Whatcom Intergenerational High School envisions learning as the authentic investigation of real-world phenomena that focuses on issues important to students as well as the community. 

Students work on complex and ambiguous problems grounded in their own interests and curiosity. Learners look at multiple perspectives and use the same methods, tools, and skills found in the jobs/careers where the knowledge is used. 

At WIHS, learning is seen as a process and is rooted in a rigorous curriculum and subject knowledge designed to build real-world skills. Learning is more structured in 9th grade allowing students time to develop the skills to eventually guide their own learning tasks, design their own learning tools, and assess their own learning process.