58 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.
58 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Salem's 58 public schools is Mckay High School, scoring 35/100, against a city average of 33.6/100. Computed live across every Salem campus reporting to NCES.
Salem, OR enrolls 32,210 students across 58 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 5 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 18.8:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 33.6/100. 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 most-resourced campus in Salem on this index is Mckay High School, at 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 2,380 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Salem spans 2 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Salem school enrollment varies 9.7× across entities
Salem school enrollment ranges from 245 students (lowest) to 2,380 students (highest), a spread of 2,135 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. 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 has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 77.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Salem student-teacher ratio is 18.8:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Salem
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Salem is Mckay High School with a quality score of 35/100. There are 58 public schools in Salem with 32,210 total students.
How many schools are in Salem, OR? ▼
Salem has 58 public schools with a total enrollment of 32,210 students. 5 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 18.8:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 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.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
