Enrollment
246
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Grass Valley, CA
Bell Hill Academy
Federal NCES profile for Bell Hill Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 11/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 061578013165
👥 S:T ratio 2
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bell Hill Academy earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of California schools.
- #11 of 12
- elementary schools in Grass Valley · Resource Index
- 11
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24.6:1
- large classes for California
- 56.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Bell Hill Academy has class sizes larger than 76% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Hill Academy ranks #11 of 12 elementary schools in Grass Valley, CA.
School address
District: Grass Valley Elementary · California
NCES ID 061578013165 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.6:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bell Hill Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bell Hill Academy
Bell Hill Academy is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Grass Valley, California, enrolling 246 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.6:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.8% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 246 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 9,998 California schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 730 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #691, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (46%) (diversity index 56/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Grass Valley's elementary schools, it stands alongside Grass Valley Charter (546 students): Bell Hill Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (24.6:1 vs 24.8:1).
Grass Valley Elementary also operates Grass Valley Charter (546 students) and Lyman Gilmore Middle (464 students) alongside Bell Hill Academy.
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 Hill Academy compares
Bell Hill Academy on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 24.6:1 | ▲ 14% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.8% | ▲ 2% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 246 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.6:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
246
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
24.6:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 76% in California - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
45.1%
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
$14,332
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 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 47.6%
White 46.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.0%
Two or More 1.6%
African American 1.2%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.8, Bell Hill Academy is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grass Valley Elementary, which includes Bell Hill Academy.
$14,332
Per student
-13%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 58.8%
State 27.7%
Federal 13.5%
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 Hill Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass Valley Charter | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lyman Gilmore Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Margaret G. Scotten Elementary | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bell Hill Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 546
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 9/100
- Enrollment
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 357
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
Similar elementary schools in Grass Valley
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Grass Valley Charter
Standard public school
546 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Union Hill Elementary
Standard public school
542 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Cottage Hill Elementary
Standard public school
485 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Lyman Gilmore Middle
Standard public school
464 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Margaret G. Scotten Elementary
Standard public school
357 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Alta Sierra Elementary
Standard public school
338 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~246 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bell Hill Academy's federal record.
- Compare Bell Hill Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Grass Valley Elementary'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 Hill Academy
How many students attend Bell Hill Academy?
Bell Hill Academy has 246 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Grass Valley, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bell Hill Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Bell Hill Academy is 24.6:1, which is 14% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 57% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bell Hill Academy?
56.8% of students at Bell Hill Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bell Hill Academy?
The largest demographic group at Bell Hill Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 47.6% of enrollment, in Grass Valley, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bell Hill Academy?
Bell Hill Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Bell Hill Academy rank among elementary schools in Grass Valley?
By Resource Investment Index, Bell Hill Academy ranks #11 of 12 elementary schools in Grass Valley, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Grass Valley on the city page.
Is Bell Hill Academy a good school?
Bell Hill Academy earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of 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 Grass Valley Elementary?
Besides Bell Hill Academy, Grass Valley Elementary also operates Grass Valley Charter (546 students), Lyman Gilmore Middle (464 students), and Margaret G. Scotten Elementary (357 students). See the Grass Valley Elementary 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.