A Message from Teaching and Learning 

Dear staff, students, families and community,

As you may have heard, the schedules at Bellingham, Sehome and Squalicum high schools will likely be changing starting fall of 2026.

The High School Schedule Ad hoc Committee was made up of teachers, principals and district staff and is recommending changing from our current eight-period schedule to a schedule where students take seven classes.

Under the proposed schedule,

• students would take seven classes per semester.
• a school week will likely include all seven classes on some days and three or four classes (i.e. “block days”) on other days.
• we will adjust students’ credit requirements for graduation to account for the change in courses taken per year.
• Options High School will maintain their four-period quarters, which means they will operate on a different schedule than the three comprehensive high schools. 

Why are we changing the schedule?

The state of Washington continues to fail at adequately funding education, causing substantial budget challenges for all school districts, including ours. The seven-period schedule offers the best balance of budget savings and educational quality, helping retain valued programs and opportunities for students to explore their interests.

What’s Next

• High school and district staff are working on details and will gather additional input from staff, students and families and finalize the bell schedule. Thanks to those who shared feedback earlier this school year.
• High school students register soon for classes for next year, and then each school will determine course offerings and build master schedules around student choice and interest.

We know that transitions can be challenging, and we welcome your questions and feedback. Please fill out this form to share your thoughts.

We also know that every high school schedule has strengths and drawbacks, and we look forward to making the best of this necessary change.

High school staff, students and families can reach out to their principals with questions or let them know if you would like to be a student or parent representative as we work to finalize the details of this change.

Dr. Baker will be sharing a broader budget update about planning for 2026-27 soon. 

Thank you!