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If you could change one rule at Bel Air Elementary, what would it be?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
521
Elementary
DISTRICT 537 · STATE 481
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 240039000681
Bel Air Elementary
30 E Lee St, Bel Air, MD 21014 · (410) 638-4160 · Harford County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL521 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 95% of Maryland public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Maryland public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.3:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
31%
163 students
DISTRICT 41% · STATE 54%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 20 | 4% |
| Kindergarten | 87 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 70 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 80 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 89 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 91 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 84 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (87) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (84).
Student demographics
44%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 73% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MCAP 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 3-4)English Language Arts
76.7%
MD avg 50.6% . -4.6pp since 2023
Math
56.7%
MD avg 34.8% . -19.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the MCAP, Maryland's statewide test, about 77 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 57 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Maryland schools, those numbers are about 51 and 35. Reading and writing scores are down about 5 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 19 points.
MCAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 76.7% | 56.7% |
| 2023-24 | 81.3% | 76.1% |
% Proficient (Levels 3-4), all students and all tested grades.
Source: MCAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of MD schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
72.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.7%
based on MD schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+17.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 73% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 56% typical for Maryland schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 17 points, placing it in Maryland's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Bel Air Elementary
Bel Air Elementary's state test result (72.7% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bel Air Elementary this school | 521 | 31.3% | 72.7% |
| Friendship Valley Elementary Westminster | 518 | 30.3% | 61.2% |
| Valley Elementary Jefferson | 525 | 30.9% | 54.5% |
| Windy Hill Elementary Owings | 598 | 30.6% | 66.0% |
| Glade Elementary Walkersville | 561 | 29.2% | 62.8% |
| Leonardtown Elementary Leonardtown | 509 | 32.4% | 50.0% |
Matched among Maryland elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Bel Air Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Maryland | In Harford County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 72.7% | #72 of 853 | #2 of 32 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 56.7% | #225 of 853 ▼ 178 | #15 of 32 ▼ 13 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 76.7% | #89 of 853 ▼ 48 | #8 of 32 ▼ 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 521 | #337 of 898 | #16 of 33 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.1:1 | #713 of 857 | #26 of 32 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.1% | #592 of 857 | #20 of 32 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 31.3% | #701 of 885 | #17 of 32 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.0% | #176 of 294 | #12 of 18 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
521
-1 (0%) vs 2020
-16% since 1990-91, when it was 619
Student : Teacher
16.1:1
was 15.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 521 | 32.4 | 16.1:1 | 31% (163) |
| 2023-24 | 514 | 33.3 | 15.4:1 | 33% (172) |
| 2022-23 | 532 | 33.6 | 15.8:1 | 33% (174) |
| 2020-21 | 522 | 34 | 15.3:1 | 25% (128) |
| 2017-18 | 487 | 30.3 | 16.1:1 | 22% (106) |
| 2015-16 | 477 | 31 | 15.4:1 | 24% (113) |
| 2010-11 | 505 | 32 | 15.8:1 | 25% (127) |
| 2000-01 | 537 | 31 | 17.3:1 | 11% (61) |
| 1990-91 | 619 | 32 | 19.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Bel Air Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 7% (487 to 521); teachers up 7% (30.3 to 32.4).
About Bel Air Elementary
Bel Air Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school in Bel Air, Maryland, administered by Harford County Public Schools. It covers pre-K through 5, with a total enrollment of 521 students.
The district, Harford County Public Schools, has 37,771 students enrolled across 55 schools.
White students are the majority at Bel Air Elementary, with 73% of enrollment. The school is also 12% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 5% Black, and 4% Asian. That is close to the 73% White share among all Harford County residents. The school's diversity index is 44%, meaning two students picked at random have a 44% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Federal staffing data show 32.4 full-time-equivalent teachers at Bel Air Elementary and a ratio of 16.1:1. This ratio sits 2.2 above the 13.8:1 average for elementary schools in Maryland. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 31% of students.
Measured against Maryland public elementary schools, Bel Air Elementary receives an A+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
The school's average proficiency rate on state tests, 72.7%, is 17.0 points above the 55.7% the model predicts from its free or reduced-price lunch share. That result is in the top 10% of Maryland schools.
Census estimates describe Harford County this way: the median household income is $112,265, 40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Besides Bel Air Elementary, Harford County has 54 other public schools.
Nearest public school: Bel Air High, about 0.6 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Bel Air Elementary at 2nd of 9.
Locale: Suburb: Mid-size. In NCES terms, the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
The student count changed little between 2020-21 (522) and 2024-25 (521).
Questions about school safety, transportation, and start times can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Harford County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
263,757
Census ACS
Median income
$112,265
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
40%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
55
37,771 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Harford County Public Schools
- Edgewood HighHigh · 1,440 students
- Aberdeen HighHigh · 1,396 students
- Bel Air HighHigh · 1,341 students
- C. Milton Wright HighHigh · 1,291 students
- North Harford HighHigh · 1,204 students
- Southampton MiddleMiddle · 1,192 students
Other schools in Bel Air
- Bel Air HighHigh · 1,341 students
- C. Milton Wright HighHigh · 1,291 students
- Southampton MiddleMiddle · 1,192 students
- Bel Air MiddleMiddle · 1,080 students
- Homestead/Wakefield ElementaryElementary · 1,071 students
- Harford Technical HighHigh · 954 students
Other Bel Air Elementary schools
7 other US public schools in 7 states are named Bel Air Elementary. Bel Air Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 8.
- Bel Air ElementaryCumberland, MD · 216 students
- Bel Air ElementaryNEW BRIGHTON, MN · 729 students
- Bel Air Elementary SchoolATHENS, TX · 465 students
- Bel Air ElementaryWoodbridge, VA · 391 students
- BEL AIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLNORFOLK, NE · 333 students
Nearby schools
- Bel Air High0.6 mi · 1,341
- Bel Air Middle0.9 mi · 1,080
- Southampton Middle1.1 mi · 1,192
- Homestead/Wakefield Elementary1.1 mi · 1,071
- C. Milton Wright High1.9 mi · 1,291
- Red Pump Elementary School1.9 mi · 696
Frequently asked questions
About Bel Air ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Bel Air Elementary?
Bel Air Elementary enrolls approximately 521 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Bel Air Elementary serve?
Bel Air Elementary serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bel Air Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Bel Air Elementary is approximately 16.1:1 (32 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Bel Air Elementary?
At Bel Air Elementary, the student body is approximately 73% White, 12% Hispanic, 5% Black, 4% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Bel Air Elementary public or private?
Bel Air Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Harford County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.