SALEM UPPER ELEM.

SALEM UPPER ELEM. is a K-5 school of mid-tier scale in SALEM, Missouri, part of SALEM R-80, educateing 335 students in grades 2 through 5.

SALEM UPPER ELEM. is one of 4 schools operated by SALEM R-80, a district that caters to 1,452 students overall.

On the student-mix side, SALEM UPPER ELEM. logs that 87% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. The remainder is composed of 6% multiracial, 5% Hispanic.

Looking at school resources, SALEM UPPER ELEM. logs 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.0:1. The state averages about 12.4:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 100% of students at SALEM UPPER ELEM. qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is noticeably above Dent County's rate of about 73%.

After controlling for student poverty, On a poverty-adjusted basis, SALEM UPPER ELEM. sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 49.4%; actual is 17.9%, a gap of -31.5 points.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Dent County indicate median household income runs about $56,312, roughly 17% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Dent County's 9 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,169 students), SALEM UPPER ELEM. is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is OZARK HILLS SCHOOL, roughly 0.9 miles away. Within five miles, there are 6 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), SALEM UPPER ELEM. ranks 7th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 49.9%.

The campus sits in a town-based setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 3%: 345 students in 2018 compared to 335 in 2025. The White share of enrollment declined from 92% to 87% over that span.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.