Bell attended The Chapin School in New York and Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut. As a high school junior, Bell attended School Year Abroad (SYA) at its school located in Rennes, France. For part of her teenage years she lived in Vero Beach, Florida and attended Saint Edwards School. She attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, before transferring to Rose Bruford College in London. There she acted in theatrical productions including "The Seagull", "The Children's Hour", "Six Degrees of Separation", "Light Shining in Buckinghamshire" and "The Pentecost".