Enrollment
249
Elementary
DISTRICT 376 · STATE 526
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·COLLETON 01·NCES 450183000332
Bells Elementary
12088 Bells Highway, Ruffin, SC 29475 · (843) 782-0012 · Colleton County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL249 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 13% of South Carolina public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·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 South Carolina public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.2:1 · STATE 13.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 77%
Community
0
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 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 22 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 41 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 34 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 44 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 45 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 43 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (22) is 49% smaller than its 5th grade class (43).
Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 67% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Bells Elementary→Colleton County Middle
Based on grade levels within Colleton 01. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SC READY 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
52.3%
SC avg 59.7% . +17.3pp since 2023
Math
25.4%
SC avg 44.2% . +4.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the SC READY, South Carolina's statewide test, about 52 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 25 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all South Carolina schools, those numbers are about 60 and 44. Reading and writing scores are up about 17 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.
SC READY results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 52.3% | 25.4% |
| 2023-24 | 35.0% | 21.0% |
% Meets or Exceeds Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SC READY. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Bells Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In South Carolina | In Colleton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 25.4% | #589 of 635 ▲ 11 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 52.3% | #422 of 635 ▲ 110 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 249 | #627 of 709 | #6 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.9:1 | #132 of 656 | #1 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.6% | #247 of 656 | #4 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -24.5% | #79 of 395 | #3 of 6 |
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
249
-84 (-25%) vs 2020
-50% since 1990-91, when it was 499
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
was 14.5:1
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 | 249 | 21 | 11.9:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 278 | 19 | 14.6:1 | 100% (278) |
| 2022-23 | 291 | 21 | 13.9:1 | 100% (291) |
| 2020-21 | 333 | 23 | 14.5:1 | 100% (333) |
| 2017-18 | 330 | 22 | 15.0:1 | 100% (330) |
| 2015-16 | 315 | 22 | 14.3:1 | 100% (315) |
| 2010-11 | 371 | 22 | 16.9:1 | 72% (267) |
| 2000-01 | 356 | 28 | 12.7:1 | 84% (298) |
| 1990-91 | 499 | 33 | 15.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Bells Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 25% (330 to 249); teachers down 5% (22 to 21).
About Bells Elementary
Bells Elementary is one of the public schools in Ruffin, South Carolina. It is a small elementary school. It has an enrollment of 249 students in pre-K through 5. That compares with an average of about 526 students for elementary schools in South Carolina.
Within Colleton 01, Bells Elementary is one of 8 schools. The district enrolls 4,539 students.
White students account for 45% of enrollment at Bells Elementary, more than any other group. Other groups make up 41% Black, 10% Hispanic, and 4% multiracial. County-wide, 57% of Colleton County residents are White. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 62%.
Teacher count: 21 full-time equivalents. Student-to-teacher ratio: 11.9:1. Across elementary schools in South Carolina, the average ratio is 13.3:1.
Bells Elementary holds a D allk12 Grade, placing it above 13% of South Carolina public elementary schools.
For the population of Colleton County, the median household earns about $51,114 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 17% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 17%. Bells Elementary shares Colleton County with 8 other public schools.
About 11.0 miles separate Bells Elementary from the closest public school, Forest Hills Elementary.
For locale, NCES codes Bells Elementary as Rural: Distant.
Over the 4 years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment decreased 25%. By 2024-25, the school had 11.9 students per teacher, compared with 14.5 in 2020-21.
People can post here about special education services, counseling, and support programs and other school topics. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Colleton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
38,783
Census ACS
Median income
$51,114
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
17%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
17%
Below federal line
Schools in county
9
4,539 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Colleton 01
- Colleton County HighHigh · 1,352 students
- Colleton County MiddleMiddle · 931 students
- Forest Hills ElementaryElementary · 472 students
- Northside ElementaryElementary · 428 students
- Cottageville ElementaryElementary · 425 students
- Black Street Early Childhood CenterElementary · 358 students
Other Bells Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Bells Elementary. Bells Elementary is the 4th largest of the 4.
- Bells Elementary SchoolTURNERSVILLE, NJ · 571 students
- Bells Elementary SchoolBELLS, TX · 458 students
- Bells ElementaryBells, TN · 407 students
Nearby schools
- Forest Hills Elementary11.0 mi · 472
- Colleton County High11.6 mi · 1,352
- Colleton County Middle12.6 mi · 931
- Black Street Early Childhood Center13.1 mi · 358
- Northside Elementary13.8 mi · 428
- Hendersonville Elementary14.6 mi · 324
Frequently asked questions
About Bells ElementaryHow many students attend Bells Elementary?
Bells Elementary enrolls approximately 249 students in grades PK-05.
Is Bells Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Bells Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Bells Elementary have?
Bells Elementary employs 21 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Bells Elementary?
Student demographics at Bells Elementary are roughly 45% White, 10% Hispanic, 41% Black, 4% Two or more.
What district is Bells Elementary in?
Bells Elementary is part of Colleton 01.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.