Enrollment
2,046
California · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Bell Gardens, CA
Bell Gardens High
Federal NCES profile for Bell Gardens High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 062547003790
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bell Gardens High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #2 of 7
- public schools in Bell Gardens · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- small classes for California
- 76.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Bell Gardens High has class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Gardens High ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Bell Gardens, CA.
School address
District: Montebello Unified · California
NCES ID 062547003790 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
111.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bell Gardens High compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bell Gardens High
Bell Gardens High is a high-poverty, large high school in Bell Gardens, California, enrolling 2,046 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 76.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 97% of state schools at 2,046 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 247 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #84.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 1/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1364 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Montebello Unified spends $20,966 per pupil, 27% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 24.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Montebello Unified also operates Schurr High (2,121 students) and Montebello High (1,907 students) alongside Bell Gardens High.
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 Gardens High compares
Bell Gardens High on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.4:1 | ▼ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.1% | ▲ 37% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,046 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
2,046
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 23% in California - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.1%
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
$20,966
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 1364 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 40 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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
Hispanic or Latino 99.6%
White 0.2%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.8, Bell Gardens High is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montebello Unified, which includes Bell Gardens High.
$20,966
Per student
+27%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.8%
State 57.9%
Federal 24.4%
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 Gardens High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schurr High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Montebello High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bell Gardens Intermediate | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenwood Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Montebello Intermediate | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bell Gardens High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,121
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,907
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~2,046 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bell Gardens High's federal record.
- Compare Bell Gardens High against another school. Compare schools
- Montebello Unified'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 Gardens High
How many students attend Bell Gardens High?
Bell Gardens High has 2,046 students enrolled. It is a high school in Bell Gardens, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bell Gardens High?
The student-teacher ratio at Bell Gardens High is 18.4:1, which is 14% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 17% higher 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 Gardens High?
76.1% of students at Bell Gardens High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bell Gardens High?
The largest demographic group at Bell Gardens High is Hispanic or Latino at 99.6% of enrollment, in Bell Gardens, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bell Gardens High?
Bell Gardens High has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Bell Gardens High rank among public schools in Bell Gardens?
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Gardens High ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Bell Gardens, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bell Gardens on the city page.
Is Bell Gardens High a good school?
Bell Gardens High earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. 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 Montebello Unified?
Besides Bell Gardens High, Montebello Unified also operates Schurr High (2,121 students), Montebello High (1,907 students), and Bell Gardens Intermediate (790 students). See the Montebello Unified 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.