Enrollment
376
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Salem, AR
Salem High School
Federal NCES profile for Salem High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 051209000975
👥 S:T ratio 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salem High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.3:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 44.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 376
- students enrolled
Salem High School has class sizes smaller than 92% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Salem School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051209000975 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-54% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.5%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salem High School
Salem High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Salem, Arkansas, enrolling 376 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.3:1, Salem High School is leaner than roughly 92% of Arkansas schools and 54% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 376 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 301 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #86.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 188 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.5% 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 Elementary School (434 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 High School compares
Salem High 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 | 6.3:1 | ▼ 54% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.5% | ▼ 25% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 376 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.3:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
376
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
6.3:1
students per teacher
- 54% below state mean
Top 8% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
46.5%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 188 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.5 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 93.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 93.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.3, Salem High School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salem School District, which includes Salem High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Salem High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 434
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar other 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 (~376 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salem High School's federal record.
- Compare Salem High 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 High School
How many students attend Salem High School?
Salem High School has 376 students enrolled. It is a public school in Salem, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem High School is 6.3:1, which is 54% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 60% lower 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 High School?
44.5% of students at Salem High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem High School?
The largest demographic group at Salem High School is White at 93.6% of enrollment, in Salem, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem High School?
Salem High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Salem High School a good school?
Salem High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 92% of Arkansas schools. 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 High School, Salem School District also operates Salem Elementary School (434 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.