Enrollment
352
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 180981001601
Salem Middle School — Salem, IN
Federal NCES profile for Salem Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 16
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 Community Schools · Indiana
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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 16.1:1 Indiana avg
-16% 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
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 Middle School reports 352 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% below the Indiana state mean of 16.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 48.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the Indiana average and 7% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 176 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 33.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Salem Community Schools spends $14,554 per pupil district-wide, below the Indiana average of $14,559 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.9% from local sources (property taxes), 57.9% from the state, and 21.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Indiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.6:1 | ▼ 16% | 16.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.2% | ▼ 3% | 49.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 352 | top 31% | — | — |
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.
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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 23% in Indiana — lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
33.8%
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
$14,554
per pupil, district-wide
— below Indiana avg of $14,559
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 352 Top 31% in Indiana — larger than 69% of 1,865 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 48.2% -3% vs state
NCES ID 180981001601
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 176:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 33.8%
In-school suspensions 48
Out-of-school suspensions 47
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salem Community Schools, which includes Salem Middle School.
$14,554
Per student
0%
vs Indiana
Avg $14,559
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 748
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 492
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
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 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 13.6:1, which is 16% lower than the Indiana average of 16.1:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Salem, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem Middle School?
Salem Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.