Lower Merion School District · Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, PA
Belmont Hills
Performance Tier
Below Average
Median Sold
$507,500
Avg. Appreciation
130%
Avg. $ Gain
$344,688
2025 Sales
18
Moderate Activity
Compared to the Lower Merion district average, Belmont Hills is
underperforming by 25%.
Based on 33 years of public sales records across 2418 neighborhoods in 4 counties.
About
Belmont Hills is a distinct residential community within Lower Merion Township, recognized under the Bala Cynwyd mailing address (ZIP 19004) but operating with its own civic infrastructure: a named elementary school (Belmont Hills Elementary, 200 School Street), a township-operated public pool at Lewis J. Smith Park (122 Mary Waters Ford Road), a branch library on Mary Waters Ford Road, and the Belmont Hills Civic Association — all listed as active entities by Lower Merion Township. The neighborhood’s housing stock spans from approximately 1900 through the 1990s, with LivingPlaces documenting a median build era of circa 1920, producing a range of bungalow, Cape Cod, stone-clad single-family, and twin forms on the area’s characteristically hilly terrain. The 1.8-mile Cynwyd Heritage Trail — a rail-to-trail conversion running from Cynwyd Station to Belmont Avenue — terminates at Rock Hill Road on the neighborhood’s edge and connects via the Manayunk Bridge to Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River Trail.
Specifications
Home Stock
The housing stock consists of detached single-family homes and a smaller share of semi-detached (twin) homes built between approximately 1900 and 1996, with a median build era around 1920. Styles observed in active public records include bungalow, Cape Cod, stone single-family, and rancher forms. Most homes are two-story structures with full basements; stone exterior construction appears across older properties consistent with regional early-20th-century building practices.
Location & Access
Primary access is via Belmont Avenue, which interchanges directly with I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) at Exit 338. Rock Hill Road (State Route 3052) and Conshohocken State Road (Route 23) bound the neighborhood to the north and west. Ashland Avenue and Mary Waters Ford Road serve as internal neighborhood connectors. The Green Lane Bridge at Belmont Avenue provides a direct crossing into the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Location Anchors
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Lower Merion Township
Montgomery, PA
40.009, -75.236
What Makes This Distinct
Belmont Hills carries a 33-year appreciation pattern that has more than doubled seller equity on average, yet The Cyr Team’s all-time market intelligence classifies it as performing below the Lower Merion School District median — a gap that reflects the neighborhood’s smaller, older housing stock and the district’s overall premium positioning, not a structural defect in the community itself.
For Buyers & Sellers
If You’re Buying
$508k median price point. historically strong appreciation. competitive market. high turnover means more inventory.
If You’re Selling
Strong appreciation – sellers gained $345k on average. trailing the district by 25%. properties doubled in value (130% gain). active market (9 day median). median sale price $508k.
Worth Asking
Have you considered that Belmont Hills Elementary School’s 11-to-1 student-teacher ratio — the lowest among Lower Merion’s six elementary schools — and its per-pupil spending figure (the highest in the district at approximately $33,000 per year) are facts that don’t appear in any listing price, and that buyers who overlook them may be underweighting one of the most measurable inputs to long-term neighborhood demand?
Common Questions
Does Belmont Hills have a homeowners association (HOA)?
No HOA has been identified for Belmont Hills. The neighborhood is an organically developed community within Lower Merion Township, not a planned subdivision with recorded covenants. Residents are represented by the Belmont Hills Civic Association, a volunteer organization whose stated goal is neighborhood improvement — but it imposes no fees or deed restrictions. Township-level zoning and building codes govern land use. Buyers should confirm with title search that no HOA instruments are recorded on any specific parcel.
What schools serve Belmont Hills, and how do they perform?
Children in Belmont Hills are served by Belmont Hills Elementary School (grades K–4, 200 School Street, Bala Cynwyd), which is part of the Lower Merion School District. SchoolDigger ranks it within the top 5% of Pennsylvania elementary schools, with PSSA math proficiency of 86.1% versus 41.7% statewide. It has the lowest student-teacher ratio (approximately 11:1) and the highest per-pupil spending among Lower Merion’s six elementary schools. Middle school is Welsh Valley Middle School and high school is Lower Merion High School — both part of the same district.
How does the Cynwyd Heritage Trail factor into living in Belmont Hills?
The Cynwyd Heritage Trail is a 1.8-mile rail-to-trail conversion that runs from Cynwyd Station to Belmont Avenue at Rock Hill Road — effectively at the neighborhood’s eastern edge. The trail surface is partially paved asphalt and partially crushed stone. Via the Manayunk Bridge (a pedestrian/cyclist-only bridge that reopened in 2015 after renovation), trail users connect to Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River Trail. The trail also passes West Laurel Hill and Westminster cemeteries and links to Bala Cynwyd Park. For residents of Belmont Hills, the trail functions as a non-motorized corridor into Manayunk and into the broader Circuit Trails network without requiring a car.
Items to Verify with Your Agent
A few specifics on this page are sourced from secondary aggregators or older filings. Confirm before relying:
- Approx Homes — No verified count of residential parcels specifically within the Belmont Hills neighborhood boundary is available from any named source. The Cooney Homes source reports 4,216 households for the combined Bala Cynwyd–Belmont Hills area per U.S. Census Bureau, which cannot be disaggregated to Belmont Hills alone.
- Builder — Belmont Hills developed organically over multiple decades (circa 1900–1996) with no single identified developer or builder. No named builder source was found.
- Hoa Name — No HOA has been identified for Belmont Hills. The Belmont Hills Civic Association (belmonthillscivic.org) is a voluntary neighborhood improvement organization, not a deed-restriction HOA. Public sales data also shows no HOA. No HOA instruments appear to be recorded, but buyers should confirm via title search on individual parcels.
- Interior Sqft Range Text — The range (969–2,546 sq ft) is drawn from Neighborhoods.com listing aggregation, not from a verified public records statistical report. Individual homes — particularly renovated or expanded properties — may fall outside this range.
- Lot Size Noted — No verified median or typical lot size specific to Belmont Hills was found in any authoritative source. The legacy hint (‘Varies; verify’) is consistent with findings: organic development across multiple eras produces highly variable lot sizes.
- Shared Name Sibling — The name ‘Belmont Hills’ is used as both a neighborhood name and as an elementary school name within LMSD. The school’s attendance zone does not map one-to-one with the neighborhood boundary. School boundary changes are periodically reviewed by LMSD; buyers should confirm current attendance zone with the district at lmsd.org.
School District
Belmont Hills is served by the Lower Merion School District. Buyers should verify current school assignments directly with the district.
View Lower Merion School District Information
Sources Consulted
Public deed records · Montgomery County Recorder · livingplaces.com · en.wikipedia.org · lmsd.org · schooldigger.com · lowermerion.org · mapcarta.com · belmonthillscivic.org · wiki.aaroads.com · pa.gov · neighborhoods.com · cooneyhomes.com
Data refreshed: April 25, 2026 (median sold, appreciation, performance tiers, narratives) · Content reviewed: April 25, 2026 (overview, structural insight, FAQs)
The Cyr Team · 2418 neighborhoods · 4 counties · 33 years of public sales records