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Bells Mill Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

22^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 864 Maryland Elementary Schools

Better than 97% of Maryland elementary schools

Summary

Bells Mill Elementary in Potomac, MD, is a consistently high-performing school within the Montgomery County Public Schools district, serving 570 students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade in a relatively affluent community.

Bells Mill is an elite institution with a long track record of academic excellence, never ranking lower than the 96th percentile in Maryland over the past decade. Its greatest strength is English Language Arts (ELA), where 82.1% of students were proficient in 2025-2026—the highest rate among its immediate peer group of top-tier schools like Wyngate Elementary, Ritchie Park Elementary, Potomac Elementary, and Beverly Farms Elementary. The school also boasts remarkably low chronic absenteeism at just 8.9%, the second-lowest rate among nearby schools and dramatically below the district average of 22.6%. While Bells Mill is a top-3% school statewide, it operates in a hyper-competitive neighborhood that includes Cold Spring Elementary (ranked #1 in Maryland) and Seven Locks Elementary (#8), meaning it is an outstanding choice but not the absolute pinnacle in its immediate vicinity.

One interesting finding is that Bells Mill achieves its high results with a relatively efficient budget of $16,953 per student, which is less than several nearby schools with similar or lower performance, such as Ritchie Park Elementary ($19,604). The school also shows strong performance across all student subgroups, though its 5th-grade science scores have fluctuated significantly in recent years, dropping from 87.4% proficiency in 2022-2023 to 54.3% in 2023-2024 before rebounding to 64.3% in 2025-2026—an area worth monitoring. For families seeking a stable, high-achieving academic environment, Bells Mill represents a proven, safe bet for a world-class education.

570

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,953

Per pupil spending ?

14.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8225 Bells Mill Rd
Potomac, MD 20854-4066

(240) 740-0480

District: Montgomery County Public Schools

Students who attend Bells Mill Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cabin John Middle
High:	Winston Churchill High

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.6%

Asian:

27.2%

African American:

13.0%

See top rated Maryland elementary schools

Compare Bells Mill Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 98th percentile in 2016 → 97th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Maryland average (76% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of Maryland elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Montgomery County Public Schools

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school76%

District avg48%

Maryland avg39%

22^nd of 864

Maryland public elementary schools ?

Top 3%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Maryland Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 132Elementary Schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools

8^th of 25Montgomery County Public Schools among Maryland 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	Maryland percentile	Rating
2026	96.3	22 of 864	97.5%	★★★★★
2025	95.9	30 of 865	96.5%	★★★★★
2024	95.7	31 of 859	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	15 of 855	98.2%	★★★★★
2022	97.3	15 of 862	98.3%	★★★★★
2021	97.8	17 of 802	97.9%	★★★★★
2019	95.4	33 of 853	96.1%	★★★★★
2018	95.3	36 of 857	95.8%	★★★★★
2017	96.2	20 of 847	97.6%	★★★★★
2016	95.9	19 of 845	97.8%	★★★★★
2015	95.9	24 of 859	97.2%	★★★★★
2014	86.0	54 of 867	93.8%	★★★★★
2013	82.4	97 of 847	88.5%	★★★★☆
2012	84.4	50 of 857	94.2%	★★★★★
2011	85.5	45 of 853	94.7%	★★★★★
2010	82.1	92 of 855	89.2%	★★★★☆
2009	83.0	83 of 850	90.2%	★★★★★
2008	86.0	40 of 838	95.2%	★★★★★
2007	5.2	776 of 818	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	13.0	714 of 804	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	12.5	724 of 805	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	8.0	740 of 803	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	78.7	23 of 128	82.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	97.1	14 of 796	98.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	96.5	22 of 788	97.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Maryland percentile	Rating
2021	85.4	50 of 528	90.5%	★★★★★

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 (2021)98th percentile~ school

Male (2021)97th percentile~ school

White (2021)91st percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2021)82nd percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Maryland (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts82%+30 vs state

Mathematics73%+46 vs state

Science64%+32 vs state

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Schools Near Bells Mill Elementary

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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)				MCAP Mathematics (2026)				MCAP English Language Arts (2026)				MCAP Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	MCAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAP Mathematics All Grades	MCAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAP English Language Arts All Grades	MCAP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bells Mill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8225 Bells Mill Rd	Potomac	20854	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0480	570	35	16.3	14.9%	237 (41.6%)	74 (13.0%)	55 (9.6%)	155 (27.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (8.2%)	96.3	22^nd of 864 public elementary schools	97.5%		95.9	30^th of 865 public elementary schools	96.5%	8	79.6	70.5	68.3	73.3	88.7	78.3	78.6	82.1	64.3	$16,953	$916	$16,038
Seven Locks Elementary	Public	K-5	9500 Seven Locks Road	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0940	376	25	14.8	7.2%	196 (52.1%)	25 (6.6%)	45 (12.0%)	81 (21.5%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.8%)	24 (6.4%)	98.1	8^th of 864 public elementary schools	99.1%		97.8	10^th of 865 public elementary schools	98.8%	2	91.7	75.4	84.7	83.5	85.0	83.8	87.9	85.5	71.2	$18,618	$780	$17,838
Beverly Farms Elementary	Public	K-5	8501 Post Oak Road	Potomac	20854	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0200	526	31	16.9	8.6%	245 (46.6%)	40 (7.6%)	38 (7.2%)	156 (29.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (8.6%)	96.9	19^th of 864 public elementary schools	97.8%		97.1	13^th of 865 public elementary schools	98.5%	6	86.3	63.8	78.9	75.5	87.2	86.6	80.2	84.8	65.6	$17,897	$847	$17,050
Farmland Elementary	Public	K-5	7000 Old Gate Road	Rockville	20852	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0660	847	54	15.7	19.5%	337 (39.8%)	79 (9.3%)	117 (13.8%)	253 (29.9%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	56 (6.6%)	88.3	103^rd of 864 public elementary schools	88.1%		86.4	119^th of 865 public elementary schools	86.2%	16	66.0	61.5	53.6	60.4	70.3	74.1	67.7	70.6	50.4	$17,149	$953	$16,195
Cold Spring Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	9201 Falls Chapel Way	Potomac	20854	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-4390	362	22	16.5	7.7%	156 (43.1%)	25 (6.9%)	31 (8.6%)	131 (36.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.2%)	99.3	1^st of 864 public elementary schools	99.9%		98.3	4^th of 865 public elementary schools	99.5%	3	90.6	84.8	86.5	86.6	92.5	92.4	92.7	92.5	88.5	$18,908	$736	$18,172
Ritchie Park Elementary	Public	K-5	1514 Dunster Rd	Rockville	20854	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-6310	342	24	14.4	12.6%	167 (48.8%)	35 (10.2%)	41 (12.0%)	73 (21.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.4%)	95.1	30^th of 864 public elementary schools	96.5%		94.3	42^nd of 865 public elementary schools	95.1%	12	78.0	61.5	75.8	72.4	71.9	76.5	85.7	78.4	76.2	$19,604	$1,076	$18,528
Wayside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10011 Glen Rd	Potomac	20854	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0240	465	35	13.2	9.9%	169 (36.3%)	32 (6.9%)	43 (9.2%)	187 (40.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.3%)	97.8	11^th of 864 public elementary schools	98.7%		98.4	3^rd of 865 public elementary schools	99.7%	8	86.8	81.8	73.3	81.0	86.8	80.7	84.7	83.7	74.6	$21,468	$1,075	$20,392
Ashburton Elementary	Public	K-5	6314 Lone Oak Dr	Bethesda	20817	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-1300	871	49	17.7	21.5%	289 (33.2%)	177 (20.3%)	166 (19.1%)	153 (17.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (9.5%)	84.5	137^th of 864 public elementary schools	84.1%		84.9	140^th of 865 public elementary schools	83.8%	3	74.3	59.1	50.3	61.1	67.6	63.7	57.1	62.8	50.0	$16,391	$830	$15,561
Luxmanor Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6201 Tilden Ln	Rockville	20852	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(240) 740-0820	684	50	13.6	27.5%	197 (28.8%)	125 (18.3%)	173 (25.3%)	127 (18.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (9.1%)	80.7	176^th of 864 public elementary schools	79.6%		80	183^rd of 865 public elementary schools	78.8%	7	63.3	43.2	58.3	55.6	62.9	58.1	70.7	63.8	45.7	$20,171	$1,079	$19,092
Potomac Elementary	Public, Magnet	K-5	10311 River Rd	Potomac	20854	Montgomery County	Montgomery County Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(240) 740-4360	475	28	17.0	7.6%	186 (39.2%)	41 (8.6%)	40 (8.4%)	159 (33.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (10.3%)	96.4	21^st of 864 public elementary schools	97.6%		97	16^th of 865 public elementary schools	98.2%	5	92.3	73.6	67.8	78.4	84.6	75.7	77.9	79.8	64.4	$17,815	$745	$17,070

Frequently Asked Questions about Bells Mill Elementary

What district is Bells Mill Elementary in?

Montgomery County Public Schools

Is Bells Mill Elementary a good school?

Yes! Bells Mill Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 22^nd of 864 Maryland elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Bells Mill Elementary?

Students at Bells Mill Elementary are 42% White, 27% Asian, 13% African American, 10% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

How many students attend Bells Mill Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 570 students attended Bells Mill Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Bells Mill Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bells Mill Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cabin John Middle
High : Winston Churchill High

Rate Bells Mill Elementary!

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Latest Maryland data All new data »

2025–26 MCAP test scoresJul 28, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 MCAP test scoresAug 26, 2025

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