Summary:
Bell Gardens, California is served by 7 public schools within the Montebello Unified district, educating roughly 5,800 students from kindergarten through 12th grade in a community where nearly 90% of students are economically disadvantaged.
Among these schools, Bell Gardens Elementary stands out as the highest-performing elementary school, particularly in science, while Bell Gardens High has shown the most improvement, boasting a graduation rate above the state average. In contrast, Suva Elementary faces significant challenges, with the lowest test scores and highest chronic absenteeism in the district. The two middle schools also show a notable performance gap, with Bell Gardens Intermediate outperforming Suva Intermediate in both English proficiency and attendance.
Overall, the district's academic proficiency lags behind state averages by about 11 points across English, math, and science. A key finding is the extreme gap at the high school, where English scores are strong but math proficiency is the district's lowest. Schools with better attendance, like Bell Gardens Intermediate, generally perform better, and there is no clear link between higher per-student spending and stronger academic results in this district.
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