Salem Elementary School

Salem Elementary School is a rural-scale elementary school in Orrville, Alabama, overseen by Dallas County. The school caters to 155 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 480 students per school, that is 68% smaller than typical.

Dallas County comprises 11 schools with combined enrollment of 2,283 students; Salem Elementary School is among them.

Demographically, Salem Elementary School shows that 95% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. Other groups include 3% Hispanic. That is meaningfully more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 70%.

Looking at school resources, The school employs 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.2:1. The state averages about 17.0:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 78% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

With demographic context factored in, Salem Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 27.3%, the actual is 30.1%, a residual of +2.9 points.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Dallas County put the typical household earns roughly $35,627 per year, about 18% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 26%. Across Dallas County's 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 4,584 students), Salem Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Keith MiddleHigh School, around 4.2 miles off. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Salem Elementary School ranks 9th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 35.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Looking at the recent track record. Salem Elementary School's enrollment has shrank 24% since 2018, when it stood at 204 (now 155). Black enrollment moved from 100% to 95% across the same window. Class-load math has grew: from 15.7:1 in 2018 to 17.2:1 in 2025.

On this page, members of the Salem Elementary School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.