Is Bell Gardens Elementary a good school?

Bell Gardens Elementary ranks 3617 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Bell Gardens Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 704 students attended Bell Gardens Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Bell Gardens Elementary?

Students at Bell Gardens Elementary are 97% Hispanic, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Bell Gardens Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bell Gardens Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Bell Gardens Intermediate High : Bell Gardens High

Bell Gardens Elementary

Summary:

Bell Gardens Elementary is a public elementary school serving 704 students in grades K-5 in the Montebello Unified School District. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of California elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 3,617 out of 5,862 schools and a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bell Gardens Elementary faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism, which has risen from 6.8% in 2017-2018 to 30.3% in 2022-2023, exceeding the district averages for nearby Garfield Elementary and Cesar E. Chavez Elementary. Academically, the school's performance on Smarter Balanced Assessments is below state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 33.96% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 33.86% in Mathematics. However, the school stands out in its support for English Language Learners and Special Education students, whose academic performance ranks in the top 20% and top 30% of California elementary schools, respectively.

When compared to nearby schools, Bell Gardens Elementary's performance is similar to other schools in the Montebello Unified District, but lags behind schools in the neighboring Los Angeles Unified District, such as Jaime Escalante Elementary and Tweedy Elementary. Additionally, the two Aspire charter schools located within 1.5 miles of Bell Gardens Elementary demonstrate significantly higher academic performance, particularly in Mathematics, compared to the traditional public schools in the area.

Detail:

Public K-5

5620 Quinn St.
Bell Gardens, CA 90201-5421

(562) 927-1223

District: Montebello Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3617^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,766

Students who attend Bell Gardens Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bell Gardens Intermediate
High:	Bell Gardens High

Student/teacher ratio: 17.3

Number of students: 704

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.3%

White:

1.3%

Two or more races:

0.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 82.5%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Bell Gardens Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Bell Gardens Elementary ranks worse than 61.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 6^th among 17 ranked elementary schools in the Montebello Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 33.7. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (97.3%), White (1.3%), two or more races (0.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 82.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Bell Gardens Elementary is 17.3, which is the 4^th best among 17 elementary schools in the Montebello Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Bell Gardens Elementary employs 40.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bell Gardens Elementary is $6,766. 9 elementary schools in the Montebello Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Bell Gardens Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Bell Gardens Elementary 3617^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Bell Gardens Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Montebello Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Montebello Unified 1105^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Bell Gardens Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Bell Gardens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	14.48	4380^th	4809	8.9%
2005	13.35	4437^th	4822	8.0%
2006	22.64	3811^th	4818	20.9%
2007	31.78	3447^th	5113	32.6%
2008	31.89	3458^th	5113	32.4%
2009	33.92	3444^th	5193	33.7%
2010	28.12	4001^st	5314	24.7%
2011	22.27	4521^st	5377	15.9%
2012	16.93	4848^th	5390	10.1%
2013	18.35	4849^th	5530	12.3%
2015	20.86	4534^th	5611	19.2%
2016	18.39	4752^nd	5614	15.4%
2017	22.02	4511^th	5692	20.7%
2018	34.20	3529^th	5662	37.7%
2019	31.85	3790^th	5789	34.5%
2021	16.83	1243^rd	1417	12.3%
2022	24.28	4422^nd	5883	24.8%
2023	31.75	3744^th	5874	36.3%
2024	33.70	3617^th	5862	38.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Bell Gardens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.31	994^th	3246	69.4%
2019	53.55	1067^th	3275	67.4%
2021	49.87	202^nd	602	66.4%
2022	56.40	909^th	3311	72.5%
2023	62.12	709^th	3250	78.2%
2024	63.92	576^th	3160	81.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Bell Gardens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	48.34	956^th	2420	60.5%
2024	56.87	792^nd	2634	69.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Bell Gardens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	49.23	2422^nd	5084	52.4%
2019	48.12	2527^th	5173	51.2%
2021	28.26	847^th	1110	23.7%
2022	35.38	3386^th	5264	35.7%
2023	47.26	2553^rd	5374	52.5%
2024	42.46	2946^th	5511	46.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Bell Gardens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	50.29	146^th	356	59.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Bell Gardens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	36.47	3319^th	5413	38.7%
2019	32.85	3604^th	5492	34.4%
2021	16.30	1145^th	1267	9.6%
2022	24.17	4294^th	5635	23.8%
2023	31.07	3671^st	5617	34.6%
2024	37.13	3256^th	5605	41.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Bell Gardens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	58.74	609^th	2128	71.4%
2019	51.33	945^th	2585	63.4%
2021	20.42	268^th	293	8.5%
2022	48.53	842^nd	2227	62.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Bell Gardens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.05	3548^th	5431	34.7%
2019	31.24	3685^th	5510	33.1%
2021	18.81	1063^rd	1272	16.4%
2022	25.80	4154^th	5663	26.6%
2023	33.41	3515^th	5650	37.8%
2024	30.73	3759^th	5636	33.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Bell Gardens Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	49.13	2283^rd	4830	52.7%
2019	45.85	2553^rd	4963	48.6%
2022	35.06	3284^th	5084	35.4%
2023	47.34	2397^th	5098	53.0%
2024	46.88	2471^st	5102	51.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, May 15, 2014

MRS. MOLINA IS THE BEST TEACHER. MY DAUGHTER LOVES HER AND I AM SO HAPPY THAT MY DAUGHTER GOT A TEACHER WHO REALLY TAKES THE TIME TO TEACH. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Bell Gardens Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	86	6	65	1114	8	n/a	n/a	0	1279
1989	77	6	46	1148	4	n/a	n/a	0	1281
1990	63	5	40	1144	2	n/a	n/a	0	1254
1991	51	2	30	1170	0	n/a	n/a	0	1253
1992	51	5	19	1118	5	n/a	n/a	0	1198
1993	48	4	14	1083	2	n/a	n/a	0	1151
1994	36	13	12	1082	1	n/a	n/a	0	1144
1995	25	13	11	1149	1	n/a	n/a	0	1199
1996	25	13	11	1149	1	n/a	n/a	0	1199
1997	19	12	9	1215	1	n/a	n/a	0	1256
1998	13	12	12	1275	0	n/a	n/a	0	1312
1999	18	8	8	1281	0	n/a	n/a	0	1315
2000	14	8	9	1330	1	n/a	n/a	0	1362
2001	14	2	7	1311	0	n/a	n/a	0	1334
2002	15	2	6	1200	0	n/a	n/a	0	1223
2003	15	2	6	1200	0	n/a	n/a	0	1223
2004	8	0	4	1201	3	n/a	n/a	0	1216
2005	6	1	9	1173	2	n/a	n/a	0	1191
2006	5	1	13	1067	1	n/a	n/a	0	1087
2007	4	1	6	1027	1	n/a	n/a	1	1040
2008	4	1	1	1027	1	n/a	n/a	0	1034
2009	2	0	0	985	0	0	0	0	987
2010	2	0	0	1015	1	0	0	0	1018
2011	4	0	0	1189	0	0	0	0	1193
2012	1	0	1	1155	0	0	0	0	1157
2013	1	0	1	1149	0	0	0	0	1151
2014	1	0	1	1129	0	0	0	0	1131
2015	1	0	0	1116	1	0	0	0	1118
2016	1	1	0	1044	0	0	0	0	1046
2017	1	1	0	1019	0	0	0	0	1021
2018	0	1	0	1007	2	0	0	0	1010
2019	0	4	0	957	3	0	1	0	965
2020	1	3	0	921	4	0	1	1	931
2021	4	1	3	859	5	0	0	0	872
2022	10	0	3	807	1	0	30	1	852
2023	9	2	2	685	2	0	4	0	704

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Bell Gardens Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1279	46.0	27.8	n/a
1989	1281	47.0	27.2	n/a
1990	1254	47.0	26.6	n/a
1991	1253	47.0	26.6	n/a
1992	1198	47.8	25.0	91.5
1993	1151	38.0	30.3	92.2
1994	1144	37.0	30.9	94.9
1995	1199	40.0	30.0	95
1996	1199	40.0	30.0	95
1997	1256	48.0	26.2	73.4
1998	1312	48.0	27.3	95
1999	1315	50.0	26.3	95
2000	1362	56.0	24.3	96.9
2001	1334	66.0	20.2	95.7
2002	1223	62.0	19.7	92.6
2003	1223	62.0	19.7	92.6
2004	1216	66.0	18.4	96.3
2005	1191	62.0	19.2	96.3
2006	1087	58.0	18.7	95.5
2007	1040	54.0	19.3	90.3
2008	1034	56.0	18.5	92.8
2009	987	49.0	19.4	99.7
2010	1018	47.0	21.6	93.3
2011	1193	n/a	n/a	68.7
2012	1157	38.5	30.0	n/a
2013	1151	37.0	31.1	99.7
2014	1131	38.0	29.7	91.3
2015	1118	40.0	27.9	92.8
2016	1046	40.0	26.1	90.6
2017	1021	41.0	24.9	88.4
2018	1010	38.0	26.5	86.1
2019	965	38.5	25.0	84.9
2020	931	n/a	n/a	84.1
2021	872	37.2	23.4	85.1
2022	852	n/a	n/a	79
2023	704	40.5	17.3	82.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Bell Gardens Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1279	46.0	27.8	n/a
1989	1281	47.0	27.2	n/a
1990	1254	47.0	26.6	n/a
1991	1253	47.0	26.6	n/a
1992	1198	47.8	25.0	91.5
1993	1151	38.0	30.3	92.2
1994	1144	37.0	30.9	94.9
1995	1199	40.0	30.0	95
1996	1199	40.0	30.0	95
1997	1256	48.0	26.2	73.4
1998	1312	48.0	27.3	95
1999	1315	50.0	26.3	95
2000	1362	56.0	24.3	96.9
2001	1334	66.0	20.2	95.7
2002	1223	62.0	19.7	92.6
2003	1223	62.0	19.7	92.6
2004	1216	66.0	18.4	96.3
2005	1191	62.0	19.2	96.3
2006	1087	58.0	18.7	95.5
2007	1040	54.0	19.3	90.3
2008	1034	56.0	18.5	92.8
2009	987	49.0	19.4	99.7
2010	1018	47.0	21.6	93.3
2011	1193	n/a	n/a	68.7
2012	1157	38.5	30.0	n/a
2013	1151	37.0	31.1	99.7
2014	1131	38.0	29.7	91.3
2015	1118	40.0	27.9	92.8
2016	1046	40.0	26.1	90.6
2017	1021	41.0	24.9	88.4
2018	1010	38.0	26.5	86.1
2019	965	38.5	25.0	84.9
2020	931	n/a	n/a	84.1
2021	872	37.2	23.4	85.1
2022	852	n/a	n/a	79
2023	704	40.5	17.3	82.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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