Enrollment
352
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Salem, IN
Salem Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Salem Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 180981001601
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salem Middle School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Salem · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.7:1
- small classes for Indiana
- 48.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Salem Middle School has class sizes smaller than 89% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Salem Middle School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Salem, IN.
School address
District: Salem Community Schools · Indiana
NCES ID 180981001601 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.2%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem Middle School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salem Middle School
Salem Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Salem, Indiana, enrolling 352 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.7:1, Salem Middle School is leaner than roughly 89% of Indiana schools and 26% under the state's 15.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 48.2% lands close to the Indiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 352 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 476 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #190.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 176 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 95 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 352 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Salem Community Schools also operates Bradie Shrum Elementary (748 students) and Salem High School (492 students) alongside Salem Middle 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 Middle School compares
Salem Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.7:1 | ▼ 26% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.2% | ▼ 3% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 352 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
352
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 11% in Indiana - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.8%
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
$12,410
per pupil, district-wide
- above Indiana avg of $12,079
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 176 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
48
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.0 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 92.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.4%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 92.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.5, Salem Middle School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salem Community Schools, which includes Salem Middle School.
$12,410
Per student
+3%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.9%
State 57.9%
Federal 21.2%
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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradie Shrum Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Salem High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Salem Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 748
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~352 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salem Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Salem Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Salem Community 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 Middle School
How many students attend Salem Middle School?
Salem Middle School has 352 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Salem, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem Middle School is 11.7:1, which is 26% lower than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 25% 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 Middle School?
48.2% of students at Salem Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Salem Middle School is White at 92.9% of enrollment, in Salem, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem Middle School?
Salem Middle 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 Middle School rank among public schools in Salem?
By Resource Investment Index, Salem Middle School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Salem, IN. 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 Middle School a good school?
Salem Middle School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Indiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana 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 Community Schools?
Besides Salem Middle School, Salem Community Schools also operates Bradie Shrum Elementary (748 students) and Salem High School (492 students). See the Salem Community 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.