Enrollment
424
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060173713667 Charter school
Bella Mente Montessori Academy — Vista, CA
Federal NCES profile for Bella Mente Montessori Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 17/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 10
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Bella Mente Montessori Academy District · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.1:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bella Mente Montessori Academy compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Bella Mente Montessori Academy reports 424 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 39% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% below the California average and 2% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 424 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bella Mente Montessori Academy District spends $12,578 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.9% from local sources (property taxes), 54.4% from the state, and 8.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Bella Mente Montessori Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.8% | ▼ 8% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 424 | top 43% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
50.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 8% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.1:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 51% in California — lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
36.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,578
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 424 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 424 Top 43% in California — larger than 57% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 22.1:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.8% -8% vs state
NCES ID 060173713667
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 63.1%
White 24.1%
Two or More 6.1%
African American 2.8%
Asian 2.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 424:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.1%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bella Mente Montessori Academy District, which includes Bella Mente Montessori Academy.
$12,578
Per student
-30%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.9%
State 54.4%
Federal 8.8%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Vista
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Casita Center for Science/Math/Technology
Standard public school
744 students 27.3:1 students per teacher
Breeze Hill Elementary
Standard public school
742 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts
Standard public school
740 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Grapevine Elementary
Standard public school
730 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Classical Academy Vista
Standard public school
651 students 22:1 students per teacher
Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary
Standard public school
579 students 23:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Bella Mente Montessori Academy
How many students attend Bella Mente Montessori Academy?
Bella Mente Montessori Academy has 424 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Vista, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bella Mente Montessori Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Bella Mente Montessori Academy is 22.1:1, which is 2% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bella Mente Montessori Academy?
50.8% of students at Bella Mente Montessori Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bella Mente Montessori Academy?
The largest demographic group at Bella Mente Montessori Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 63.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Vista, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bella Mente Montessori Academy?
Bella Mente Montessori Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.