Salem Heights Elementary School

Salem Heights Elementary School, a cozy primary school in Salem, Oregon, run under Salem-Keizer SD 24J, works with 245 students, covering grades K through 5. By comparison, Oregon's public schools average about 321 students each, so Salem Heights Elementary School sits 24% smaller than that benchmark.

Across the 65 schools in Salem-Keizer SD 24J (37,776 students total), Salem Heights Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Salem Heights Elementary School lists that the largest single group is White, at 56% of enrollment. The remainder is composed of 28% Hispanic, 10% multiracial. By comparison, Marion County as a whole is about 66% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 19.5:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 16.5:1 average. Around 89% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

After controlling for student poverty, Salem Heights Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 27.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 22.7%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Marion County indicate median household earnings sit near $77,351, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Across Marion County's 111 public schools (combined enrollment of about 53,799 students), Salem Heights Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Candalaria Elementary School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Salem Heights Elementary School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Salem Heights Elementary School at 9th of 9; the average score across the group is 35.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a city-core area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Salem Heights Elementary School has ticked down 26%, going from 332 students in 2018 to 245 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 67% to 56%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 21.6:1 in 2018 to 19.5:1 in 2025.

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