Enrollment
946
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Murfreesboro, TN
Salem Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Salem Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 470315002591
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salem Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee schools.
- #5 of 17
- schools in Murfreesboro · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 946
- students enrolled
Salem Elementary School has class sizes near the Tennessee median. Computed live against every Tennessee school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Salem Elementary School ranks #5 of 17 schools in Murfreesboro, TN.
School address
District: Murfreesboro · Tennessee
NCES ID 470315002591 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 15.3:1 Tennessee avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem Elementary School compares with Tennessee and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salem Elementary School
Salem Elementary School is a large combined-grade school in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, enrolling 946 students.
At 15.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Tennessee median, within a few percentage points of the 15.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Tennessee, bigger than 90% of state schools at 946 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,838 scored Tennessee schools.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and African American (19%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 315 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
16.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Murfreesboro's public schools, it stands alongside Central Magnet School (1,222 students): Salem Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.5:1 vs 17.2:1).
Murfreesboro also operates Scales Elementary School (937 students) and Overall Creek Elementary (937 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 Tennessee and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.5:1 | ▲ 1% | 15.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 946 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
946
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 59% in Tennessee - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,342
per pupil, district-wide
- above Tennessee avg of $10,822
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 315 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 54.5%
African American 18.8%
Hispanic or Latino 11.2%
Two or More 9.9%
Asian 5.5%
Largest group: White at 54.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.2, Salem Elementary School is more mixed than the Tennessee school average of 38.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Murfreesboro, which includes Salem Elementary School.
$11,342
Per student
+5%
vs Tennessee
Avg $10,822
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.5%
State 40.8%
Federal 18.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scales Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Overall Creek Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Black Fox Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Erma Siegel Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cason Lane Academy | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher 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
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 937
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 889
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 867
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 844
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar other schools in Murfreesboro
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Central Magnet School
Standard public school
1,222 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Brown's Chapel Elementary School
Standard public school
1,002 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Barfield Elementary
Standard public school
969 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Blackman Elementary School
Standard public school
954 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Black Fox Elementary
Standard public school
889 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Erma Siegel Elementary
Standard public school
867 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Tennessee, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~946 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salem Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Salem Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Murfreesboro'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 946 students enrolled. It is a public school in Murfreesboro, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem Elementary School is 15.5:1, which is 1% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.3:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Salem Elementary School is White at 54.5% of enrollment, in Murfreesboro, TN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem Elementary School?
Salem Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 Elementary School rank among schools in Murfreesboro?
By Resource Investment Index, Salem Elementary School ranks #5 of 17 schools in Murfreesboro, TN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Murfreesboro on the city page.
Is Salem Elementary School a good school?
Salem Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Tennessee median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Tennessee 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 Murfreesboro?
Besides Salem Elementary School, Murfreesboro also operates Scales Elementary School (937 students), Overall Creek Elementary (937 students), and Black Fox Elementary (889 students). See the Murfreesboro 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.