School districts are an important part of the home buying decision, even if you don’t have children. A good or bad school district directly effects the cost of a home. So how are the schools in Whatcom County rated? What is the student to teacher ratio? And so on.
Today we will explore the schools in Whatcom. We will cover statistics, as well as some inside information from a friend of mine, Rebecca. She is a Bellingham Realtor, with kids that attended public schools in Whatcom County. Becca’s children attended elementary school and high school in Bellingham. One continued on to go to Western Washington University, while the other moved to Arizona and is a real estate agent and co owner of a carpet cleaning company in Tempe, AZ.
There are 97 schools in Whatcom County. The public schools average A and B ratings. The average student to teacher ratio is 18:1. The Bellingham School district, with 24 schools, is the 29th largest school district in Washington and ranks higher in education achievement than the state average. It has a 7 out of 10 GreatSchools rating. Bellingham High School ranked 1887 in the national rankings. This earned Bellingham High School a silver rating. Sehome High School ranked 1307 nationally and also was awarded a silver medal.
Western Washington University is a great University in Bellingham. It has an undergraduate enrollment of 14,152 and a 19:1 student/teacher ration. It’s in state runs about $8964 (2014-2015) and out of state tuition $20.406 (2014-2015).
Becca’s experience with the Bellingham School district was that of a personal rating of 8. This takes into account academics, sports, teacher involvement, principles and the over quality of their education. She was very active in volunteering and participating at their schools. She did say that initially her kids started in a different district near Bellingham that she was not pleased with. They purchased a home in the Bellingham district to make sure that’s where the kids would receive their education. They attended and Columbia Elementary and Fairhaven Middle School.
As a real estate agent, and mother of two, she understands the importance of quality school systems. She feels that although the Washington School systems are not the best, they are above average, and Bellingham offered a great public education system for her children.
This is just a brief over view of the school systems in Whatcom County. Bellingham is the largest district and offers some great schools. When seeking where to purchase your home, check out the school systems for that area. Keep in mind that great school systems reflect in the price of the home. Ask local parents their thoughts and concerns to better help you get an understanding a feel for the school.