Enrollment
472
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 341455005094
Salem Middle School — Salem, NJ
Federal NCES profile for Salem Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 0
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 City School District · New Jersey
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
16.2:1
vs 11.9:1 New Jersey avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.4%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+165% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem Middle School compares with New Jersey 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 472 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% above the New Jersey state mean of 11.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 78.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 165% above the New Jersey average and 51% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 157 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 40.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Salem City School District spends $28,142 per pupil district-wide, below the New Jersey average of $29,189 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 12.5% from local sources (property taxes), 72.9% from the state, and 14.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), 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 New Jersey state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▲ 36% | 11.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.4% | ▲ 165% | 29.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 472 | top 56% | — | — |
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
78.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 165% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
— 36% above state mean
Top 96% in New Jersey — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
40.5%
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
$28,142
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Jersey avg of $29,189
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 157 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
62
in-school suspensions + 89 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 472 Top 56% in New Jersey — larger than 44% of 2,509 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 16.2:1 +36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 78.4% +165% vs state
NCES ID 341455005094
Student demographics
African American 63.1%
Hispanic or Latino 24.4%
White 9.3%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 63.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 157:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 40.5%
In-school suspensions 62
Out-of-school suspensions 89
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salem City School District, which includes Salem Middle School.
$28,142
Per student
-4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $29,189
+44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 12.5%
State 72.9%
Federal 14.6%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Salem
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 472 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in SALEM, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem Middle School is 16.2:1, which is 36% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.9:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salem Middle School?
78.4% of students at Salem Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Salem Middle School is African American at 63.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in SALEM, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem Middle School?
Salem Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) 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.