What Squalicum High School does

Squalicum High School is a public secondary school located at 3773 E McLeod Road in Bellingham, Washington, operating as one of four high schools within the Bellingham Public Schools district. The school serves students in Grades 9-12 residing within its designated attendance area, delivering a comprehensive curriculum that includes 30+ Advanced Placement courses, Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways, Running Start dual-credit enrollment with Whatcom Community College and Bellingham Technical College, and College in the High School programs. Core products and services span academic instruction, college and career readiness (via the SchooLinks platform), student support services (counseling, mental health, multilingual learner support, special education), athletics and extracurriculars, food services, and transportation.

The school's technology ecosystem is centered on an integrated educational platform stack rather than proprietary technology: Microsoft Office 365 for productivity, Finalsite as the website CMS, Skyward Family Access as the student information system, ParentSquare/StudentSquare for school-to-home communications, Smart Pass for digital hall pass management, StopFinder for real-time bus tracking, SchooLinks for career and college planning, and Desmos for mathematics instruction. The school also coordinates with the broader Bellingham Public Schools technology and operations infrastructure.

As a public institution, Squalicum does not operate a commercial business model. Revenue is derived from Washington State education funding formulas, federal grants, and local levies, with no tuition charged to resident students. Ancillary revenue streams include paid meal purchases (secondary breakfast $2.25, lunch $4.00), a newly introduced $100 per-student per-sport athletic participation fee for 2025-26, and reduced-cost yearbooks ($10). The school is supported by an extensive network of community partnerships for wraparound services including the Bellingham Food Bank, Opportunity Council, Northwest Youth Services, PeaceHealth, SeaMar, and Unity Care NW, alongside transportation coordination with the Whatcom Transportation Authority.

Name

Squalicum High School

Legal name

Squalicum High School

Website

https://squalicum.bellinghamschools.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Squalicum High School is a public secondary school in Bellingham, Washington, serving Grades 9-12 within the Bellingham Public Schools district. It delivers college preparatory, CTE, and dual-credit academic programs supported by an integrated educational technology platform and extensive community partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding: Funded primarily through Washington State education funding formulas, federal grants, and local levies. No tuition charged to resident students.
2. Student Meal Services: School meal programs with federal reimbursement for free/reduced meals, supplemented by paid meal purchases. Meal prices: Elementary $2.00 breakfast/$3.75 lunch, Secondary $2.25/$4.00, Adults $2.50/$5.50.
3. Activity and Athletic Fees: Optional participation fees for athletics ($100 per student per sport for 2025-26) and reduced fees for PSAT/AP tests. Yearbooks available at reduced cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Squalicum High School is a public secondary school delivering comprehensive high school education (grades 9-12) to students within the Bellingham Public Schools attendance area. The school provides core academic instruction, college and career readiness programming, athletics, meal services, family support, and dual-credit pathways including Advanced Placement, Running Start, and College in the High School, all funded through public education dollars without tuition to resident students.

Product overview

Squalicum High School operates as a public high school offering a comprehensive educational platform centered on its student information and communication ecosystem. The core student-facing products include Skyward Family Access (student information portal), SchooLinks (career and college readiness platform for grades 7-12), and ParentSquare/StudentSquare (communication platforms). Supporting services include Smart Pass (hall pass management), StopFinder (bus tracking), and My School Menus (meal planning). Academic programs feature Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways, Running Start, Advanced Placement (AP), and College in the High School programs enabling students to earn dual college credit. The school utilizes Finalsite as its web platform provider.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public High School Education Comprehensive grade 9-12 public high school education delivered to students residing within the Squalicum attendance area, including core academic subjects, graduation requirements, and student support services.
• Career and Technical Education (CTE) Career-focused educational programs allowing high school students to explore career pathways and earn dual credit toward both high school and college credentials.
• Running Start Program allowing eligible high school students to enroll in college courses at community and technical colleges to earn simultaneous high school and college credit.
• Advanced Placement (AP) Courses College-level courses offered to high school students with the option to take AP exams that may qualify for college credit.
• College in the High School Dual credit program partnering with community colleges, technical colleges, and universities that allows high school students to earn college credit.
• School Meal Services Daily breakfast and lunch meal programs available to all students, with free and reduced-price options for qualifying families. Meal pricing for Secondary: $2.25 breakfast / $4.00 lunch.
• Athletic Programs School-sponsored athletic programs offered to enrolled students, with a $100 per-sport participation fee introduced for 2025-26.
• School Transportation Services District-provided bus transportation serving over 3,500 students daily across Bellingham Public Schools, with real-time bus tracking available through the StopFinder app.
• Family Support Services Family support services including food assistance, housing resources, healthcare navigation, mental health referrals, and multilingual support for Bellingham Public Schools families.
• SchooLinks High School and Beyond Planning Career and college readiness platform used grades 7-12 to help students discover interests and strengths, explore colleges and careers, create individualized academic plans, and build High School and Beyond Plans.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA)coreOthersWTA provides public bus transportation for students. Students 17 and under ride free, high school students can obtain free Youth Passes for public transit.
• Bellingham Food BankcoreOthersCommunity partner providing food resources for families in need. Referrals and donations directed through this organization.
• Salvation ArmycoreOthersCommunity partner providing food, clothing, hygiene supplies, furniture, and holiday assistance for families in need.
• Opportunity CouncilcoreOthersCentral intake partner for homeless housing programs, provides emergency assistance, energy assistance, housing search support, and eviction prevention services.
• Northwest Youth Services (NWYS)coreOthersServes youth ages 13-24 experiencing homelessness, provides housing, street outreach, employment support, mental health services, and LGBTQ+ affirming programs.
• SchooLinkscoreTechnology or IntegrationModern career and college readiness platform used grades 7-12 for career assessments, college exploration, course planning, virtual campus tours, and scholarship search.
• Whatcom Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for Running Start program allowing eligible students to earn college credit while in high school.
• Bellingham Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution for Running Start and CTE dual credit programs enabling students to earn college and high school credits simultaneously.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bellingham High School: Sister high school within the same Bellingham Public Schools district, serving the same grades 9-12 with shared district resources, transportation, and family support services. Most directly comparable public peer in the same catchment.
• Sehome High School: Third comprehensive high school within Bellingham Public Schools serving grades 9-12 with shared Skyward, ParentSquare, and SchooLinks platforms. Directly comparable in size, funding model, and program offerings.
• Options High School: Alternative high school within Bellingham Public Schools offering grades 9-12 with a smaller, alternative-education model. Same funding and governance structure as Squalicum but differentiated by instructional format.

Regional players

• Ferndale High School: Public high school in nearby Ferndale School District serving Whatcom County students with similar AP and CTE offerings under Washington State funding. Comparable in scale and regional context but in a different district.
• Lynden High School: Public high school in Lynden School District, also in Whatcom County, with similar comprehensive offerings (AP, CTE, Running Start) under the same state funding framework. Comparable peer in the same regional labor/catchment market.
• Meridian High School: Public high school in Meridian School District serving the southern Whatcom County area. Comparable Washington State public high school with similar dual-credit and athletic programs in the same regional economy.
• Anacortes High School: Public high school in Anacortes School District (Skagit County) of similar size to Squalicum, operating under the same Washington State education funding formulas with comparable AP and CTE offerings.
• Burlington-Edison High School: Public high school in Burlington-Edison School District in nearby Skagit County with comparable comprehensive offerings and Washington State funding. Useful regional benchmark for scale and program breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/squalicumstorm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bellinghampublicschools
• Facebookfacebook.com/squalicumstorm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bellingham-public-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Squalicum High School