Enrollment
903
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mechanicsville, VA
Bell Creek Middle
Federal NCES profile for Bell Creek Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510183000780
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bell Creek Middle earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Virginia schools.
- #2 of 3
- middle schools in Mechanicsville · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 34.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Bell Creek Middle has class sizes smaller than 79% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Creek Middle ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Mechanicsville, VA.
School address
District: Hanover County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510183000780 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.3%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bell Creek Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bell Creek Middle
Bell Creek Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Mechanicsville, Virginia, enrolling 903 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 903 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 286 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #33.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and African American (12%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 301 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
11.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Mechanicsville's middle schools, it stands alongside Chickahominy Middle (1,199 students): Bell Creek Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12:1 vs 15.2:1).
Hanover County Public Schools also operates Atlee High (1,470 students) and Hanover High (1,349 students) alongside Bell Creek Middle.
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 Bell Creek Middle compares
Bell Creek Middle on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.3% | ▼ 40% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 903 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
903
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 21% in Virginia - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,547
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 301 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
89
in-school suspensions + 63 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.8 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 70.7%
African American 12.4%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Two or More 5.8%
Asian 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 70.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.5, Bell Creek Middle is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hanover County Public Schools, which includes Bell Creek Middle.
$12,547
Per student
-14%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.1%
State 43.1%
Federal 11.8%
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 Bell Creek Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlee High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hanover High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Patrick Henry High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mechanicsville High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chickahominy Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bell Creek Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,470
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 1,349
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 1,294
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 1,245
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 1,199
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar middle schools in Mechanicsville
2 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~903 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bell Creek Middle's federal record.
- Compare Bell Creek Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Hanover 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 Bell Creek Middle
How many students attend Bell Creek Middle?
Bell Creek Middle has 903 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mechanicsville, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bell Creek Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Bell Creek Middle is 12:1, which is 14% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 24% 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 Bell Creek Middle?
34.3% of students at Bell Creek Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bell Creek Middle?
The largest demographic group at Bell Creek Middle is White at 70.7% of enrollment, in Mechanicsville, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bell Creek Middle?
Bell Creek Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 Bell Creek Middle rank among middle schools in Mechanicsville?
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Creek Middle ranks #2 of 3 middle schools in Mechanicsville, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Mechanicsville on the city page.
Is Bell Creek Middle a good school?
Bell Creek Middle earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Virginia 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 Hanover County Public Schools?
Besides Bell Creek Middle, Hanover County Public Schools also operates Atlee High (1,470 students), Hanover High (1,349 students), and Patrick Henry High (1,294 students). See the Hanover 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.