Enrollment
488
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Papillion, NE
Bell Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bell Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 317527002232
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bell Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Nebraska schools.
- #11 of 13
- schools in Papillion · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Nebraska
- 10.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Bell Elementary has class sizes larger than 83% of Nebraska schools. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Elementary ranks #11 of 13 schools in Papillion, NE.
School address
District: Papillion La Vista Community Schools · Nebraska
NCES ID 317527002232 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.3%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bell Elementary compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bell Elementary
Bell Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Papillion, Nebraska, enrolling 488 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Nebraska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.3% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the Nebraska average.
Enrollment of 488 puts it in the larger third of Nebraska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Among 123 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Nebraska schools statewide, it ranks #98, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (8%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 488 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Papillion La Vista Community Schools spends $11,412 per pupil, 35% below the Nebraska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Papillion La Vista Community Schools also operates Papillion La Vista South Hs (2,038 students) and Papillion La Vista Senior High (1,867 students) alongside Bell 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 Bell Elementary compares
Bell Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▲ 21% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.3% | ▼ 67% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 488 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
488
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 83% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.5%
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
$11,412
per pupil, district-wide
- below Nebraska avg of $17,680
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 488 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 78.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.4%
Two or More 6.6%
Asian 2.9%
African American 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 78.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.4, Bell Elementary is more mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Papillion La Vista Community Schools, which includes Bell Elementary.
$11,412
Per student
-35%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 60.2%
State 32.0%
Federal 7.8%
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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Papillion La Vista South Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Papillion La Vista Senior High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| La Vista Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Papillion Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Liberty Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bell Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,038
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,867
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 522
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~488 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bell Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bell Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Papillion La Vista Community 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 Elementary
How many students attend Bell Elementary?
Bell Elementary has 488 students enrolled. It is a public school in Papillion, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bell Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bell Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 21% higher than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bell Elementary?
10.3% of students at Bell Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bell Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bell Elementary is White at 78.3% of enrollment, in Papillion, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bell Elementary?
Bell Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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 Elementary rank among schools in Papillion?
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Elementary ranks #11 of 13 schools in Papillion, NE. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Papillion on the city page.
Is Bell Elementary a good school?
Bell Elementary earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Nebraska 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 Papillion La Vista Community Schools?
Besides Bell Elementary, Papillion La Vista Community Schools also operates Papillion La Vista South Hs (2,038 students), Papillion La Vista Senior High (1,867 students), and La Vista Middle School (719 students). See the Papillion La Vista Community 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.