Enrollment
155
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Orrville, AL
Salem Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Salem Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010111000404
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salem Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also one of the smallest schools in Alabama.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.2:1
- students per teacher
- 79.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 155
- students enrolled
Salem Elementary School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dallas County · Alabama
NCES ID 010111000404 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
79.0%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salem Elementary School
Salem Elementary School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Orrville, Alabama, enrolling 155 students.
At 17.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Alabama median, within a few percentage points of the 17.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 79.0% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 96% of Alabama schools, with 155 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 55 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #24.
Its student body is predominantly African American (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 310 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Dallas County spends $15,350 per pupil, 23% above the Alabama average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Orrville's public schools, it stands alongside Keith Middlehigh School (188 students): Salem Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.2:1 vs 13.4:1).
Dallas County also operates Valley Grande Elementary School (353 students) and Dallas County High School (334 students) alongside Salem Elementary School.
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 Elementary School compares
Salem Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.2:1 | ▼ 3% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 79.0% | ▲ 34% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 155 | top 96% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
155
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
79.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 47% in Alabama - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,350
per pupil, district-wide
- above Alabama avg of $12,491
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
African American 94.8%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
White 1.3%
Two or More 1.3%
Largest group: African American at 94.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.0, Salem Elementary School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dallas County, which includes Salem Elementary School.
$15,350
Per student
+23%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.5%
State 57.5%
Federal 27.0%
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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Grande Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dallas County High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brantley Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Keith Middlehigh School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Salem Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 353
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 334
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 285
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 204
- Students per teacher
- 25.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 188
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools in Orrville
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alabama, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~155 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salem Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Salem Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Dallas County'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 Elementary School
How many students attend Salem Elementary School?
Salem Elementary School has 155 students enrolled. It is a public school in Orrville, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem Elementary School is 17.2:1, which is 3% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salem Elementary School?
79.0% of students at Salem Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Salem Elementary School is African American at 94.8% of enrollment, in Orrville, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem Elementary School?
Salem Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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).
Is Salem Elementary School a good school?
Salem Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. It is also one of the smallest schools in Alabama. 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 Dallas County?
Besides Salem Elementary School, Dallas County also operates Valley Grande Elementary School (353 students), Dallas County High School (334 students), and Southside High School (285 students). See the Dallas County 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.