Enrollment
591
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Bellefonte, PA
Bellefonte Area Ms
Federal NCES profile for Bellefonte Area Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 420324001342
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bellefonte Area Ms earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Bellefonte · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.6:1
- students per teacher
- 25.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Bellefonte Area Ms has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bellefonte Area Ms ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Bellefonte, PA.
School address
District: Bellefonte Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420324001342 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.9%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bellefonte Area Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bellefonte Area Ms
Bellefonte Area Ms is a mid-sized middle school in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, enrolling 591 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 591 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 604 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #94.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 296 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Bellefonte Area Sd also operates Bellefonte Area Hs (850 students) and Marion-Walker El Sch (353 students) alongside Bellefonte Area Ms.
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 Bellefonte Area Ms compares
Bellefonte Area Ms on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.9% | ▼ 55% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 591 | top 31% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
591
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 38% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$16,752
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 296 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
78
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.4 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
White 92.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Two or More 2.5%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 92.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.1, Bellefonte Area Ms is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bellefonte Area Sd, which includes Bellefonte Area Ms.
$16,752
Per student
-7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.3%
State 32.2%
Federal 6.5%
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 Bellefonte Area Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellefonte Area Hs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Marion-Walker El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bellefonte El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Benner El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pleasant Gap El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bellefonte Area Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 850
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 318
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 252
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 215
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~591 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bellefonte Area Ms's federal record.
- Compare Bellefonte Area Ms against another school. Compare schools
- Bellefonte Area Sd'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 Bellefonte Area Ms
How many students attend Bellefonte Area Ms?
Bellefonte Area Ms has 591 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bellefonte, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bellefonte Area Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Bellefonte Area Ms is 12.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 20% lower 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 Bellefonte Area Ms?
25.9% of students at Bellefonte Area Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bellefonte Area Ms?
The largest demographic group at Bellefonte Area Ms is White at 92.6% of enrollment, in Bellefonte, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bellefonte Area Ms?
Bellefonte Area Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher 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 Bellefonte Area Ms rank among public schools in Bellefonte?
By Resource Investment Index, Bellefonte Area Ms ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Bellefonte, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bellefonte on the city page.
Is Bellefonte Area Ms a good school?
Bellefonte Area Ms earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. 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 Bellefonte Area Sd?
Besides Bellefonte Area Ms, Bellefonte Area Sd also operates Bellefonte Area Hs (850 students), Marion-Walker El Sch (353 students), and Bellefonte El Sch (318 students). See the Bellefonte Area Sd 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.