The top reported proficiency rate is 95% in Science. The lowest is 79% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Belmont Hills El Sch
Belmont Hills Elementary serves kindergarten through fourth grade in Bala Cynwyd, an affluent inner-ring suburb on Philadelphia's Main Line. The school sits within a community of stately stone homes and small commercial nodes, bordered by the City Avenue corridor where major redevelopment is underway. Housing values in the surrounding area are substantial and have appreciated modestly; monthly rents and mortgage costs are high relative to the region. The neighborhood remains predominantly white, with a minority but meaningful Asian population and smaller Black and Hispanic communities.
The school enrolls roughly 340 students across its five grade bands. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The makeup reflects the local demographic composition, though specific counts for students with IEPs or English learner status were not available.
State assessment results place Belmont Hills in the top quartile of Montgomery County districts. In math, most students test proficient, with a strong proportion reaching the highest performance levels. English language arts proficiency is somewhat lower but still above the county median. Science performance is notably high, with nearly all students proficient. Overall, the school's proficiency index across tested subjects and grades ranks above the midpoint among the county's districts.
Because Belmont Hills serves only elementary grades, it has no graduation rate or secondary outcome data. The school feeds into Bala Cynwyd Middle School, where a recent district change moved fifth-grade instruction into the middle school building using a two-teacher team model for fifth and sixth graders, altering the traditional elementary-to-middle transition. This structural change means families should understand that fifth grade will be a shift to a new building and a different instructional setup.
The Lower Merion School District, which operates Belmont Hills, implemented a major start-time revision in fall 2024: elementary schools now begin at 9:20 a.m. This affects morning routines and after-school logistics for every household in the district. The district also experienced a notable property tax settlement in 2022 after years of taxpayer litigation, returning funds to residents over multiple installments through 2025—a financial event that continues to shape how families view the district's budgeting and tax practices.
Bala Cynwyd itself is undergoing active commercial and residential redevelopment along the City Avenue corridor, with new mixed-use buildings adding hundreds of apartments and ground-floor retail. The area has historic walkable village centers at Bala and Montgomery Avenues with small shops and restaurants, and the Cynwyd Heritage Trail offers a rail-to-trail recreation spine. Two SEPTA Regional Rail stations on the Cynwyd Line provide transit access to Center City Philadelphia. For families weighing the school, the key characteristics are strong elementary proficiency, a affluent and stable residential setting, high costs of entry, and the structural change to middle school enrollment that will affect the transition from Belmont Hills.
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