Enrollment
522
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Blue Bell, PA
Blue Bell El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Blue Bell El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420240006470
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 92
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Blue Bell El Sch earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 14.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 522
- students enrolled
Blue Bell El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Wissahickon Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420240006470 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blue Bell El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Blue Bell El Sch
Blue Bell El Sch is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, enrolling 522 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.7% free-meal eligibility runs 75% below the Pennsylvania average.
With 522 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 388 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #179.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and African American (14%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 522 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Wissahickon Sd spends $21,711 per pupil, 21% above the Pennsylvania average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Blue Bell's elementary schools, it stands alongside Stony Creek El Sch (643 students): Blue Bell El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.1:1 vs 14.6:1).
Wissahickon Sd also operates Wissahickon Shs (1,480 students) and Wissahickon Ms (1,208 students) alongside Blue Bell El Sch.
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 Blue Bell El Sch compares
Blue Bell El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.7% | ▼ 75% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 522 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
522
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 75% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 64% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
3.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$21,711
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 522 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 61.9%
African American 13.8%
Asian 12.3%
Two or More 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 61.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.6, Blue Bell El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wissahickon Sd, which includes Blue Bell El Sch.
$21,711
Per student
+21%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.9%
State 18.0%
Federal 3.1%
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 Blue Bell El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wissahickon Shs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wissahickon Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Shady Grove El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Stony Creek El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lower Gwynedd El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Blue Bell El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,480
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 1,208
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 698
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 643
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 630
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary schools in Blue Bell
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~522 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Blue Bell El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Blue Bell El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Wissahickon Sd'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 Blue Bell El Sch
How many students attend Blue Bell El Sch?
Blue Bell El Sch has 522 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Blue Bell, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blue Bell El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Blue Bell El Sch is 14.1:1, which is 4% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Blue Bell El Sch?
14.7% of students at Blue Bell El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blue Bell El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Blue Bell El Sch is White at 61.9% of enrollment, in Blue Bell, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blue Bell El Sch?
Blue Bell El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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).
Is Blue Bell El Sch a good school?
Blue Bell El Sch earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania 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 Wissahickon Sd?
Besides Blue Bell El Sch, Wissahickon Sd also operates Wissahickon Shs (1,480 students), Wissahickon Ms (1,208 students), and Shady Grove El Sch (698 students). See the Wissahickon Sd 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.