Enrollment
696
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bell, FL
Bell High School
Federal NCES profile for Bell High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120063000863
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bell High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Florida schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.3:1
- large classes for Florida
- 43.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 696
- students enrolled
Bell High School has class sizes larger than 73% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.7%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bell High School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bell High School
Bell High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Bell, Florida, enrolling 696 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 43.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 696 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 796 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #144.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 348 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.2% 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 16 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Gilchrist also operates Trenton Elementary School (779 students) and Trenton High School (701 students) alongside Bell High School.
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 High School compares
Bell High School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.3:1 | ▲ 8% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.7% | ▼ 16% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 696 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
696
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 73% in Florida - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$11,383
per pupil, district-wide
- above Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 348 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
45
in-school suspensions + 63 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 16 expulsions.
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 80.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
Two or More 4.5%
African American 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 80.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.6, Bell High School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gilchrist, which includes Bell High School.
$11,383
Per student
+2%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.8%
State 58.1%
Federal 19.2%
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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Trenton High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bell Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gilchrist Virtual Franchise | Smaller | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Gilchrist Virtual Instruction Program (District Provided) | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Bell High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 779
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 701
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 656
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 26
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 70/100
- Enrollment
- 4
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~696 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bell High School's federal record.
- Compare Bell High School against another school. Compare schools
- Gilchrist'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 High School
How many students attend Bell High School?
Bell High School has 696 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bell, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bell High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bell High School is 19.3:1, which is 8% higher than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bell High School?
43.7% of students at Bell High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bell High School?
The largest demographic group at Bell High School is White at 80.3% of enrollment, in Bell, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bell High School?
Bell High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Bell High School a good school?
Bell High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Florida 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 Gilchrist?
Besides Bell High School, Gilchrist also operates Trenton Elementary School (779 students), Trenton High School (701 students), and Bell Elementary School (656 students). See the Gilchrist 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.