Bell Gardens High

Summary:

Bell Gardens High is a public high school located in Bell Gardens, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 2,217 students. The school is part of the Montebello Unified School District, which is ranked 1105 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bell Gardens High has consistently ranked in the lower half of California high schools, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments and CAST Science, is generally lower than the Montebello Unified School District and the state of California averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 40.81% of 11th-grade students at Bell Gardens High were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 45.36% for the district and 55.73% for the state. The school's four-year graduation rates have fluctuated between 79.2% and 85.9% over the past 5 years, with relatively high dropout rates ranging from 9.0% to 15.9% during the same period. In comparison, the nearby Applied Technology Center has a higher four-year graduation rate of 89.1% and a lower dropout rate of 10.0% for the 2022-2023 school year.

While Bell Gardens High struggles academically compared to the state, it performs better than some of the nearby schools within the Montebello Unified School District, such as Kirby Dorothy Camp. However, other nearby schools, such as Sci Technical Engr Arts and Math at Legacy High School Complex and Maywood Center for Enriched Studies, outperform Bell Gardens High in various academic metrics. The school's high rates of chronic absenteeism and the large proportion of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds likely contribute to its overall academic challenges, but the improvement in supporting its English Language Learner population suggests that there may be opportunities for further progress with the right strategies and resources.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 6119 Agra St.
       Bell Gardens, CA  90201-1705


(323) 826-5151

District: Montebello Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1443rd of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $6,084 Help


Feeder schools for Bell Gardens High:

Elementary:    Bandini Elementary
    Bell Gardens Elementary
    Cesar E. Chavez Elementary
    Garfield Elementary
    More...
Middle:    Bell Gardens Intermediate
    Suva Intermediate

Student/teacher ratio:  19.9 Help
Number of students:  2,217

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
98.6%
Two or more races:
0.8%
White:
0.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  83.5% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Bell Gardens High ranks worse than 62.1% of high schools in California. It also ranks 4th among 6 ranked high schools in the Montebello Unified School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 29.29. (See more...)
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The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Bell Gardens High freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
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
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (98.6%), two or more races (0.8%), African American (0.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 83.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Bell Gardens High is 19.9. 3 high schools in the Montebello Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Bell Gardens High employs 111 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Bell Gardens High is $6,084. 3 high schools in the Montebello Unified School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Bell Gardens High:

SchoolDigger ranks Bell Gardens High 1443rd of 2323 California public high schools. (See Bell Gardens High in the ranking list.)

High 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 1105th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Bell Gardens High?

Rank History for Bell Gardens High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Bell Gardens High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 38.17 743rd 1653 55.1%
2005 41.75 759th 1901 60.1%
2006 40.56 828th 1968 57.9%
2007 39.33 892nd 2063 56.8%
2008 36.33 1005th 2117 52.5%
2009 39.74 1035th 2238 53.8%
2010 34.75 1143rd 2281 49.9%
2011 35.39 1166th 2367 50.7%
2012 43.19 962nd 2354 59.1%
2013 45.40 913th 2426 62.4%
2015 47.11 1038th 1994 47.9%
2016 42.94 1147th 2039 43.7%
2017 37.05 1282nd 2021 36.6%
2018 33.58 1327th 2017 34.2%
2019 41.26 1181st 2133 44.6%
2021 42.19 732nd 1290 43.3%
2022 31.91 1380th 2123 35.0%
2023 24.10 1588th 2348 32.4%
2024 29.29 1443rd 2323 37.9%
See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Bell Gardens High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 39.70 458th 938 51.2%
2019 45.62 353rd 941 62.5%
2021 46.44 202nd 467 56.7%
2022 52.33 298th 1044 71.5%
2023 35.49 596th 1323 55.0%
2024 29.40 864th 1350 36.0%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Bell Gardens High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 35.68 800th 1547 48.3%
2024 24.58 1185th 1534 22.8%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 38.61 1187th 1862 36.3%
2019 50.33 919th 1937 52.6%
2021 51.41 527th 1126 53.2%
2022 37.95 1180th 1943 39.3%
2023 28.60 1451st 2247 35.4%
2024 38.26 1194th 2235 46.6%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Bell Gardens High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 25.74 220th 290 24.1%
2023 34.16 265th 417 36.5%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Bell Gardens High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 31.76 1234th 1760 29.9%
2019 36.10 1148th 1833 37.4%
2021 37.36 663rd 1054 37.1%
2022 33.08 1200th 1858 35.4%
2023 24.65 1476th 2118 30.3%
2024 33.36 1265th 2098 39.7%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Bell Gardens High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 45.44 447th 1052 57.5%
2019 47.13 453rd 1117 59.4%
2021 25.03 447th 555 19.5%
2022 28.67 859th 1161 26.0%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Bell Gardens High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 29.36 1260th 1834 31.3%
2019 40.01 1081st 1880 42.5%
2021 40.32 653rd 1122 41.8%
2022 26.86 1363rd 1916 28.9%
2023 22.17 1553rd 2207 29.6%
2024 23.01 1518th 2172 30.1%
See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Bell Gardens High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 39.17 1110th 1742 36.3%
2019 49.49 887th 1814 51.1%
2022 39.43 1110th 1861 40.4%
2023 29.23 1402nd 2142 34.5%
2024 35.97 1233rd 2125 42.0%
See the entire list of Best California High 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.

Bell Gardens High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
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Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a citizen
Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Open Quote Very bad school many teachers do not care to do any work. School is infested with rats and roaches. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Bell Gardens High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 319 5 39 2501 20 n/a n/a 0 2884
1989 247 16 33 2661 12 n/a n/a 0 2969
1990 345 6 31 2631 12 n/a n/a 0 3025
1991 286 8 35 2873 13 n/a n/a 0 3215
1992 244 9 28 2871 14 n/a n/a 0 3166
1993 77 15 29 3035 18 n/a n/a 0 3174
1994 66 13 25 2882 14 n/a n/a 0 3000
1995 58 16 22 2689 11 n/a n/a 0 2796
1996 58 16 22 2689 11 n/a n/a 0 2796
1997 59 12 25 2944 8 n/a n/a 0 3048
1998 55 9 26 2934 6 n/a n/a 0 3030
1999 45 9 19 2897 6 n/a n/a 0 2976
2000 50 10 19 2880 5 n/a n/a 0 2964
2001 42 9 17 2903 5 n/a n/a 0 2976
2002 34 12 14 3040 3 n/a n/a 0 3103
2003 34 12 14 3040 3 n/a n/a 0 3103
2004 40 9 15 3075 2 n/a n/a 0 3141
2005 53 10 15 3287 0 n/a n/a 0 3365
2006 49 9 12 3554 2 n/a n/a 0 3626
2007 35 8 13 3273 2 n/a n/a 8 3339
2008 37 11 7 3316 4 n/a n/a 0 3375
2009 37 8 11 3595 4 1 2 0 3658
2010 25 7 8 3526 2 1 1 0 3570
2011 28 9 8 3396 3 3 2 0 3449
2012 24 6 6 3223 5 2 3 0 3269
2013 18 2 5 3119 4 3 2 0 3153
2014 14 6 3 3106 3 3 2 0 3137
2015 12 3 1 2959 3 2 3 0 2983
2016 11 1 1 3020 4 1 5 0 3043
2017 11 0 0 2879 5 0 4 0 2899
2018 7 2 1 2727 6 0 9 0 2752
2019 12 1 0 2592 14 0 9 0 2628
2020 13 1 2 2484 11 0 9 0 2520
2021 11 1 2 2450 9 0 10 0 2483
2022 11 0 2 2392 4 1 17 0 2427
2023 5 4 1 2187 0 1 18 1 2217

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 High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 2884 104.1 27.7 n/a
1989 2969 105.8 28.0 n/a
1990 3025 119.8 25.2 n/a
1991 3215 129.8 24.7 n/a
1992 3166 131.9 24.0 18.3
1993 3174 95.1 33.4 17.8
1994 3000 92.5 32.4 70.4
1995 2796 94.9 29.5 73.4
1996 2796 94.9 29.5 73.4
1997 3048 100.7 30.3 65.3
1998 3030 104.3 29.1 52
1999 2976 105.2 28.3 72.7
2000 2964 107.2 27.6 75.3
2001 2976 113.6 26.2 72.1
2002 3103 116.8 26.6 67.1
2003 3103 116.8 26.6 67.1
2004 3141 118.6 26.5 72.4
2005 3365 121.9 27.6 58.2
2006 3626 126.6 28.6 64.8
2007 3339 128.0 26.1 69.6
2008 3375 139.2 24.2 85.1
2009 3658 140.4 22.9 85.9
2010 3570 144.1 24.7 85.2
2011 3449 n/a n/a 83.8
2012 3269 147.0 22.2 n/a
2013 3153 140.6 22.4 89.9
2014 3137 143.9 21.7 90.2
2015 2983 140.0 21.3 91.4
2016 3043 111.0 27.4 92.1
2017 2899 107.2 27.0 89.3
2018 2752 109.8 25.0 90.9
2019 2628 107.1 24.5 82.8
2020 2520 n/a n/a 89.3
2021 2483 103.9 23.8 74.6
2022 2427 n/a n/a 78.5
2023 2217 111.0 19.9 83.5

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 High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 2884 104.1 27.7 n/a
1989 2969 105.8 28.0 n/a
1990 3025 119.8 25.2 n/a
1991 3215 129.8 24.7 n/a
1992 3166 131.9 24.0 18.3
1993 3174 95.1 33.4 17.8
1994 3000 92.5 32.4 70.4
1995 2796 94.9 29.5 73.4
1996 2796 94.9 29.5 73.4
1997 3048 100.7 30.3 65.3
1998 3030 104.3 29.1 52
1999 2976 105.2 28.3 72.7
2000 2964 107.2 27.6 75.3
2001 2976 113.6 26.2 72.1
2002 3103 116.8 26.6 67.1
2003 3103 116.8 26.6 67.1
2004 3141 118.6 26.5 72.4
2005 3365 121.9 27.6 58.2
2006 3626 126.6 28.6 64.8
2007 3339 128.0 26.1 69.6
2008 3375 139.2 24.2 85.1
2009 3658 140.4 22.9 85.9
2010 3570 144.1 24.7 85.2
2011 3449 n/a n/a 83.8
2012 3269 147.0 22.2 n/a
2013 3153 140.6 22.4 89.9
2014 3137 143.9 21.7 90.2
2015 2983 140.0 21.3 91.4
2016 3043 111.0 27.4 92.1
2017 2899 107.2 27.0 89.3
2018 2752 109.8 25.0 90.9
2019 2628 107.1 24.5 82.8
2020 2520 n/a n/a 89.3
2021 2483 103.9 23.8 74.6
2022 2427 n/a n/a 78.5
2023 2217 111.0 19.9 83.5

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.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Bell Gardens High

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $6,084

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Bell Gardens High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 1181st of 2133 High schoolsRanks 1588th of 2348 High schools
 12.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Bell Gardens High)46.336.9
 9.4%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Montebello Unified)51.339.7
 11.6%
   11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)57.355.4
 1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Bell Gardens High)157.1
 7.8%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Montebello Unified)17.810.1
 7.7%
   11th Grade Mathematics (California)32.227.4
 4.9%
12th Grade Science (Bell Gardens High)14.98.8
 6.2%
   12th Grade Science (Montebello Unified)14.310.3
 4%
   12th Grade Science (California)25.626.9
 1.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students26282217
 15.6%
African American14
 300%
American Indian140
 100%
Asian01
Hispanic25922187
 15.6%
Pacific Islander01
White125
 58.3%
Two or More Races918
 100%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients82.8%83.5%
 0.7%


Schools Near Bell Gardens High









Frequently Asked Questions about Bell Gardens High

Bell Gardens High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bandini Elementary
Elementary : Bell Gardens Elementary
Elementary : Cesar E. Chavez Elementary
Elementary : Garfield Elementary
Elementary : Rosewood Park
Elementary : Suva Elementary
Middle : Bell Gardens Intermediate
Middle : Suva Intermediate

In the 2022-23 school year, 2,217 students attended Bell Gardens High.

Students at Bell Gardens High are 99% Hispanic.

Bell Gardens High ranks 1443rd of 2323 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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