Enrollment
216
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cumberland, MD
Bel Air Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bel Air Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240003000005
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bel Air Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Maryland schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools.
- #1 of 5
- schools in Cumberland · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.7:1
- small classes for Maryland
- 45.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Bel Air Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bel Air Elementary ranks #1 of 5 schools in Cumberland, MD.
School address
District: Allegany County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240003000005 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.2%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bel Air Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bel Air Elementary
Bel Air Elementary is a small combined-grade school in Cumberland, Maryland, enrolling 216 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 45.2% lands close to the Maryland typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Maryland schools, with 216 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 1,382 Maryland schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 62 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maryland schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 216 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Cumberland's public schools, it stands alongside South Penn Elementary (491 students): Bel Air Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (12.7:1 vs 10.7:1).
Allegany County Public Schools also operates Mountain Ridge High School (743 students) and Allegany High (719 students) alongside Bel Air Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bel Air Elementary compares
Bel Air Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 12% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.2% | ▼ 8% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 216 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
216
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 26% in Maryland - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,465
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 216 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 92.6%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 1.9%
African American 0.9%
Hispanic or Latino 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 92.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.1, Bel Air Elementary is less mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Allegany County Public Schools, which includes Bel Air Elementary.
$17,465
Per student
-15%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.8%
State 62.9%
Federal 14.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Bel Air Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Ridge High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Allegany High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fort Hill High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Braddock Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bel Air Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 655
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 577
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in Cumberland
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
South Penn Elementary
Standard public school
491 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
West Side Elementary
Standard public school
321 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Northeast Elementary
Standard public school
272 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
John Humbird Elementary
Standard public school
242 students 11:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~216 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bel Air Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bel Air Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Allegany County Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Bel Air Elementary
How many students attend Bel Air Elementary?
Bel Air Elementary has 216 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cumberland, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bel Air Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bel Air Elementary is 12.7:1, which is 12% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bel Air Elementary?
45.2% of students at Bel Air Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bel Air Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bel Air Elementary is White at 92.6% of enrollment, in Cumberland, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bel Air Elementary?
Bel Air Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Bel Air Elementary rank among schools in Cumberland?
By Resource Investment Index, Bel Air Elementary ranks #1 of 5 schools in Cumberland, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Cumberland on the city page.
Is Bel Air Elementary a good school?
Bel Air Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Maryland schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Maryland schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Allegany County Public Schools?
Besides Bel Air Elementary, Allegany County Public Schools also operates Mountain Ridge High School (743 students), Allegany High (719 students), and Fort Hill High (655 students). See the Allegany County Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.