Running Start  

Running Start is a state-funded program where high school students grade 11 or 12 can attend up to 6 quarters at a local community college at state expense.  Home-school students should contact Tanya at the Ferndale School’s District Office for an enrollment request form. Please contact the college directly for placement testing and admission information.

• Tanya at Ferndale SD: 383-9200 or  tcarter@fsd.k12.wa.us
• Amy Roon at Bellingham Technical College: 752-8385 x324 or aroon@btc.ctc.edu
• Sarah Pearson at Whatcom Community College: 676-2170 X3209 or spearson@whatcom.ctc.edu

To qualify for running start as a home school student, you must have filed intent to home school form by September 15th of the year PRIOR to that in which you will attend running start.  This means, if you want to start running start the fall quarter of 2008 (or later), you must have your intent filed for the 2007-08 school year on or before September 15, 2007.  For those students who have moved into our district, an intent form or it’s equivalent from another district is acceptable.

Both the Running Start Enrollment Request for Home Based Instruction Students and the Intent To Homeschool can be downloaded here. You may also pick up forms from Tanya at the District Office at 6041 Vista Drive. (The Intent to Homeschool is not due until September 15 for the current school year, but you may turn it in at any time prior to that, including the spring prior at the time you are doing your running start paperwork).

Please note that by enrolling in Running Start as a Home Schooled Student, the student will also be enrolling in Fernale High School for the purposes of running start. The student will be reported in our enrolllment numbers to the State Superintendent's Office, and a transcript will be generated. However, the student will not be included in any other state reporting, nor will they be considered as working towards a diploma.