Enrollment
335
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Salem, MO
Salem Upper Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Salem Upper Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 292709001676
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Salem Upper Elem. earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Salem · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.9:1
- students per teacher
- 50.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Salem Upper Elem. has class sizes near the Missouri median. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Salem Upper Elem. ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Salem, MO.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.6%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Salem Upper Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Salem Upper Elem.
Salem Upper Elem. is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Salem, Missouri, enrolling 335 students.
At 12.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Missouri median, within a few percentage points of the 12.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 50.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 335 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 395 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #248.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 335 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Salem R-80 spends $8,863 per pupil, 31% below the Missouri average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 23.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Salem R-80 also operates Salem Sr. High (606 students) and Wm. H. Lynch Elem. (257 students) alongside Salem Upper Elem..
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 Upper Elem. compares
Salem Upper Elem. on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.9:1 | ▲ 1% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.6% | ▲ 10% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 335 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
335
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 53% in Missouri - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$8,863
per pupil, district-wide
- below Missouri avg of $12,931
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 335 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 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 86.9%
Two or More 6.3%
Hispanic or Latino 5.1%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 86.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.8, Salem Upper Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salem R-80, which includes Salem Upper Elem..
$8,863
Per student
-31%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-47%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.0%
State 36.0%
Federal 23.0%
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 Upper Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Sr. High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wm. H. Lynch Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Salem Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Salem Upper Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 257
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 254
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Missouri, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~335 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Salem Upper Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Salem Upper Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Salem R-80'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 Upper Elem.
How many students attend Salem Upper Elem.?
Salem Upper Elem. has 335 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Salem, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Salem Upper Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Salem Upper Elem. is 12.9:1, which is 1% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Salem Upper Elem.?
50.6% of students at Salem Upper Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Salem Upper Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Salem Upper Elem. is White at 86.9% of enrollment, in Salem, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Salem Upper Elem.?
Salem Upper Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical 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 Upper Elem. rank among elementary schools in Salem?
By Resource Investment Index, Salem Upper Elem. ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Salem, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Salem on the city page.
Is Salem Upper Elem. a good school?
Salem Upper Elem. earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Missouri median. 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 R-80?
Besides Salem Upper Elem., Salem R-80 also operates Salem Sr. High (606 students), Wm. H. Lynch Elem. (257 students), and Salem Middle School (254 students). See the Salem R-80 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.