The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in Science. The lowest is 56% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lowell Elementary School
Lowell Elementary School is a regular public school in Bellingham, Washington, serving students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Bellingham School District, a mid-sized district in Whatcom County. A parent evaluating this school will find a place that, based on the most recent state testing data, produces stronger academic results than many of its counterparts in the county.
The school's proficiency rates on the Washington state assessments, across math, English language arts, and science, collectively paint a picture of a school performing above the midpoint among districts in Whatcom County. Data from the 2024-25 school year places Lowell’s overall proficiency index in the top quartile relative to other districts in the county. This is a meaningful distinction, as it suggests academic performance that is notably higher than typical for the area. In mathematics, the proficiency rates for third, fourth, and fifth graders all exceeded half of the tested students. In English language arts, the rates were similar, with the fourth grade cohort performing the strongest. In fifth grade science, the proficiency rate was notably high. These are solid indicators of academic strength across the elementary grades.
Lowell is a regular public school that is not a charter or a magnet. Information about its Title I status was not available in the provided data. The enrollment is relatively modest for an elementary school of this grade span. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population representing a substantial minority group, and smaller shares of students who are two or more races, Asian, Black, and American Indian. A meaningful portion of the student body comes from households with lower incomes, as indicated by the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students in special education programs and English learners was not available; a parent may want to ask the school directly about supports for those populations.
The school is located in Bellingham, a mid-sized city that serves as the county seat and home to Western Washington University. The city has a residential university-town character with distinct neighborhoods, including the historic Fairhaven district, the downtown core, and the WWU campus area. Bellingham has experienced steady population growth over recent years, and housing values have risen significantly, reflecting a competitive market. For a family considering a move into the attendance zone, the cost of housing is a factor to weigh carefully. The city’s industrial waterfront has been undergoing redevelopment into mixed-use neighborhoods, and the district’s leadership has signaled a focus on economic opportunity.
Within the Bellingham School District, there have been recent developments parents should know about. In 2022, voters approved a capital bond and a technology levy, funding facility improvements, safety upgrades, and student technology through 2026, a sign of ongoing investment in school infrastructure. The district has also been expanding its International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program across elementary schools, with two additional schools adopting the program in 2022 and 2024, bringing the total to at least eight IB PYP elementary schools. While Lowell is not specifically named in that expansion in the data shared, the district’s broad movement toward inquiry-based learning may influence the curriculum a family experiences.
A look at the district's brief reveals that Lowell’s academic performance, anchored by the 2024-25 testing data, stands out. The school has a single year of testing data reported, so no trend over multiple years is available to judge whether the current performance is an improvement or a decline from prior years. That said, for a family whose primary concern is solid academic foundations in the elementary years, the available evidence suggests Lowell delivers at a level above the Whatcom County norm. The school’s size and composition are characteristics that vary from family to family in their appeal. Parents who want a better understanding of special education supports or English learner services would need to follow up with the school office directly, as those specifics were not in the data.
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