Enrollment
86
Elementary
DISTRICT 211 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MOUNT PLEASANT COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 191989001175
Salem Elementary School
412 E. Jackson St., Salem, IA 52649 · (319) 258-7799 · Henry County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL86 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 99% of Iowa public elementary schools
- A+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Iowa public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
7 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.4:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
36%
31 students
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 41%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 13 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 12 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 17 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 19 | 22% |
| Grade 4 | 11 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 14 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (13) is 7% smaller than its 5th grade class (14).
Student demographics
11%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 48% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Mount Pleasant Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
81.0%
IA avg 73.6% . -8.2pp since 2023
Math
92.9%
IA avg 70.9% . -7.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 81 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 93 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are down about 8 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 7 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 81.0% | 92.9% |
| 2023-24 | 89.2% | 100.0% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of IA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
91.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
73.9%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+17.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 92% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 74% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 18 points, placing it in Iowa's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Salem Elementary School
Salem Elementary School's state test result (91.6% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Elementary School this school | 86 | 36.0% | 91.6% |
| Earlville Elementary School Earlville | 91 | 37.4% | N/A |
| Johnston Elementary School Hopkinton | 94 | 33.0% | N/A |
| Essex Elementary School Essex | 101 | 37.6% | 47.5% |
| Olin Elementary School Olin | 74 | 41.9% | 56.8% |
| Blakesburg Elementary Blakesburg | 103 | 41.7% | 64.5% |
Matched among Iowa elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Salem Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Henry County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 86 | #672 of 705 | #7 of 7 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
86
-17 (-17%) vs 2020
-47% since 1990-91, when it was 161
Student : Teacher
11.9:1
was 14.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 86 | 7.2 | 11.9:1 | 36% (31) |
| 2023-24 | 92 | 7.3 | 12.6:1 | 40% (37) |
| 2022-23 | 97 | 7.4 | 13.1:1 | 37% (36) |
| 2020-21 | 103 | 7 | 14.7:1 | 45% (46) |
| 2017-18 | 126 | 7.8 | 16.1:1 | 43% (54) |
| 2015-16 | 119 | 8 | 14.9:1 | 39% (46) |
| 2010-11 | 127 | 8 | 15.9:1 | 41% (52) |
| 2000-01 | 92 | 7 | 13.1:1 | 23% (21) |
| 1990-91 | 161 | 7 | 23.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Salem Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 32% (126 to 86); teachers down 7% (7.8 to 7.2).
About Salem Elementary School
Salem Elementary School is a small elementary school in Salem, Iowa. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 86 students in kindergarten through 5. Against the 325-student average for elementary schools in Iowa, enrollment here is 74% lower.
Salem Elementary School is run by Mount Pleasant Comm School District, whose 8 schools enroll 2,011 students.
About 94% of the student body at Salem Elementary School is White. Other reported shares: 2% Black and 2% multiracial. Pick two students at random and there is an 11% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Staffing totals 7.2 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 11.9:1. On average, elementary schools in Iowa have 13.7:1, compared with 11.9:1 here. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Salem Elementary School is 36%.
Measured against Iowa public elementary schools, Salem Elementary School receives an A+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Schools in Iowa with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to post an average proficiency rate on state tests near 73.9%. Salem Elementary School posts 91.6%, 17.7 points above that, which places it in the top 10% statewide on BeatsExpectations.
According to the American Community Survey, in Henry County, the median household income is $67,436, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 23%, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. Salem Elementary School is one of 13 public schools in the county.
The closest public school, Mount Pleasant High School, is about 7.5 miles from Salem Elementary School. There are 7 other public schools within ten miles. On state test proficiency, Salem Elementary School ranks 1st in a group of 7 nearby schools.
For locale, NCES codes Salem Elementary School as Rural: Distant.
2024-25 enrollment was 86, a 17% decrease from 103 in 2020-21. The school's ratio fell from 14.7:1 to 11.9:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
The Salem Elementary School community page is open for posts about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Henry County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
20,004
Census ACS
Median income
$67,436
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
13
3,230 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Mount Pleasant Comm School District
- Mount Pleasant High SchoolHigh · 545 students
- Mount Pleasant Middle SchoolMiddle · 383 students
- Van Allen Elementary SchoolElementary · 362 students
- Harlan Elementary SchoolElementary · 212 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolElementary · 202 students
- Harlan Elementary SchoolElementary · 195 students
Other Salem Elementary schools
15 other US public schools in 13 states are named Salem Elementary. Salem Elementary School is the 16th largest of the 16.
- Salem Elementary SchoolMurfreesboro, TN · 946 students
- Salem ElementarySalem, WI · 936 students
- Salem ElementaryApex, NC · 776 students
- Salem ElementaryFredericksburg, VA · 573 students
- Salem ElementaryVirginia Beach, VA · 541 students
Nearby schools
- Mount Pleasant High School7.5 mi · 545
- Lincoln Elementary School8.3 mi · 202
- WisdomQuest Education Center8.6 mi · 26
- Mount Pleasant Middle School8.8 mi · 383
- Van Allen Elementary School8.9 mi · 362
- Harlan Elementary School9.4 mi · 212
Frequently asked questions
About Salem Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Salem Elementary School?
Salem Elementary School enrolls approximately 86 students in grades KG-05.
Is Salem Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Salem Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Salem Elementary School have?
Salem Elementary School employs 7 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.9:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Salem Elementary School?
At Salem Elementary School, the student body is approximately 94% White, 1% Hispanic, 2% Black, 2% Two or more.
Is Salem Elementary School public or private?
Salem Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Mount Pleasant Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.