Enrollment
1,690
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Virginia Beach, VA
Salem High
Federal NCES profile for Salem High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510384002166
👥 S:T ratio 38
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salem High earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Virginia schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Virginia.
- #2 of 12
- high schools in Virginia Beach · Resource Index
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.6:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 29.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Salem High has class sizes larger than 77% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Salem High ranks #2 of 12 high schools in Virginia Beach, VA.
School address
District: Virginia Beach City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510384002166 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
108.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.8%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-48% 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 Virginia Beach, Virginia, enrolling 1,690 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.8% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Virginia, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,690 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 113 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #40.
Its student body is led by White (37%) and African American (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 75/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 21 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
15.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Virginia Beach's high schools, it stands alongside Landstown High (2,152 students): Salem High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.6:1 vs 16.6:1).
Virginia Beach City Public Schools also operates Landstown High (2,152 students) and Kempsville High (2,046 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 12% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.8% | ▼ 48% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,690 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,690
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 77% in Virginia - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,118
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
96
in-school suspensions + 88 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.9 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 37.2%
African American 25.1%
Hispanic or Latino 15.2%
Two or More 12.2%
Asian 9.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 37.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 75.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 75.2, Salem High is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 21
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, which includes Salem High.
$14,118
Per student
-4%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.6%
State 39.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landstown High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kempsville High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bayside High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Tallwood High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Floyd Kellam High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher 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
- 2,152
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 2,046
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,984
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,890
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 1,842
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar high schools in Virginia Beach
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Landstown High
Standard public school
2,152 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Kempsville High
Standard public school
2,046 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Bayside High
Standard public school
1,984 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Tallwood High
Standard public school
1,890 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Floyd Kellam High
Standard public school
1,842 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Ocean Lakes High
Standard public school
1,834 students 15:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,690 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salem High's federal record.
- Compare Salem High against another school. Compare schools
- Virginia Beach 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 1,690 students enrolled. It is a high school in Virginia Beach, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem High?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem High is 15.6:1, which is 12% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salem High?
29.8% 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 37.2% of enrollment, in Virginia Beach, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 75.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem High?
Salem High has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (higher 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 high schools in Virginia Beach?
By Resource Investment Index, Salem High ranks #2 of 12 high schools in Virginia Beach, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Virginia Beach on the city page.
Is Salem High a good school?
Salem High earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Virginia schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Virginia. 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 Virginia Beach City Public Schools?
Besides Salem High, Virginia Beach City Public Schools also operates Landstown High (2,152 students), Kempsville High (2,046 students), and Bayside High (1,984 students). See the Virginia Beach 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.