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Elementary★★★★★

Bells Mill Elementary

Churchill cluster · 8225 Bells Mill Rd, 20854

School website ↗·Bells Mill PTA ↗

82.1%MCAP ELA
73.3%MCAP Math
540Students

Academics

MCAP proficiency over time.

% proficient by subject
Data table
% proficient by subject
Series2019202120222023202420252026
ELA78%56.4%83.8%84.8%81.3%83%82.1%
Math71.5%57.5%72.2%75.9%70.5%71.4%73.3%
Science68.4%74.2%50%87.4%54.3%51%64.3%

Testing paused in 2020. Science scoring changed twice (2019 pre-MCAP scale; 2021 three bands, two pooled administrations; four bands from 2022), so science points before 2022 aren't comparable to later ones. Science swung sharply statewide between 2023 and 2026 (down, then back up, one grade at a time); those moves likely reflect the state assessment, not school-level change.

Class size

Average class size by grade band over recent years, with the latest year measured against MCPS's published guideline.

Average class size by school year
Data table
Average class size by school year — average class size by school year (* = not comparable)
Series2017-20182018-20192019-20202020-20212021-20222022-20232023-20242024-2025
Kindergarten21.8 *19.5 *22.5 *15.8 *17.0 *20.0 *18.526.3
Grades 1 to 324.7 *23.1 *25.0 *19.9 *17.4 *17.8 *25.223.2
Grades 4 to 525.1 *28.8 *24.6 *21.1 *20.9 *23.4 *23.321.9
  • Kindergarten26.3target 25 · over guideline
  • Grades 1 to 323.2target 26–27 · within guideline
  • Grades 4 to 521.9target 29 · within guideline

Source: MCPS School Profiles class-size extract vs. MCPS published class-size guidelines · Updated: 2024-2025

Proficiency by student group

This school's MCAP ELA proficiency by group (latest year). The spread is the opportunity gap.

Asian89.7%
Non-econ. disadvantaged87.0%
Hispanic86.2%
Students w/o disabilities85.3%
White84.2%
Two or more84.2%
Male82.7%
Female81.3%
ADA / 50468.2%
Multilingual (EL)53.3%
Black51.5%
Students w/ disabilities45.5%
FARMS41.9%
Econ. disadvantaged34.6%

3 groups not shown — too few students to report (withheld for privacy, not zero).

Special education

ELA82.1% all · 45.5% SWD
Math73.3% all · 45.5% SWD
Science64.3% all · 69.9% SWD
Students with IEPs
9.1%
6.5 vs. typical
of enrollment · 52 students
504 plans
5.7%
0.5 vs. typical
of enrollment · 33 students
Caseload
11.3
3.7 vs. typical
students per special-ed teacher
Teachers per 100
7.8
1.1 vs. typical
teacher FTE per 100 with IEPs
Paras per 100
7.84
0.9 vs. typical
paraeducator FTE per 100 with IEPs
Inclusion (LRE)
77.1%
5.5 vs. typical
in general education 80%+ of the day
Inclusion (LRE) over time
Data table
Inclusion (LRE) over time
Series202320242025
Inclusion %75%73.5%77.4%

Time in general education (2025): 80%+ of the day 77.1% · 40–79% ≤5% · under 40% 22.9%

Staffing rates are per 100 students with IEPs; staffing is from 2025. Withheld values reflect privacy suppression, not zero.

Source: MCPS School Profiles / unified facts (LRE, staffing, SWD enrollment) · Updated: inclusion 2025, staffing 2025

Staffing

Staff relative to enrollment. The chip compares this school to the typical elementary school at this level.

Teachers
5.9
1.8 vs. typical
per 100 students
Support services
1.3
0.8 vs. typical
per 100 students
Counselors
1.7
0.9 vs. typical
per 1,000 students

Special education & multilingual support

Special-ed teachers
7.8
1.1 vs. typical
per 100 students with disabilities
Special-ed paraeducators
7.8
0.9 vs. typical
per 100 students with disabilities
ELD teachers
2.2
0.3 vs. typical
per 100 multilingual learners

Source: MCPS unified facts — staff FTE per student (support services = instructional support staff)

Programs & services

Special, choice, and support programs offered at this school — from magnet and application programs to career pathways and special-education services.

Academics

  • Enriched Literacy Curriculum

Special Education

  • Adapted Physical Education
  • Autism - K-12
  • Home School Model - Elementary
  • Speech/Language Resource K-12

Source: MCPS Office of Student Affairs program catalog (2025). Find schools by program →

Students

Total enrollment over time
Data table
Total enrollment over time
Series202120222023202420252026
Enrollment579579611591570540

By race / ethnicity (2026).

White44.1%
Asian27.0%
Black11.7%
Hispanic9.1%
Two or more8.0%

Climate

Attendance and chronic absenteeism (absent 10%+ of days).

Attendance & chronic absenteeism
Data table
Attendance & chronic absenteeism
Series201920212022202320242025
Attendance≥ 95.0≥ 95.0≥ 95.094.7%≥ 95.0≥ 95.0
Chronic absenteeism7.3%≤ 5.08.5%10%11.1%8.9%

Enrollment & capacity outlook

A ten-year probabilistic enrollment forecast for this school, checked against its capacity. Part of the countywide capacity outlook, which explains the method and its track record.

Capacity risk, 2030–31
Low
3% chance over capacity
Forecast enrollment, 2030–31
499
likely range 428–578
Capacity
627
funded projects included
Forecast confidence
Medium
not expected over capacity
actual forecast median 80% range MCPS projection capacity
Data table
School yearActualForecast (p10–p90)MCPS projection
2017–18609——
2018–19619——
2019–20642——
2020–21579——
2021–22579——
2022–23611——
2023–24591——
2024–25570——
2025–26540——
2026–27—541 (505–579)524
2027–28—524 (475–578)503
2028–29—505 (447–570)499
2029–30—501 (435–576)494
2030–31—499 (428–578)488
2031–32—491 (423–574)—
2032–33—486 (417–570)—
2033–34—487 (415–566)—
2034–35—486 (415–565)—
2035–36—485 (416–566)—

Source: mc-development forecast model — base year SY 2025–26; boundaries 2024-2025; development snapshot 2026-06-02 · Updated: 2026-07-31T00:00:00Z

Data: MSDE State Report Card (2019–2026), MCPS official Sept 30, 2025 enrollment count (extends the enrollment trend to 2025-26), MCPS School Profiles & unified facts, U.S. Census ACS 2024, MD SDAT. “≥95” / “≤5” and dropped groups are privacy-suppressed for small counts — withheld, not zero. Independent project, not affiliated with MCPS or MSDE.