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Bells Ferry Elementary School

Q: Is Bells Ferry Elementary School a good school?

Bells Ferry Elementary School ranks 636 th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

636^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,219 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Bells Ferry Elementary School in Marietta, GA, serves approximately 704 students in grades PK–5 as part of the Cobb County School District, where the school has seen its statewide ranking slip from a 4-star peak to a current 2-star rating.

Bells Ferry currently trails the Cobb County district average in nearly every subject and grade level. In the most recent testing cycle, 3rd grade math proficiency was 36.6% compared to the district's 53.6%, and 5th grade science proficiency was 35% versus 47.1% district-wide. The school has also experienced a downward trend over the past few years—5th grade science dropped from 44.4% proficient in 2023-2024 to 35% in the latest results. When compared to nearby schools, the gap is striking: Kincaid Elementary (2.4 miles away) ranks in the 85th percentile with 74.8% of 3rd graders proficient in math, while Addison Elementary (3.3 miles) posts 85.9% proficiency in 5th grade science. However, Bells Ferry performs comparably to Blackwell Elementary (51st percentile) and slightly below Chalker Elementary (60th percentile), both of which serve similar student populations. Notably, 61.5% of Bells Ferry students qualify for free or reduced lunch—a rate substantially higher than top-performing neighbors like Kincaid (28.7%) and Addison (33.6%).

There are encouraging signs worth noting. Chronic absenteeism has improved for four straight years, dropping from 22.7% to 15.2%—now below the state average. The school's Special Education students rank in the 63rd percentile statewide, a relative strength. Fourth grade math also showed a nearly 11-point improvement in the latest results. Per-student spending has risen 37% over three years to $16,682, though this remains lower than several nearby schools, and the student-teacher ratio of 13.7 is higher than most peers. While Bells Ferry faces real academic challenges—particularly in early-grade math and for Hispanic students—the improving attendance, rising investment, and strong special education outcomes provide a foundation for future progress.

704

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,682

Per pupil spending ?

61.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2600 Bells Ferry Rd
Marietta, GA 30066

(678) 594-8950

District: Cobb County

Students who attend Bells Ferry Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Daniell Middle School
High:	Sprayberry High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

39.5%

White:

21.3%

Hispanic:

20.5%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Bells Ferry Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 82nd percentile in 2016 → 48th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (41% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school41%

District avg53%

Georgia avg47%

636^th of 1,219

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 34 pts since 2016

From top 18% (2016) to bottom 48% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

43^rd of 64Elementary Schools in the Cobb County

58^th of 201Cobb County among Georgia 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	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	43.4	636 of 1219	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.4	622 of 1238	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.1	424 of 1236	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.5	448 of 1223	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.8	445 of 1220	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.5	519 of 1214	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	77.4	252 of 1234	79.6%	★★★★☆
2018	82.0	199 of 1209	83.5%	★★★★☆
2017	88.1	128 of 1205	89.4%	★★★★☆
2016	78.7	223 of 1233	81.9%	★★★★☆
2015	77.8	235 of 1240	81.0%	★★★★☆
2014	80.4	172 of 1231	86.0%	★★★★☆
2013	79.3	209 of 1225	82.9%	★★★★☆
2012	76.9	250 of 1201	79.2%	★★★★☆
2011	82.7	150 of 1212	87.6%	★★★★☆
2010	81.8	159 of 1183	86.6%	★★★★☆
2009	80.8	163 of 1133	85.6%	★★★★☆
2008	79.1	175 of 1134	84.6%	★★★★☆
2007	77.7	214 of 1125	81.0%	★★★★☆
2006	81.4	138 of 1101	87.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	43.9	431 of 828	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.9	569 of 892	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.9	248 of 879	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	49.9	375 of 870	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.7	402 of 876	54.1%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2024	44.7	86 of 121	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.3	70 of 115	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	79 of 106	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	40.5	177 of 317	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	64.1	60 of 283	78.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	605 of 1186	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.4	643 of 1224	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	63.9	401 of 1223	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.8	408 of 1212	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.2	344 of 1206	71.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	30.0	370 of 503	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.6	363 of 583	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.8	174 of 565	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.4	186 of 535	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.3	161 of 516	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	41.7	644 of 1183	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.6	595 of 1225	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.2	446 of 1220	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.7	503 of 1210	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.7	513 of 1209	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	55.4	174 of 465	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.0	242 of 565	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.3	241 of 487	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.0	272 of 455	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.2	190 of 415	54.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	50.6	339 of 700	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.3	407 of 769	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.0	321 of 772	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.1	293 of 775	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.5	266 of 779	65.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)63rd percentile+15 vs school

White (2026)52nd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)49th percentile~ school

African American (2026)48th percentile~ school

Male (2026)46th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)44th percentile-6 vs school

Asian (2024)29th percentile-37 vs school

Hispanic (2026)26th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics43%-5 vs state

Science35%-9 vs state

3.0

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, January 29, 2017

This is a very solid school for about K-2 or K-3. The student body is very diverse but many of the teachers have the Old South way of thinking and doing things. This puts one group in particular at a disadvantage. The Advance-Ed report has some info on Bells Ferry. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Bells Ferry is a wonderful school. I was privileged to have my children go there. The teachers and staff are hard-working and very caring. They did a lot to see that my children were successful. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, May 4, 2010

I have had such a difficult time dealing with some of these teachers. They seem to be so bitter and seems as if they dislike their job. I am not here to name drop but I am VERY disappointed in this school as a whole. Close Quote

Schools Near Bells Ferry Elementary School

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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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	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	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bells Ferry Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 Bells Ferry Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8950	704	51	13.7	61.5%	150 (21.3%)	278 (39.5%)	144 (20.5%)	67 (9.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (8.9%)	43.4	636^th of 1219 public elementary schools	47.8%		45.4	622^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	49.8%	14	36.6	50.4	41.3	35.0	$16,682	$318	$16,364
Blackwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3470 Canton Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7600	580	48	12.1	53.6%	247 (42.6%)	90 (15.5%)	147 (25.3%)	37 (6.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (9.5%)	46.9	592^nd of 1219 public elementary schools	51.4%		54.4	507^th of 1238 public elementary schools	59.0%	85	56.0	49.0	44.1	20.5	$18,036	$316	$17,719
Chalker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	325 N Booth Rd NW	Kennesaw	30144	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7621	679	56	12.2	47.6%	290 (42.7%)	167 (24.6%)	133 (19.6%)	27 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (9.1%)	55.7	485^th of 1219 public elementary schools	60.2%		52.7	527^th of 1238 public elementary schools	57.4%	42	48.9	45.0	44.8	49.5	$17,570	$317	$17,253
Sawyer Road Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	840 Sawyer Rd	Marietta	30062	Cobb County	Marietta City	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 429-9923	533	58	9.1	82.9%	53 (9.9%)	165 (31.0%)	278 (52.2%)	11 (2.1%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.3%)	55.7	486^th of 1219 public elementary schools	60.1%		48.2	589^th of 1238 public elementary schools	52.4%	103	52.5	47.9	48.1	39.5	$23,370	$582	$22,788
Kincaid Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1410 Kincaid Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 578-7238	603	46	13.1	28.7%	311 (51.6%)	71 (11.8%)	111 (18.4%)	54 (9.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	53 (8.8%)	83.7	188^th of 1219 public elementary schools	84.6%		85.8	174^th of 1238 public elementary schools	85.9%	14	74.8	74.0	66.4	48.7	$17,494	$319	$17,175
Big Shanty Elementary School	Public	3-5	1575 Ben King Rd NW	Kennesaw	30144	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8023	511	45	11.3	50.9%	174 (34.1%)	157 (30.7%)	130 (25.4%)	15 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.8%)	54.7	505^th of 1219 public elementary schools	58.6%		62.1	412^th of 1238 public elementary schools	66.7%	93	46.4	55.2	54.9	30.3	$18,668	$339	$18,329
Addison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3055 Ebenezer Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 578-2700	571	48	11.8	33.6%	280 (49.0%)	75 (13.1%)	116 (20.3%)	38 (6.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (10.7%)	87.8	150^th of 1219 public elementary schools	87.7%		85.8	173^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	86.0%	23	60.6	63.4	76.1	85.9	$17,832	$321	$17,512
Lockheed Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1205 Merritt Rd	Marietta	30062	Cobb County	Marietta City	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 429-3196	734	78	9.4	90.1%	37 (5.0%)	248 (33.8%)	416 (56.7%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.0%)	21.3	964^th of 1219 public elementary schools	20.9%		18.4	1022^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	17.4%	58	35.2	36.2	22.5	18.0	$20,920	$458	$20,461
Nicholson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1599 Shallowford Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 928-5573	413	39	10.7	44.6%	209 (50.6%)	49 (11.9%)	102 (24.7%)	8 (1.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (10.4%)	73.2	292^nd of 1219 public elementary schools	76.0%		67.4	359^th of 1238 public elementary schools	71.0%	67	49.2	50.6	66.1	70.9	$20,075	$319	$19,756
West Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	344 Polk St NW	Marietta	30064	Cobb County	Marietta City	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 429-3172	556	45	12.3	15.3%	419 (75.4%)	59 (10.6%)	39 (7.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.7%)	98.7	9^th of 1219 public elementary schools	99.3%		98.5	16^th of 1238 public elementary schools	98.7%	7	91.0	94.2	86.3	81.3	$17,883	$315	$17,568

Frequently Asked Questions about Bells Ferry Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Bells Ferry Elementary School?

Students at Bells Ferry Elementary School are 39% African American, 21% White, 20% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 9% Two or more races.

What district is Bells Ferry Elementary School in?

Cobb County

What schools do graduates of Bells Ferry Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Bells Ferry Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Daniell Middle School
High : Sprayberry High School

How many students attend Bells Ferry Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 704 students attended Bells Ferry Elementary School.

Is Bells Ferry Elementary School a good school?

Bells Ferry Elementary School ranks 636^th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Bells Ferry Elementary School!

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresNewAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)NewAug 6, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesFeb 19, 2026

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