Bell Gardens Elementary, Bell Gardens CA

Original Research by School Decision on Bell Gardens Elementary

Bell Gardens Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a small, densely populated residential city in southeastern Los Angeles County. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and economically disadvantaged. About four in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the broader economic character of Bell Gardens, where renting is common and the largest single employer is a casino and hotel operation.

On California's state assessments in 2024-25, the school's proficiency rates in both math and English language arts fall below the midpoint among districts in Los Angeles County. In math, about one-third of third, fourth, and fifth graders scored at the proficient level or above; in English language arts, the spread is wider, ranging from about one-quarter of third graders to about four in ten fourth graders to about one-third of fifth graders. In science, assessed only at the fifth-grade level, about one-quarter to one-third of students met the proficiency standard. The school has only one year of reported data, so trend information is not yet available. A parent may want to look into the specific supports and instructional approaches the school is using to address these proficiency levels.

The school sits within Montebello Unified School District, which recently received a multiyear California Community Schools Partnership Program Implementation Grant. That funding is supporting extended learning time, integrated student support services, and culturally relevant instruction across several district schools, including the secondary schools in the Bell Gardens attendance area. While Bell Gardens Elementary was not listed as a direct grant recipient, the broader district context includes a commitment to community schools and culturally rooted teaching practices that may influence approaches throughout the district.

Bell Gardens itself is a walkable, family-oriented community with parks, restaurants, and retail along its main corridors. Housing is modest in cost relative to broader Los Angeles County, with a substantial rental market and many immigrant families. The city is pursuing higher-density development around its Florence and Garfield Avenue corridor, though growth overall remains limited. The neighborhoods served by the school are stable residential areas dominated by single-family homes and bungalows, with John Anson Ford Park and the county library as nearby civic resources.

The school's enrollment is small, roughly in the typical range for an elementary school of its grade band, with relatively even distribution across grades. Demographic data on special education and English learner populations were not available. The school serves an economically concentrated student population and is positioned within a district system that is actively working on instructional coherence and student support, though the specific resources and programs at Bell Gardens Elementary itself would merit direct inquiry with the school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 36% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 29% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 27% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 31% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 32% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 34%

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 20% · ▲ 8 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolMontebello Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.