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Bell Hill Academy

Q: Is Bell Hill Academy a good school?

Bell Hill Academy ranks 2768 th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-4

2768^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 52% of California elementary schools

Summary

Bell Hill Academy serves 246 students in kindergarten through fourth grade in Grass Valley, within the Grass Valley Elementary district. Its 2025–2026 results show a clear split: math proficiency was 44%, above state and district results, while ELA proficiency was 40%, below both. The most important concern is fourth grade, where just 30% were proficient in ELA and 28% in math.

Math is Bell’s strongest subject compared with the state and district: its 44% proficiency is 6 points above the state and 11 above the district. ELA is 10 points below the state and 3 below the district. Locally, Margaret G. Scotten Elementary is lower than Bell in both subjects, while Grass Valley Charter is higher in ELA and just behind in math. Bell’s third-grade results are a relative bright spot: among seven nearby schools, its ELA result ranked third and its math result tied with Clear Creek Elementary, behind only Union Hill Elementary. Fourth-grade ELA was lowest among those schools, and math was second-lowest. Nearby all-grade comparisons are less direct because schools serve different grade spans.

Bell’s ELA has weakened: it rose from 53% in 2022–2023 to 60% in 2023–2024, then fell to 40% in 2025–2026, a 13-point drop from the first year and 21 from its peak. Its state ELA gap shifted from 6 points above the state to 10 below. Math remains above the state, but that advantage narrowed by 16 points from 2024–2025. SchoolDigger placed the school at the 52nd percentile and 3 stars in 2025–2026, down from the 77th percentile and 4 stars the year before. Its student–teacher ratio was 22.3 in 2024–2025, and 59% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible that year. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings also show a lower current standing for White Students: the 24th percentile versus 52nd overall. For Male Students, its ranking fell 31 percentile points, from 73 in 2023–2024 to 42 in 2025–2026.

246

Students ?

22.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,697

Per pupil spending ?

59.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

342 South School St.
Grass Valley, CA 95945-6632

(530) 273-2281

District: Grass Valley Elementary

Students who attend Bell Hill Academy usually attend:

Middle:	Lyman Gilmore Middle
High:	Nevada Union High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.6%

White:

46.3%

American Indian:

2.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Bell Hill Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 50th percentile in 2016 → 52nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the California median (52nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg38%

California avg44%

2,768^th of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Top 48%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Grass Valley Elementary

488^th of 968Grass Valley Elementary among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	47.1	2768 of 5804	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	75.0	1370 of 5857	76.6%	★★★★☆
2024	66.4	1757 of 5869	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	63.6	1859 of 5859	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.7	2199 of 5883	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.8	427 of 1417	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.1	2008 of 5789	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.7	2296 of 5662	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.6	2031 of 5692	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	44.6	2802 of 5614	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.4	2061 of 5611	63.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	53.4	2317 of 5569	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	82.9	945 of 5597	83.1%	★★★★☆
2024	60.5	1939 of 5612	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.7	2096 of 5609	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.2	2255 of 5635	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	82.6	210 of 1267	83.4%	★★★★☆
2019	50.6	2455 of 5492	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.4	3457 of 5413	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	2279 of 5085	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	79.9	754 of 5107	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	66.3	1341 of 5107	73.7%	★★★★☆
2023	69.0	1226 of 5087	75.9%	★★★★☆
2022	35.1	3283 of 5084	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.0	1408 of 4963	71.6%	★★★★☆
2018	47.2	2397 of 4830	50.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.7	2819 of 5412	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.4	1722 of 5460	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.4	1904 of 5517	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.8	1753 of 5363	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.8	1929 of 5264	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.9	211 of 1110	81.0%	★★★★☆
2019	61.9	1632 of 5173	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.2	1961 of 5084	61.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	38.6	3223 of 5590	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	59.7	1996 of 5628	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.8	1518 of 5643	73.1%	★★★★☆
2023	65.9	1682 of 5638	70.2%	★★★★☆
2022	57.8	2059 of 5663	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.4	642 of 1272	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.6	1571 of 5510	71.5%	★★★★☆
2018	75.1	1262 of 5431	76.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.4	1921 of 2532	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	59.4	1114 of 2598	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	1401 of 2651	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.1	1690 of 2661	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.4	1646 of 2726	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.9	1886 of 2834	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.6	2013 of 2737	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2026)58th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)55th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)48th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)42nd percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)24th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics44%+6 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bell Hill Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bell Hill Academy	Public	K-4	342 South School St.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Grass Valley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 273-2281	246	11	22.3	59.3%	114 (46.3%)	3 (1.2%)	117 (47.6%)	3 (1.2%)	5 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	47.1	2768^th of 5804 public elementary schools	52.3%		75	1370^th of 5857 public elementary schools	76.6%	1398				48.9	30.2					39.8	60.0	27.9					44.3	94.1				94.1		$11,697	$1,834	$9,863
Grass Valley Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	225 South Auburn St.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Grass Valley Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 273-8723	546	23	23.7	33.2%	451 (82.6%)	5 (0.9%)	50 (9.2%)	9 (1.6%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (4.6%)	53.6	2399^th of 5804 public elementary schools	58.7%		52.8	2445^th of 5857 public elementary schools	58.3%	46	38.2	48.0	42.9	47.4	59.7	40.0	41.7	59.6	60.0	51.1	42.1	70.2	29.1	30.0	50.0	38.0	43.2	91.4	96.6	94.8	96.6	94.8	94.8	$9,267	$5,006	$4,261
Margaret G. Scotten Elementary	Public	K-4	821 Gilmore Way	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Grass Valley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 273-6472	357	19	19.2	74.8%	257 (72.0%)	4 (1.1%)	60 (16.8%)	7 (2.0%)	5 (1.4%)	3 (0.8%)	21 (5.9%)	26.9	4227^th of 5804 public elementary schools	27.2%		33.8	3658^th of 5857 public elementary schools	37.5%	569				20.3	41.0					30.9	25.0	32.1					28.8	90.1	96.7		94.5	92.3	95.6	$11,740	$3,576	$8,164
Yuba River Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	10085 Adam Ave.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Yuba River Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 272-6060	323	12	26.3	54.2%	242 (74.9%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (11.8%)	5 (1.5%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	34 (10.5%)								(n/a)																		55.4	55.4	57.1	57.1	55.4	57.1	$30,893	$30,520	$373
Union Hill Elementary	Public, Charter	K-6	11638 Colfax Hwy.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Union Hill Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 273-8456	542	27	20.2	45.8%	429 (79.2%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (11.1%)	49.3	2645^th of 5804 public elementary schools	54.4%		45.3	2866^th of 5857 public elementary schools	51.1%	221	30.6		30.6	54.7	44.3	56.3	27.5			44.9	65.6	41.8	36.6	20.0			39.8	96.2	97.2		97.2		98.1	$26,410	$25,880	$530
Deer Creek Elementary	Public	K-3	805 Lindley Ave.	Nevada City	95959	Nevada County	Nevada City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 265-1870	259	12	21.7	37.5%	203 (78.4%)	2 (0.8%)	28 (10.8%)	6 (2.3%)	2 (0.8%)	1 (0.4%)	17 (6.6%)								(n/a)				70.4						70.4	59.6						59.6	97.1				97.1		$21,197	$19,832	$1,365
Nevada County Special Education	Public	K-8	400 Hoover Ln.	Nevada City	95959	Nevada County	Nevada County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 265-0611	51	7	7.2	58.8%	34 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (19.6%)	2 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.8%)								(n/a)
Twin Ridges Home Study Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	111 New Mohawk Rd.	Nevada City	95959	Nevada County	Nevada County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 478-1815	208	11	19.2	48.1%	163 (78.4%)	3 (1.4%)	15 (7.2%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (1.9%)	1 (0.5%)	21 (10.1%)	24.3	4431^st of 5804 public elementary schools	23.7%		29.5	4000^th of 5857 public elementary schools	31.7%	431	40.9		43.3	27.3	22.2	40.9	32.4	52.6		35.8	9.1	27.8	13.6	14.7	15.8		16.3	25.0	50.0	54.2	50.0	50.0	41.7	$27,163	$26,974	$189
Nevada City School of the Arts	Public, Charter	K-8	13032 Bitney Springs Rd. Bldg.	Nevada City	95959	Nevada County	Nevada City School of the Arts District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 273-7736	477	26	18.5	43.0%	358 (75.1%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (12.6%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (10.5%)								(n/a)																		71.9	79.7	78.1	82.8	79.7	84.4
Clear Creek Elementary	Public	K-8	17700 McCourtney Rd.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	Clear Creek Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 273-3664	173	10	17.3	45.1%	113 (65.3%)	1 (0.6%)	24 (13.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (19.1%)	76.3	1301^st of 5804 public elementary schools	77.6%		75.9	1335^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.2%	34	52.9		48.0	60.0	60.0	52.9	53.9			56.6	60.0	73.3	52.9	46.2			53.7							$25,579	$24,612	$967

Frequently Asked Questions about Bell Hill Academy

Is Bell Hill Academy a good school?

Bell Hill Academy ranks 2768^th of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Bell Hill Academy attend?

Students who attend Bell Hill Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lyman Gilmore Middle
High : Nevada Union High

What district is Bell Hill Academy in?

Grass Valley Elementary

How many students attend Bell Hill Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 246 students attended Bell Hill Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Bell Hill Academy?

Students at Bell Hill Academy are 48% Hispanic, 46% White, 2% American Indian, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

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Latest California data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.