Enrollment
407
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 470021000045
Bells Elementary — Bells, TN
Federal NCES profile for Bells Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 88
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
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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bells Elementary compares with Tennessee 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
Bells Elementary reports 407 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% below the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 407 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bells spends $11,084 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 10.7% from local sources (property taxes), 65.3% from the state, and 24.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), 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 Bells Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Tennessee state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▼ 5% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 407 | top 41% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 46% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
4.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,084
per pupil, district-wide
— below Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 407 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 407 Top 41% in Tennessee — larger than 59% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470021000045
Student demographics
White 62.4%
Hispanic or Latino 19.4%
African American 16.0%
Two or More 1.2%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 62.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 407:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.7%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bells, which includes Bells Elementary.
$11,084
Per student
-10%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 10.7%
State 65.3%
Federal 24.0%
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.
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 Bells Elementary
How many students attend Bells Elementary?
Bells Elementary has 407 students enrolled. It is a other school in Bells, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bells Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bells Elementary is 14.8:1, which is 5% lower than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bells Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bells Elementary is White at 62.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Bells, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bells Elementary?
Bells Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) 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.