Enrollment
458
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bells, TX
Bells El
Federal NCES profile for Bells El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480978000447
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bells El earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Bells · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.3:1
- students per teacher
- 43.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Bells El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bells El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Bells, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bells El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bells El
Bells El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Bells, Texas, enrolling 458 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 43.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 458 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,041 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #448.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 458 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Bells Isd also operates Bells H S (318 students) and Pritchard J H (231 students) alongside Bells El.
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 Bells El compares
Bells El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.3:1 | ▲ 4% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.2% | ▼ 30% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 458 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
458
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
43.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 63% in Texas - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.6%
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
$11,708
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 458 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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
White 77.3%
Hispanic or Latino 13.3%
Two or More 7.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
African American 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 77.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.9, Bells El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bells Isd, which includes Bells El.
$11,708
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 54.1%
Federal 10.2%
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 Bells El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bells H S | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pritchard J H | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bells El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 318
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 231
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~458 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bells El's federal record.
- Compare Bells El against another school. Compare schools
- Bells Isd'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 Bells El
How many students attend Bells El?
Bells El has 458 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bells, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bells El?
The student-teacher ratio at Bells El is 15.3:1, which is 4% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bells El?
43.2% of students at Bells El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bells El?
The largest demographic group at Bells El is White at 77.3% of enrollment, in Bells, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bells El?
Bells El has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (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 Bells El rank among public schools in Bells?
By Resource Investment Index, Bells El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Bells, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bells on the city page.
Is Bells El a good school?
Bells El earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas 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 Bells Isd?
Besides Bells El, Bells Isd also operates Bells H S (318 students) and Pritchard J H (231 students). See the Bells Isd 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.