Enrollment
434
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Salem, AR
Salem Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Salem Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 051209000974
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 13
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salem Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- students per teacher
- 51.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 434
- students enrolled
Salem Elementary School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Salem School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051209000974 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salem Elementary School
Salem Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Salem, Arkansas, enrolling 434 students.
At 15:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arkansas median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 51.0% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 434 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 282 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #248, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 434 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Its district, Salem School District, also runs Salem High School (376 students).
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 Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15:1 | ▲ 10% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.0% | ▼ 14% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 434 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
434
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 60% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
36.6%
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
$10,671
per pupil, district-wide
- below Arkansas avg of $12,251
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 434 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 94.7%
Two or More 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 94.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.2, Salem Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salem School District, which includes Salem Elementary School.
$10,671
Per student
-13%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.3%
State 59.1%
Federal 21.6%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem High 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
- 376
- Students per teacher
- 6.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Arkansas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~434 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salem Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Salem Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Salem School District'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 434 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Salem, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem Elementary School is 15:1, which is 10% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salem Elementary School?
51.0% of students at Salem Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Salem Elementary School is White at 94.7% of enrollment, in Salem, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem Elementary School?
Salem Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas 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 Salem School District?
Besides Salem Elementary School, Salem School District also operates Salem High School (376 students). See the Salem School District 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.