Enrollment
786
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 484428005030
Bell'S Hill El — Waco, TX
Federal NCES profile for Bell'S Hill El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 48
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)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+4% 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
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
Bell'S Hill El reports 786 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 50.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 91.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the Texas average and 76% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 786 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Waco Isd spends $15,641 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.6% from local sources (property taxes), 33.9% from the state, and 19.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Bell'S Hill El compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.2:1 | ▲ 4% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 91.4% | ▲ 48% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 786 | top 80% | — | — |
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
91.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.2:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 60% in Texas — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$15,641
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
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
Enrollment 786 Top 80% in Texas — larger than 20% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 50.0
Students per teacher 15.2:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 91.4% +48% vs state
NCES ID 484428005030
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 786:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.0%
In-school suspensions 33
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waco Isd, which includes Bell'S Hill El.
$15,641
Per student
-9%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,885
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,752
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 734
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
Similar other schools in Waco
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Lake Air Montessori School
Standard public school
734 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Dean Highland El
Standard public school
617 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
South Bosque El
Standard public school
578 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harmony Science Acad (Waco)
Standard public school
569 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Woodway El
Standard public school
547 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Chapel Park El
Standard public school
532 students 15.4:1 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 Bell'S Hill El
How many students attend Bell'S Hill El?
Bell'S Hill El has 786 students enrolled. It is a other 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 15.2:1, which is 4% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body 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 (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.