Enrollment
521
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 240039000681
Bel Air Elementary — Bel Air, MD
Federal NCES profile for Bel Air Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 53
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Harford County Public Schools · Maryland
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 14.4:1 Maryland avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.5%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bel Air Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bel Air Elementary reports 521 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the Maryland state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 40% below the Maryland average and 43% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Harford County Public Schools spends $16,969 per pupil district-wide, below the Maryland average of $22,498 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.6% from local sources (property taxes), 35.4% from the state, and 12.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bel Air Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Maryland state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 12% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.5% | ▼ 40% | 49.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 521 | top 49% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
29.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 40% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 74% in Maryland — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,969
per pupil, district-wide
— below Maryland avg of $22,498
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 521 Top 49% in Maryland — larger than 51% of 1,383 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 16.1:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.5% -40% vs state
NCES ID 240039000681
Student demographics
White 73.3%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
Two or More 5.8%
African American 5.4%
Asian 4.0%
Largest group: White at 73.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harford County Public Schools, which includes Bel Air Elementary.
$16,969
Per student
-25%
vs Maryland
Avg $22,498
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 35.4%
Federal 12.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,440
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,396
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,341
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,204
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
Similar other schools in Bel Air
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Homestead/Wakefield Elementary
Standard public school
1,071 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Prospect Mill Elementary
Standard public school
579 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Fountain Green Elementary
Standard public school
443 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Harford Academy at Campus Hills
Special-education school
141 students 2.8:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bel Air Elementary
How many students attend Bel Air Elementary?
Bel Air Elementary has 521 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bel Air, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bel Air Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bel Air Elementary is 16.1:1, which is 12% higher than the Maryland average of 14.4:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bel Air Elementary?
29.5% 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 73.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bel Air, MD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bel Air Elementary?
Bel Air Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.