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L J Bell Elementary

Q: Is L J Bell Elementary a good school?

L J Bell Elementary ranks 934 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

934^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

L J Bell Elementary in Rockingham, NC, serves 449 students in grades PK-5 as part of Richmond County Schools, where it stands out as the highest-ranked elementary school in its local peer group even though the district itself ranks in the bottom quarter of North Carolina districts. In 2025-2026, L J Bell earned 2 stars and placed in the 37th percentile statewide, ranking 934th of 1,492 elementary schools. Nearby schools such as Washington Street Elementary, East Rockingham Elementary, and West Rockingham Elementary rank much lower, with the latter two landing in the single digits. Roughly 98 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, so the school serves a very high-poverty population.

L J Bell's strongest academic area is math, particularly in the early grades. In 3rd-grade math, 63.8 percent of students scored proficient, nearly matching the state average of 66.4 percent and far surpassing the district average of 50.6 percent. In 4th-grade math, the school's 62.5 percent proficiency rate actually exceeds the state average. This becomes especially notable in local comparisons: nearby West Rockingham Elementary posts just 25.6 percent proficiency in 3rd-grade math. Attendance is another distinguishing strength. L J Bell's chronic absenteeism rate of 20.1 percent is lower than the state average of 24.2 percent and lower than every nearby school in the area, several of which exceed 30 percent.

Reading and special education are the clearest areas for improvement. While L J Bell outperforms its district in reading at every grade level, it still trails the state, with 3rd-grade reading showing the largest gap: 39.1 percent proficient versus 55.6 percent statewide. The most concerning metric, though, is the special education subgroup, which ranked in the 9th percentile statewide in 2025-2026 after three straight years of decline. That stands in sharp contrast to the school's gifted and talented students, who rank in the 77th percentile. In short, L J Bell does notably well with advanced learners and in elementary math, but families of students with learning differences or early reading struggles will want to ask what intervention support is available.

449

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

98%

Free/discounted lunch ?

442 Hawthorne Ave
Rockingham, NC 28379-3061

(910) 997-9834

District: Richmond County Schools

Students who attend L J Bell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rockingham Middle
High:	Richmond Early College High
	Richmond Senior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.0%

African American:

35.9%

Hispanic:

12.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare L J Bell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2016 → 37th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (54% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg45%

North Carolina avg61%

934^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From top 41% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

188^th of 246Richmond County Schools among North Carolina 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	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.4	934 of 1492	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.9	983 of 1490	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.6	786 of 1505	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.1	793 of 1502	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	842 of 1514	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.8	862 of 1489	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.8	777 of 1473	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.9	728 of 1434	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.0	683 of 1429	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.2	585 of 1425	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	59.2	588 of 1440	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.0	646 of 1390	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.2	570 of 1403	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.0	427 of 1388	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.2	491 of 1381	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	59.8	619 of 1363	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	52.5	735 of 1354	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.4	725 of 903	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.4	796 of 918	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.5	613 of 924	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.7	520 of 933	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	664 of 927	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.1	657 of 896	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.1	631 of 949	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.2	544 of 927	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	32.8	424 of 634	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	90.5	22 of 646	96.6%	★★★★★
2019	37.5	567 of 878	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.4	780 of 1447	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.0	989 of 1451	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.2	639 of 1455	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.0	719 of 1459	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.8	853 of 1458	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.7	820 of 1440	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.2	711 of 1424	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.6	755 of 1405	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.3	174 of 743	76.6%	★★★★☆
2025	70.5	128 of 710	82.0%	★★★★☆
2023	68.0	102 of 582	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.3	118 of 612	80.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.8	1002 of 1434	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.4	1011 of 1437	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.8	624 of 1450	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.5	805 of 1437	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	803 of 1366	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	716 of 1329	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.3	617 of 1361	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.6	963 of 1332	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.6	1040 of 1451	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.8	915 of 1450	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.0	866 of 1464	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.7	824 of 1461	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.6	789 of 1464	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.7	843 of 1444	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.0	794 of 1430	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.6	696 of 1413	50.7%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	58.3	49 of 133	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.4	743 of 815	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	25.5	692 of 821	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	582 of 801	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.0	769 of 1146	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.5	726 of 1172	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.5	504 of 1166	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	560 of 1183	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.0	669 of 1194	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.9	738 of 1172	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.0	414 of 1183	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.5	444 of 1178	62.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)77th percentile+39 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)63rd percentile+19 vs school

Female (2026)46th percentile+9 vs school

Disabled (2022)33rd percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)33rd percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)30th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2026)28th percentile-9 vs school

African American (2026)20th percentile-18 vs school

Special Education (2026)9th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics60%-4 vs state

Science60%-8 vs state

Reading46%-10 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, May 30, 2019

this is a school that made my child pay $10 for lunch Close Quote

Schools Near L J Bell 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)				EOG Mathematics (2026)				EOG Reading (2026)				EOG Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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 (2025)	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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
L J Bell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	442 Hawthorne Ave	Rockingham	28379	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 997-9834	449	26	17.4	98.0%	184 (41.0%)	161 (35.9%)	56 (12.5%)	5 (1.1%)	12 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.9%)	38.4	934^th of 1492 public elementary schools	37.4%		35.9	983^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	34.0%	49	63.8	62.5	52.2		39.1	52.1	44.8		59.7	$9,668	$1,319	$8,349
West Rockingham Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	271 W US 74 Hwy	Rockingham	28379	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 997-9802	314	22	14.0	98.4%	110 (35.0%)	106 (33.8%)	59 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.4%)	9.7	1428^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.3%		14.1	1362^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	8.6%	66	25.6	10.9	41.9		32.6	28.3	41.9		54.8	$10,508	$1,851	$8,657
Washington Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	566 E Washington St Ext	Rockingham	28379	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 997-9836	417	23	18.2	96.2%	113 (27.1%)	218 (52.3%)	36 (8.6%)	7 (1.7%)	6 (1.4%)	3 (0.7%)	34 (8.2%)	16.7	1337^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.4%		21.9	1245^th of 1490 public elementary schools	16.4%	92	61.3	34.3	41.7		41.9	28.6	28.3		53.3	$9,981	$1,768	$8,213
East Rockingham Elementary	Public	K-5	154 Chalk Road	Rockingham	28379	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 557-0900	430	24	17.6	99.1%	183 (42.6%)	106 (24.7%)	79 (18.4%)	2 (0.5%)	11 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (11.2%)	10.4	1417^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.0%		23.2	1216^th of 1490 public elementary schools	18.4%	201	35.0	47.7	30.1		23.8	36.4	37.3		42.2	$9,938	$1,903	$8,035
Fairview Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	104 Hamilton Ave	Hamlet	28345	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 582-7900	480	28	16.9	97.3%	183 (38.1%)	192 (40.0%)	41 (8.5%)	5 (1.0%)	23 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.5%)	33	1043^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	30.1%		37.3	958^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.7%	85	57.1	42.5	53.8		50.0	38.8	47.7		70.8	$10,407	$1,710	$8,696
Monroe Avenue Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Monroe Ave	Hamlet	28345	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 582-7907	411	26	15.7	96.4%	84 (20.4%)	225 (54.7%)	45 (10.9%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.7%)	25.2	1185^th of 1492 public elementary schools	20.6%		18.9	1297^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.0%	112	47.9	47.8	56.4		27.1	37.3	38.2		69.1	$11,634	$1,916	$9,718
Mineral Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1426 Green Lake Rd	Ellerbe	28338	Richmond County	Richmond County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 582-7915	441	24	18.3	99.3%	155 (35.1%)	97 (22.0%)	134 (30.4%)	12 (2.7%)	8 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.9%)	28.9	1117^th of 1492 public elementary schools	25.1%		41.7	887^th of 1490 public elementary schools	40.5%	230	56.7	70.8	53.3		34.3	36.9	41.3		52.0	$10,516	$1,652	$8,864
Lilesville Elementary	Public	K-6	121 Camden Street	Lilesville	28091	Anson County	Anson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 848-4975	257	21	12.4	98.4%	86 (33.5%)	134 (52.1%)	9 (3.5%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (10.1%)	29.9	1096^th of 1492 public elementary schools	26.5%		39	938^th of 1490 public elementary schools	37.0%	158	55.6	46.4	48.3	58.3	41.7	42.9	34.5	61.1	31.0	$13,073	$2,369	$10,704
Morven Elementary	Public	K-6	6715 Hwy 52 S	Morven	28119	Anson County	Anson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 851-9306	197	11	17.5	98.5%	3 (1.5%)	145 (73.6%)	35 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.1%)	16.8	1336^th of 1492 public elementary schools	10.5%		9.4	1431^st of 1490 public elementary schools	4.0%	95	46.4	32.1	50.0	51.7	39.3	39.3	28.6	20.7	53.6	$13,556	$2,409	$11,147
Laurel Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11340 Old Wire Road	Laurel Hill	28351	Scotland County	Scotland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 542-8071	662	50	13.1	98.6%	167 (25.2%)	283 (42.7%)	22 (3.3%)	3 (0.5%)	127 (19.2%)	2 (0.3%)	58 (8.8%)	28.1	1134^th of 1492 public elementary schools	24.0%		25	1187^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.3%	53	70.5	40.9	50.8		44.6	34.0	36.1		59.0	$11,677	$1,806	$9,872

Frequently Asked Questions about L J Bell Elementary

What district is L J Bell Elementary in?

Richmond County Schools

How many students attend L J Bell Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 449 students attended L J Bell Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of L J Bell Elementary?

Students at L J Bell Elementary are 41% White, 36% African American, 12% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of L J Bell Elementary attend?

Students who attend L J Bell Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rockingham Middle
High : Richmond Early College High
High : Richmond Senior High

Is L J Bell Elementary a good school?

L J Bell Elementary ranks 934^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate L J Bell Elementary!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

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.