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Salem, Massachusetts - 11 schools
An equity score of 50/100 ranks Salem #67 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $25,931 per pupil, Salem ranks #77 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,752
Total Enrollment
11
Schools
$25,931
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Salem operates 11 public schools serving 3,752 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 3 high, 3 combined, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Essex County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $25,931 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending. See how Massachusetts compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 46.5% local, 41.5% state, and 12.0% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 50/100, ranked #67 of 362 in Massachusetts against a state average of 38, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 11 schools offering Advanced Placement (34 AP courses district-wide), a 108.3:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 34.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 49.3% Hispanic or Latino, 36.7% White, 6.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Salem Early Childhood, with a diversity index of 65.0/100.
Its largest campus is Salem High, enrolling 952 students (25% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Salem Prep High School, at 23 students, a 41x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Salem High accounts for 24.8% of all Salem student enrollment
That concentration means Salem-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. 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 enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Salem student-counselor ratio is 108:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Salem chronic absenteeism rate is 34.6% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Salem has 11 schools, including 3 high, 1 middle, 4 elementary, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 3,752 students.
How much does Salem spend per student?
Salem spends $25,931 per student. The district has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #67 in Massachusetts.
What is the demographic composition of Salem?
Salem students are 49.3% Hispanic or Latino, 36.7% White, 6.8% African American, 2.1% Asian, averaged across 11 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Salem?
Salem has an equity score of 50/100, ranking #67 out of 362 districts in Massachusetts.