Enrollment
539
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Berwick, PA
Salem El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Salem El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420348001597
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salem El Sch earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Berwick · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.4:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Salem El Sch has class sizes larger than 93% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Salem El Sch ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Berwick, PA.
School address
District: Berwick Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420348001597 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salem El Sch
Salem El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Berwick, Pennsylvania, enrolling 539 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.4:1 is larger than about 93% of Pennsylvania schools and 28% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 539 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 512 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #269.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 539 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Berwick's elementary schools, it stands alongside Berwick Area Ms (837 students): Salem El Sch is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.4:1 vs 13.1:1).
Berwick Area Sd also operates Berwick Area Ms (837 students) and Berwick Area Hs (692 students) alongside Salem El Sch.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Salem El Sch compares
Salem El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.4:1 | ▲ 28% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 539 | top 38% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
539
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 28% above state mean
Top 93% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$16,896
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 539 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 79.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 5.0%
African American 2.0%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 79.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.0, Salem El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Berwick Area Sd, which includes Salem El Sch.
$16,896
Per student
-6%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.3%
State 50.0%
Federal 9.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Salem El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berwick Area Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Berwick Area Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Berwick El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Nescopeck El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Salem El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 837
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 692
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 156
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar elementary schools in Berwick
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~539 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salem El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Salem El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Berwick Area Sd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Salem El Sch
How many students attend Salem El Sch?
Salem El Sch has 539 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Berwick, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem El Sch is 17.4:1, which is 28% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salem El Sch?
100.0% of students at Salem El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Salem El Sch is White at 79.4% of enrollment, in Berwick, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem El Sch?
Salem El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Salem El Sch rank among elementary schools in Berwick?
By Resource Investment Index, Salem El Sch ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Berwick, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Berwick on the city page.
Is Salem El Sch a good school?
Salem El Sch earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Pennsylvania schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Berwick Area Sd?
Besides Salem El Sch, Berwick Area Sd also operates Berwick Area Ms (837 students), Berwick Area Hs (692 students), and West Berwick El Sch (487 students). See the Berwick Area Sd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.