Enrollment
786
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Waco, TX
Bell's Hill El
Federal NCES profile for Bell's Hill El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 484428005030
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bell's Hill El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #26 of 32
- schools in Waco · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.7:1
- students per teacher
- 91.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Bell's Hill El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bell's Hill El ranks #26 of 32 schools in Waco, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
91.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bell's Hill El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bell's Hill El
Bell's Hill El is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Waco, Texas, enrolling 786 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 91.4% of students qualify for free meals, 48% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 786 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,379 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #568.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 786 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Waco Isd also operates Waco H S (1,885 students) and University H S (1,752 students) alongside Bell's Hill 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 Bell's Hill El compares
Bell's Hill 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 | 15.7:1 | ▲ 7% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.4% | ▲ 48% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 786 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
786
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
91.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 68% in Texas - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$13,294
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 786 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
33
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 92.6%
African American 5.2%
White 1.7%
Two or More 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 92.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.0, Bell's Hill El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waco Isd, which includes Bell's Hill El.
$13,294
Per student
-3%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 33.9%
Federal 19.5%
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's Hill El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waco H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| University H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tennyson Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cesar Chavez Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lake Air Montessori School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bell's Hill El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,885
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,752
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 734
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~786 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bell's Hill El's federal record.
- Compare Bell's Hill El against another school. Compare schools
- Waco 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 Bell's Hill El
How many students attend Bell's Hill El?
Bell's Hill El has 786 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waco, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bell's Hill El?
The student-teacher ratio at Bell's Hill El is 15.7:1, which is 7% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bell's Hill El?
91.4% of students at Bell's Hill El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bell's Hill El?
The largest demographic group at Bell's Hill El is Hispanic or Latino at 92.6% of enrollment, in Waco, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bell's Hill El?
Bell's Hill El has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Bell's Hill El rank among schools in Waco?
By Resource Investment Index, Bell's Hill El ranks #26 of 32 schools in Waco, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Waco on the city page.
Is Bell's Hill El a good school?
Bell's Hill El earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas 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 Waco Isd?
Besides Bell's Hill El, Waco Isd also operates Waco H S (1,885 students), University H S (1,752 students), and Tennyson Middle (963 students). See the Waco 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.