Enrollment
335
Elementary
DISTRICT 344 · STATE 380
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530042000100
Birchwood Elementary School
3200 Pinewood Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225 · (360) 676-6466 · Whatcom County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL335 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 7% of Washington public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Washington public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.9:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
59%
196 students
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 51%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 1 | 0% |
| Kindergarten | 61 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 48 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 59 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 63 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 56 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 47 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (61) is 30% larger than its 5th grade class (47).
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 55% · STATE 68% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
32.3%
WA avg 58.4% . -15.4pp since 2014
Math
25.8%
WA avg 51.2% . -17.6pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 32 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 58 and 51. Reading and writing scores are down about 15 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 18 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 32.3% | 25.8% |
| 2023-24 | 32.2% | 23.6% |
| 2022-23 | 31.3% | 25.8% |
| 2021-22 | 31.3% | 27.5% |
| 2018-19 | 36.5% | 28.8% |
| 2017-18 | 39.9% | 34.0% |
| 2016-17 | 47.5% | 41.0% |
| 2015-16 | 52.1% | 35.9% |
| 2014-15 | 47.7% | 43.4% |
% Met or Exceeded Standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
31.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
41.0%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 32% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% typical for Washington schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Washington's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Birchwood Elementary School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birchwood Elementary School this school | 335 | 58.5% | 31.8% |
| Canyon View Elementary School KENNEWICK | 347 | 57.6% | N/A |
| Garden Heights Elementary MOSES LAKE | 324 | 56.5% | 37.5% |
| Peninsula Elementary MOSES LAKE | 383 | 57.4% | 37.5% |
| Mill Plain Elementary School Vancouver | 354 | 59.6% | N/A |
| Robert Lince Early Learning Center Selah | 362 | 62.2% | N/A |
Matched among Washington elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Birchwood Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In Whatcom County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 31.8% | #773 of 936 | #27 of 30 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 25.8% | #950 of 1,103 ▲ 32 | #27 of 30 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 32.3% | #903 of 1,102 ▼ 3 | #27 of 30 ▲ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -0.3pp | #365 of 928 | #13 of 30 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 335 | #847 of 1,268 | #20 of 42 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.0:1 | #145 of 1,085 | #3 of 31 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.0% | #478 of 1,088 | #7 of 31 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 58.5% | #471 of 1,169 | #11 of 34 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.6% | #771 of 778 | #20 of 20 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
335
+11 (+3%) vs 2020
+2% since 1990-91, when it was 329
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
was 13.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 335 | 24 | 14.0:1 | 59% (196) |
| 2023-24 | 362 | 26.9 | 13.5:1 | 62% (224) |
| 2022-23 | 369 | 26.6 | 13.9:1 | 60% (223) |
| 2020-21 | 324 | 25 | 13.0:1 | 54% (176) |
| 2017-18 | 337 | 22.1 | 15.2:1 | 61% (205) |
| 2015-16 | 339 | 20 | 16.9:1 | 68% (231) |
| 2010-11 | 281 | 13 | 21.6:1 | 49% (138) |
| 2000-01 | 304 | 16 | 19.0:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 329 | 16 | 20.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Birchwood Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (337 to 335); teachers up 8% (22.1 to 24).
About Birchwood Elementary School
Birchwood Elementary School is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as an elementary school in Bellingham, Washington. It is open to students in pre-K through 5 and enrolls 335 students.
Birchwood Elementary School is a school in Bellingham School District. The district has 25 schools and 11,337 students.
About 45% of students at Birchwood Elementary School are Hispanic, the largest single group. Other reported shares: 40% White and 10% multiracial. Whatcom County's residents are about 11% Hispanic, 35 points below the school's share. A diversity index of 62% means there is a 62% chance two randomly chosen students at Birchwood Elementary School are from different groups.
Birchwood Elementary School lists 24 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 14.0 students per teacher. The school's 14.0:1 compares with an average of 17.3:1 for elementary schools in Washington. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 59% of the student body. The 47% average for public schools in Whatcom County is 12 points lower.
Birchwood Elementary School holds a D allk12 Grade, placing it above 7% of Washington public elementary schools.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Birchwood Elementary School is 9.1 points below its prediction. Actual: 31.8%. Predicted: 41.0%.
Five-year Census Bureau estimates for Whatcom County show that median household income comes to about $81,784, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 39% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 7%. The county's public schools total 78, with about 27,779 students.
Birchwood Elementary School is about 0.3 miles from Shuksan Middle School, its nearest public school. Birchwood Elementary School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Nearby schools average 43.5% on proficiency, and Birchwood Elementary School is below that at 31.8%.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is City: Small.
By 2024-25, enrollment had risen to 335, from 324 in 2020-21. Its ratio of students to teachers was 13.0:1 in 2020-21, and 14.0:1 in 2024-25.
You can use this page to share news and ask questions about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Whatcom County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
230,503
Census ACS
Median income
$81,784
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
78
27,779 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Bellingham School District
- Squalicum High SchoolHigh · 1,273 students
- Bellingham High SchoolHigh · 1,165 students
- Sehome High SchoolHigh · 1,116 students
- Whatcom Middle SchoolMiddle · 637 students
- Shuksan Middle SchoolMiddle · 606 students
- Fairhaven Middle SchoolMiddle · 588 students
Other schools in Bellingham
- Squalicum High SchoolHigh · 1,273 students
- Bellingham High SchoolHigh · 1,165 students
- Sehome High SchoolHigh · 1,116 students
- Whatcom Middle SchoolMiddle · 637 students
- Shuksan Middle SchoolMiddle · 606 students
- Fairhaven Middle SchoolMiddle · 588 students
Other Birchwood Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Birchwood Elementary. Birchwood Elementary School is the 2nd largest of the 4.
- BIRCHWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSCHENECTADY, NY · 376 students
- Birchwood Elementary SchoolDOVER, NJ · 314 students
- Birchwood ElementaryBirchwood, WI · 86 students
Nearby schools
- Shuksan Middle School0.3 mi · 606
- Blaine Re-Engagement0.7 mi · 14
- Meridian Impact Re-Engagement0.7 mi · 21
- Alderwood Elementary School1.0 mi · 305
- Columbia Elementary School1.0 mi · 187
- Intergenerational High School1.0 mi · 107
Frequently asked questions
About Birchwood Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Birchwood Elementary School?
Birchwood Elementary School enrolls approximately 335 students in grades PK-05.
Is Birchwood Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Birchwood Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birchwood Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Birchwood Elementary School is approximately 14.0:1 (24 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Birchwood Elementary School?
Student demographics at Birchwood Elementary School are roughly 40% White, 45% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Who oversees Birchwood Elementary School?
Birchwood Elementary School is overseen by Bellingham School District in Whatcom County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.