Bells Ferry Elementary School
Marietta, GA 30066
Phone: (678) 594-8950
Fax: (770) 594-8952
District: Cobb County School District
GreatSchools Rating
public • Grades PK,KG,1,2,3,4,5 • 690 students
Bells Ferry Elementary School, a public school located in Marietta, GA, serves grades PK-5 in the Cobb County School District.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 3 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.
Bells Ferry Elementary School is a public school located in Marietta, GA. 690 students attend Bells Ferry Elementary School.
School Ratings
| Category | Rating | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Test Scores | 5/10 | The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Georgia Milestones End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment data from Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement, and using 2025 Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade (EOG) Assessment data from Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement. |
| Student Growth | 1/10 | The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement. |
Posted: March 7, 2026
Posted: March 7, 2026
Posted: March 7, 2026
Posted: March 7, 2026
Posted: March 7, 2026
Posted: March 7, 2026
Posted: March 7, 2026
Posted: March 7, 2026
My child has been going to the school since kindergarten. I think in any school the first 2 years are pretty easy since they're just learning about school, everything went great there. But once the years progressed, and he had a little bit more struggling to learn, the teachers became more less patient with him.And didn't really have the tools they needed to deal with adhd student. The school safety, I don't know what's wrong these kids making threats to the whole school or to certain kids like my child. It's sad because it's just an elementary school and kids are already threatening to kill one another. And actually having a weapon like scissors on them after making a threat. I am just so glad that this school year is almost over and my kid will be moving soon.I will not be sending them to the middle school with all these bad kids. I really think this school has gone down since years prior. I will say some teachers are great.But there's some teachers who have zero patience for a high ADHD student.
Posted: September 20, 2025
Posted: September 20, 2025
Posted: September 20, 2025
Posted: September 20, 2025
Posted: September 20, 2025
Posted: September 20, 2025
Posted: September 20, 2025
Posted: September 20, 2025
I was trying to think of 1 good thing about this school but no I cant think of anything. But let me start saying whats bad about it:
First of all the kids that go there talk like little thugs. Theyll say the F word in every sentence and call everyone the B word for no reason. Theres no respect taught there. The kids run that school and good kids turn into bad kids very quickly because theyre also bullied by the bad kids so if they dont want something bad happening to them they have to get onboard. The worse part is that the teachers, principals and staff members pretend they dont see anything wrong so they wouldnt have to get involved. Theres are KIDS in RELATIONSHIPS already and doing things IN THE SCHOOL they shouldnt be doing just yet. This is supposed to be an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Usually we see and hear stuff like that in high schools but no this school is changing our concept.
Posted: January 13, 2024
Posted: January 13, 2024
Posted: January 13, 2024
Posted: January 13, 2024
Posted: January 13, 2024
Posted: January 13, 2024
Posted: January 13, 2024
Posted: January 13, 2024
Caring teachers and staff- we have had a great experience at BF!
Posted: December 1, 2023
Posted: December 1, 2023
Posted: December 1, 2023
Posted: December 1, 2023
Posted: December 1, 2023
Posted: December 1, 2023
Posted: December 1, 2023
Posted: December 1, 2023
The teachers are great but the principal (Gail) is a terrible person to her staff and us parents.
Posted: April 17, 2017
Posted: April 17, 2017
Posted: April 17, 2017
Posted: April 17, 2017
Posted: April 17, 2017
Posted: April 17, 2017
Posted: April 17, 2017
Bells Ferry Elementary School has exceeded our expectations. Our child has had fantastic teachers. He really has a great teacher this year! And the music teacher also gets rave reviews from my kid! This is a diverse and inclusive school. My child loves this school and has been able to feel the rewards of achievement and has continued to love learning. The administration at the school is excellent. The Principal and the new Vice Principal care about the students and are enthusiastic and very involved and hands on. We love Bells Ferry and feel privileged to have our child attend this school.
Posted: July 28, 2016
I have one Bells Ferry Alumni (K-5th), and another about to finish. The teachers and staff at this school are exceptional. I have spent many hours there as a volunteer, over our years, and have always felt welcome and appreciated. Whenever I've had questions or concerns, the administration has been quick to address them, and even follow up to be sure the issue was resolved. My kids are lucky to go to a neighborhood school like Bells Ferry.
Posted: March 7, 2016
I have a 1st grader and a 4th grader at Bells Ferry. They transferred from another east cobb school this year and I love the fact that they too put an emphasis on the 7 habits. This isn't across the board with Cobb County schools but I think its a great tool for instilling these values at a young age. Both my kids, especially my 4th grader, have blossomed since coming to Bells Ferry. It was his first year and he jumped right in and joined Chorus (Mr Spiess and his chorus program are great and full of opportunities for the kids to go out and sing in the community) and the Lego League (which is such an awesome activity/club to provide. Mrs Bass is great!). I love that their teachers both expect excellence but also allow kids to be kids. They also provide great events thru the PTA. They had a movie night on the field for the kids and family not too long after school started and I just thought it was just a great out of the box idea to raise money for the school while providing a good time for everyone. The kids loved it. Kudos to Bells Ferry. I have absolutely no complaints about this school
Posted: March 7, 2016
Posted: March 7, 2016
Posted: March 7, 2016
I think by incorporating the 7 habits they are reinforcing these values on a daily basis.
Posted: January 11, 2016
I volunteer at the school a few times a month. I can see first hand what goes on during the day. Take a vacation day or call in sick and spend the day at the school with your child. you'll be glad you did.
Posted: January 11, 2016
At first I thought it was too much, but now I wish he had more!
Posted: January 11, 2016
It's all in the handbook and in the behavior feedback parents get EVERyDAY.
It's up to the parents to reward / discipline based on that feedback from teachers!
Posted: January 11, 2016
Great School! Warm and Caring Staff. I chose this school based on it's 9/10 rating.
I was not disappointed. I will do almost anything to stay in this school district.
Good blend of diverse kids, and an experienced staff . Only complaints I have is the carpool traffic, but that's pretty typical and a DOT problem...and the times of some of the event make it hard for parents to attend (also typical)
Posted: August 20, 2015
Posted: August 20, 2015
Posted: August 20, 2015
Posted: August 20, 2015
I am very happy with this school. My son comes home with lots of homework which by the way, that is a good thing. Spending time doing homework is way better than spending time with electronics. My son is in third grade. He tells me that his teacher is like a woman in the army. " you have to straightened out and fly right" or his behavior color will change from green to yellow, orange or red. I personally think that teachers at Bells Ferry are doing a "hell of a job" raising, providing proper education and disciplining my child. Why? Because I volunteer at school...I see and I know how hard they work to ensure their students are reaching their highest potential. I am very much INVOLVE with my child's education. I take at least two days a week and spend lunch time with him in the cafeteria. The only thing I am not happy about is that this year my son will only spend 3 months at Bells Ferry. He is transferring to another school outside Georgia. By the way, last year my son had an issue on the school bus on the way home. I went straight to the Principal that afternoon with a red face and ready to explode. The principal obtained information she needed from my son and I and "fixed" the problem right away. The event occurred on a Friday afternoon and the principal fixed it mid morning on Monday. I would highly recommend Bells Ferry Elementary School to anyone. I thank Bells Ferry for everything that they've done to my son.
Posted: April 27, 2014
The school is ok I feel they want students to be perfect at all times I feel they push kids harder academically, which is good!!! Some of the teachers Need to understand certain kids environment are not all the same! Overall good school!
Posted: November 12, 2013
The teachers are great. However the principal elected to put my son on the bus because he was a dollar short on his ASP account. He attends ASP every day after school. No one ever spoke to me, and let me know they were sending him home on the bus. So in freezing cold weather they send my 3rd grader home with no one there (I was at work). They do have my work number, but failed to call and inform me. Thanks for caring about his safety and wellbeing.
Posted: September 4, 2013
I can't say enough about how much I love this school and its faculty. The principle is very hands on and she seems to genuinely love her students. She is there to greet the kids in the morning and there to say goodbye at the end of the day. We did have a problem with one teacher, but the principle has an open door policy and was more than happy to discuss our situation. We identified the issue early, and in this case our child was moved to another class and we saw a great improvement. Sometimes teachers and students just don't mesh, and this was one of those times. The principle was actually apologetic that she "got it wrong" when selecting his teacher. His teacher this year is amazing. She is full of energy and understands that each child will learn in his or her own way. She finds ways to teach the children how to succeed in a way that is comfortable for them. My son didn't enjoy reading, and didn't seem to be getting it. This teacher spent her time looking for what would really pique his interest and tackled it from there. My son has seen a noticeable improvement in reading already this year. I will always remember the faculty at Bells Ferry! I love you guys!
Posted: May 22, 2013
Bells Ferry Elementary was excellent in handling my son's special needs & late enrollment in Jan '13 after another school gave away my son's enrollment despite promising to "hold his spot" while my son had & recovered from 3 surgeries. Teacher & administration were amazingly proactive in pointing out special services we could use to help transition our son into school environment. Teacher was always quick to respond to concerns & inquiries via phone, emails, meetings, & texts. My concerns about my hyper child's inability to expend sufficient energy due to doctor's restrictions on activities resulted in a quick parent-teacher conference & some solutions that soon resulted in my child being happier with school & better behaved in classes. My kindergartner child ended the year with an award for personal success (for learning close to 200 sight words & improvements to writing). My child's grade k class had approximately 20 children with 1 teacher and 2 professional teaching assistants in attendance.
Posted: February 25, 2013
I have 2 children that attend Bells Ferry and we love it! The teachers we've had have been amazing and I love the principle, Mrs. Starnes. You can tell she cares about her students and families! There was an incident when my oldest child was in Kindergarten, where another kindergartener was physically picking on my child on the bus. We submitted a concern to her teacher and the principle and it was handled immediately and thoroughly. I was very pleased. There has not been any more situations since then. And over all, I think the diversity at this school is wonderful. I can tell that the students in my childrens' classes strive for good grades. Also, there are no more trailers (my oldest child was in one for two years, and it was fine) and the new addition to the school is wonderful. Very pleased and I think anyone would be too!!!
Reviews provided by GreatSchools™
| # | Name | Type | City | State | Overall Rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heritage Farms | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Marietta | GA | 3.2 mi | |
| 2 | Garden Hills | Condominium/Townhouse | Atlanta | GA | 15.8 mi |
| # | Name | City | State | Overall Rating | Distance |
|---|
| Base | Distance |
|---|---|
| Dobbins ARB | 7.1 mi. |
| Fort Gillem | 30 mi. |
| Camp Frank D Merrill | 49.2 mi. |
