High school (grades 9-12) · Salem, OR

West Salem High School

Federal NCES profile for West Salem High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 411082004191
0/100100/10034/100
👥 S:T ratio
11
📚 AP courses
70
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
20
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

West Salem High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Oregon schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Oregon.

#5 of 6
high schools in Salem · Resource Index
34
Resource Index · Typical
22.3:1
large classes for Oregon
85.6%
free-lunch eligible

West Salem High School has class sizes larger than 90% of Oregon schools. Computed live against every Oregon school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, West Salem High School ranks #5 of 6 high schools in Salem, OR.

School address

Enrollment

1,606

Oregon · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

72.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

22.3:1

vs 17.6:1 Oregon avg

+27% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

85.6%

vs 52.8% Oregon avg

+62% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How West Salem High School compares with Oregon and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at West Salem High School

West Salem High School is a high-poverty, large high school in Salem, Oregon, enrolling 1,606 students.

Class loads run heavy: 22.3:1 is larger than about 90% of Oregon schools and 27% above the 17.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need is high: 85.6% of students qualify for free meals, 62% above the Oregon average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Oregon, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,606 students.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,273 scored Oregon schools.

Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 60/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 402 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The federal civil-rights collection also records 11 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.

Among Salem's high schools, it stands alongside Mckay High School (2,380 students): West Salem High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (22.3:1 vs 22.7:1).

Salem-Keizer Sd 24j also operates Mckay High School (2,380 students) and South Salem High School (2,195 students) alongside West Salem High 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 West Salem High School compares

West Salem High School on the metrics families compare, against Oregon and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Oregon Oregon avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 22.3:1 ▲ 27% 17.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 85.6% ▲ 62% 52.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 1,606 top 3% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

22.3:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,606
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
85.6%
free-lunch eligible - 62% above the Oregon average of 52.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.3:1
students per teacher - 27% above state mean
Top 90% in Oregon - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
45.8%
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
$15,528
per pupil, district-wide - below Oregon avg of $18,086
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 402 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
74
in-school suspensions + 46 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.

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 56.7%
Hispanic or Latino 26.8%
Two or More 9.3%
Asian 2.5%
African American 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%

Largest group: White at 56.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 59.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 59.7, West Salem High School is more mixed than the Oregon school average of 47.1.

Programs

AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salem-Keizer Sd 24j, which includes West Salem High School.

$15,528
Per student
-14%
vs Oregon
Avg $18,086
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.2%
State 61.3%
Federal 11.5%

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 West Salem High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Mckay High School Larger No free-lunch data Similar S:T ratio
South Salem High School Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
North Salem High School Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Mcnary High School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Sprague High School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to West Salem High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Salem-Keizer Sd 24j · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools in Salem

5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.

Similar high schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Oregon, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on West Salem High School's federal record.

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 West Salem High School

How many students attend West Salem High School?

West Salem High School has 1,606 students enrolled. It is a high school in Salem, OR.

What is the student-teacher ratio at West Salem High School?

The student-teacher ratio at West Salem High School is 22.3:1, which is 27% higher than the Oregon average of 17.6:1 and 42% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Salem High School?

85.6% of students at West Salem High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Oregon average of 52.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Salem High School?

The largest demographic group at West Salem High School is White at 56.7% of enrollment, in Salem, OR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for West Salem High School?

West Salem High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical 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 West Salem High School rank among high schools in Salem?

By Resource Investment Index, West Salem High School ranks #5 of 6 high schools in Salem, OR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Salem on the city page.

Is West Salem High School a good school?

West Salem High School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Oregon schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Oregon. 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-Keizer Sd 24j?

Besides West Salem High School, Salem-Keizer Sd 24j also operates Mckay High School (2,380 students), South Salem High School (2,195 students), and North Salem High School (2,107 students). See the Salem-Keizer Sd 24j district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.