Bell Middle

Bell Middle, a mid-sized 6-8 campus in San Diego, California, part of San Diego Unified, hosts 700 students, covering grades 6 through 8.

Within San Diego Unified, which oversees 174 schools and 94,828 students, Bell Middle is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Bell Middle records that the largest single group is Hispanic at 54%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 20% Asian, 13% Black, 8% multiracial, 4% White. The wider county runs roughly 35% Hispanic, putting the school's mix considerably more Hispanic than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Bell Middle records 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 21.4:1. That tracks the state average closely. About 81% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, San Diego County runs at roughly 54%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Bell Middle tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 31.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 22.1%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for San Diego County indicate median household income runs about $106,268, 43% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Bell Middle is one of 766 public schools in San Diego County (combined enrollment of about 467,437 students).

The closest other public school is Boone Elementary, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Bell Middle comes 8th of 9 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 39.7%.

The school occupies an inner-city site.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Bell Middle has increased 4%, going from 675 students in 2018 to 700 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 42% to 54% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.