Enrollment
952
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 251038001664
Salem High — Salem, MA
Federal NCES profile for Salem High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 66
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 84
📋 Attendance 23
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Salem · Massachusetts
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
104.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.5:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem High compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Salem High reports 952 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 104.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% below the Massachusetts state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 47% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 34 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 80 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 30.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Salem spends $31,115 per pupil district-wide, above the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.5% from local sources (property taxes), 41.5% from the state, and 12.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Salem High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Massachusetts state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.5:1 | ▼ 30% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 952 | top 91% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
8.5:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 6% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
30.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$31,115
per pupil, district-wide
— above Massachusetts avg of $28,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors11.9 FTE
Per 80 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 952 Top 91% in Massachusetts — larger than 9% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 104.0
Students per teacher 8.5:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 251038001664
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 49.3%
White 36.0%
African American 7.8%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 34
Counselors (FTE) 11.9
Students per counselor 80:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 30.7%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 27
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salem, which includes Salem High.
$31,115
Per student
+9%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
+60%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.5%
State 41.5%
Federal 12.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 611
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 412
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 293
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
Similar high schools in Salem
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Salem High
How many students attend Salem High?
Salem High has 952 students enrolled. It is a high school in Salem, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem High?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem High is 8.5:1, which is 30% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 47% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem High?
The largest demographic group at Salem High is Hispanic or Latino at 49.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Salem, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem High?
Salem High has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.