Enrollment
790
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Bell Gardens, CA
Bell Gardens Intermediate
Federal NCES profile for Bell Gardens Intermediate, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 062547003791
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bell Gardens Intermediate earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #4 of 7
- public schools in Bell Gardens · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- small classes for California
- 70.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Bell Gardens Intermediate has class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Gardens Intermediate ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Bell Gardens, CA.
School address
District: Montebello Unified · California
NCES ID 062547003791 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bell Gardens Intermediate compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bell Gardens Intermediate
Bell Gardens Intermediate is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Bell Gardens, California, enrolling 790 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 18.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 70.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 790 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,622 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #246.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 1/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 527 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.2% 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.
Among Bell Gardens's middle schools, it stands alongside Suva Intermediate (650 students): Bell Gardens Intermediate is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.8:1 vs 20.3:1).
Montebello Unified also operates Schurr High (2,121 students) and Bell Gardens High (2,046 students) alongside Bell Gardens Intermediate.
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 Intermediate compares
Bell Gardens Intermediate on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.8:1 | ▼ 13% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.7% | ▲ 27% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 790 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
790
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
70.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 26% in California - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.2%
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 527 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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
Hispanic or Latino 99.5%
African American 0.3%
White 0.1%
Two or More 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 99.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 1.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 1.0, Bell Gardens Intermediate is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montebello Unified, which includes Bell Gardens Intermediate.
$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 Intermediate Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schurr High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bell Gardens High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Montebello High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenwood Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Montebello Intermediate | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bell Gardens Intermediate'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
- 2,046
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,907
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar middle schools in Bell Gardens
1 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 California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~790 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bell Gardens Intermediate's federal record.
- Compare Bell Gardens Intermediate 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 Intermediate
How many students attend Bell Gardens Intermediate?
Bell Gardens Intermediate has 790 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bell Gardens, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bell Gardens Intermediate?
The student-teacher ratio at Bell Gardens Intermediate is 18.8:1, which is 13% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 20% 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 Intermediate?
70.7% of students at Bell Gardens Intermediate are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bell Gardens Intermediate?
The largest demographic group at Bell Gardens Intermediate is Hispanic or Latino at 99.5% of enrollment, in Bell Gardens, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bell Gardens Intermediate?
Bell Gardens Intermediate has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Gardens Intermediate rank among public schools in Bell Gardens?
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Gardens Intermediate ranks #4 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 Intermediate a good school?
Bell Gardens Intermediate earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California 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 Montebello Unified?
Besides Bell Gardens Intermediate, Montebello Unified also operates Schurr High (2,121 students), Bell Gardens High (2,046 students), and Montebello High (1,907 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.