12 public K-12 schools in Salem from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
12 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2022-23 data.
Choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions families make. This page ranks every public school in Salem, MA using a composite quality score based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted program availability, and attendance rates. All data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data for the 2022-23 school year.
12
Schools
4,311
Students
—
Avg Quality
11.2:1
Avg Class Size
How the Salem Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Salem, MA enrolls 4,311 students across 12 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 1 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 11.2:1, Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The highest-ranked campus in Salem is Salem High, scoring 51/100 (C-) with 952 enrolled students at the high level. Families should treat any single ranking as a starting point rather than a verdict — a school serving fewer at-risk students or offering more AP classes will score higher on resource-based composites even if individual teachers or programs elsewhere are stronger. The quality score framework is transparent and rebuilt from raw NCES and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) inputs, so each component can be inspected on the individual school pages linked in the table below.
Salem schools sit within multiple district boundaries, which matters for property taxes, redistricting votes, and bond measures. Each district files its own NCES F-33 financial return, meaning per-pupil spending can vary noticeably even between neighbouring campuses in the same city. Use the table to sort by enrollment, level, or district, then click any school name for campus-level demographics, Title I status, counselor and nurse staffing, AP courses, chronic-absenteeism rates, and district per-pupil spending. The sidebar links also connect Salem housing costs, wage data, and crime statistics — context many parents weigh alongside test-adjacent school signals when relocating.
Salem High accounts for 22.1% of all Salem public-school enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Salem-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Salem school enrollment varies 41× across entities
Salem school enrollment ranges from 23 students (lowest) to 952 students (highest), a spread of 929 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme heterogeneity inside a single city — small specialty programs sit alongside large comprehensive campuses, often serving very different family demographics inside walking distance. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape — a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Salem student-teacher ratio is 11.2:1 — low (typically associated with smaller schools or per-school staffing investment that often correlates with stronger per-student supports)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment — push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
