Enrollment
1,202
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Salem, VA
Salem High
Federal NCES profile for Salem High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510346002043
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salem High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Virginia schools.
- #10 of 11
- public schools in Salem · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 35.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Salem High has class sizes smaller than 80% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Salem High ranks #10 of 11 public schools in Salem, VA.
School address
District: Salem City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510346002043 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
101.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.5%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salem High
Salem High is a large high school in Salem, Virginia, enrolling 1,202 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Virginia, bigger than 90% of state schools at 1,202 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 171 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #84.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 53/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 301 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Discipline events run high: 337 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,202 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Salem's high schools, it stands alongside Glenvar High (620 students): Salem High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.9:1 vs 13.8:1).
Salem City Public Schools also operates Andrew Lewis Middle (839 students) and G.W. Carver Elementary (404 students) alongside Salem High.
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 compares
Salem High on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.9:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.5% | ▼ 38% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,202 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,202
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 20% in Virginia - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.4%
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
$13,711
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 301 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
217
in-school suspensions + 120 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.0 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
White 65.2%
African American 16.6%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 65.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.4, Salem High is about as mixed as the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salem City Public Schools, which includes Salem High.
$13,711
Per student
-6%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 44.9%
State 41.4%
Federal 13.7%
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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Lewis Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| G.W. Carver Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Salem Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| West Salem Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Salem Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Salem High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 839
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 378
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 371
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar high schools in Salem
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,202 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salem High's federal record.
- Compare Salem High against another school. Compare schools
- Salem City Public Schools'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
How many students attend Salem High?
Salem High has 1,202 students enrolled. It is a high school in Salem, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem High?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem High is 11.9:1, which is 14% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 24% 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?
35.5% of students at Salem High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem High?
The largest demographic group at Salem High is White at 65.2% of enrollment, in Salem, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem High?
Salem High has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Salem High rank among public schools in Salem?
By Resource Investment Index, Salem High ranks #10 of 11 public schools in Salem, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Salem on the city page.
Is Salem High a good school?
Salem High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Virginia 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 City Public Schools?
Besides Salem High, Salem City Public Schools also operates Andrew Lewis Middle (839 students), G.W. Carver Elementary (404 students), and East Salem Elementary (378 students). See the Salem City Public Schools 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.