th percentile, and receives two stars. Its English language arts proficiency improved in the latest year, and its statewide ranking has risen steadily over three years. However, Shuksan remains below district and state averages in every reported subject, especially math, where proficiency is 30.52% compared with 45.88% for the district and 43.11% statewide. Parents comparing these schools should also note the recent trends: Fairhaven remains the local leader despite modest declines, Whatcom is sustaining strong math results and gaining in science, and Shuksan’s greatest priorities appear to be math—particularly eighth grade—and science. Sixth-grade transition support may also be valuable, especially in literacy at Whatcom and Shuksan.
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