BEL AIR EL

BEL AIR EL is an average-sized elementary school in ATHENS, Texas, run under ATHENS ISD. The school teaches 465 students in grades pre-K through 5.

ATHENS ISD comprises 5 schools with combined enrollment of 3,029 students; BEL AIR EL is among them.

In terms of who attends, BEL AIR EL lists that the largest single group is Hispanic at 55%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder consists of 29% White, 9% Black, 6% multiracial. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 15%.

In terms of school funding signals, The school employs 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 16.3:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 15.1:1 average. Around 82% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Henderson County runs at roughly 66%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, BEL AIR EL sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 38.1%; this one delivers 47.0%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Henderson County) records that median household income runs about $65,179, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. BEL AIR EL is one of 32 public schools in Henderson County (combined enrollment of about 11,150 students).

The closest other public school is SOUTH ATHENS EL, roughly 1.1 miles away. 4 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, BEL AIR EL comes 4th of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 41.6%.

Geographically, the school is in a town-center area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at BEL AIR EL has fell 7%, going from 502 students in 2018 to 465 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment increased from 49% to 55% over that span.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.