Enrollment
570
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Potomac, MD
Bells Mill Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bells Mill Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240048000781
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bells Mill Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland median.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Potomac · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.4:1
- students per teacher
- 16.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Bells Mill Elementary has class sizes near the Maryland median. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bells Mill Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Potomac, MD.
School address
District: Montgomery County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240048000781 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.0%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bells Mill Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bells Mill Elementary
Bells Mill Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Potomac, Maryland, enrolling 570 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.0% free-meal eligibility runs 67% below the Maryland average.
With 570 students, its enrollment sits close to the Maryland median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 220 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #92.
Its student body is led by White (42%) and Asian (27%) (diversity index 72/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 570 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Potomac's public schools, it stands alongside Beverly Farms Elementary (526 students): Bells Mill Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.4:1 vs 15.5:1).
Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students) and Walter Johnson High (3,016 students) alongside Bells Mill Elementary.
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 Mill Elementary compares
Bells Mill Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.0% | ▼ 67% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 570 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
570
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 63% in Maryland - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
8.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$18,101
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 570 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 41.6%
Asian 27.2%
African American 13.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 8.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 41.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 72.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 72.0, Bells Mill Elementary is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Bells Mill Elementary.
$18,101
Per student
-11%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.0%
State 23.7%
Federal 10.3%
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 Mill Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery Blair High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Walter Johnson High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wheaton High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gaithersburg High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Seneca Valley High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bells Mill Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,266
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 3,016
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 2,794
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,441
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 2,409
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in Potomac
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~570 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bells Mill Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bells Mill Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Montgomery County Public Schools'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 Mill Elementary
How many students attend Bells Mill Elementary?
Bells Mill Elementary has 570 students enrolled. It is a public school in Potomac, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bells Mill Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bells Mill Elementary is 15.4:1, which is 6% higher than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bells Mill Elementary?
16.0% of students at Bells Mill Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bells Mill Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bells Mill Elementary is White at 41.6% of enrollment, in Potomac, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 72.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bells Mill Elementary?
Bells Mill Elementary 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 Mill Elementary rank among schools in Potomac?
By Resource Investment Index, Bells Mill Elementary ranks #2 of 3 schools in Potomac, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Potomac on the city page.
Is Bells Mill Elementary a good school?
Bells Mill Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Maryland 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 Montgomery County Public Schools?
Besides Bells Mill Elementary, Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students), Walter Johnson High (3,016 students), and Wheaton High (2,794 students). See the Montgomery County Public Schools 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.