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What's the most underrated thing about West Salem High School that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,606
High
DISTRICT 1,588 · STATE 630
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SALEM-KEIZER SD 24J·NCES 411082004191
West Salem High School
1776 Titan Way, Salem, OR 97304 · (503) 399-5533 · Polk County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,606 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 42% of Oregon public high schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-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 Oregon public high schools
Student : Teacher
25.1:1
64 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.6:1 · STATE 19.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
89%
1,437 students
DISTRICT 89% · STATE 76%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 408 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 378 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 425 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 395 | 25% |
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 62% · STATE 59% · 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
Test scores
OSAS 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
41.6%
OR avg 43.0% . +2.9pp since 2023
Math
13.7%
OR avg 31.8% . +4.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the OSAS, Oregon's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 14 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Oregon schools, those numbers are about 43 and 32. Reading and writing scores are up about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 5 points.
OSAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 41.6% | 13.7% |
| 2023-24 | 38.7% | 9.2% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: OSAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
24.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
27.9%
based on OR schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 25% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 28% typical for Oregon schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Oregon's top nor bottom 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 West Salem High School
West Salem High School's state test result (24.5% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Salem High School this school | 1,606 | 89.5% | 24.5% |
| Willamette High School Eugene | 1,455 | 87.5% | 18.6% |
| Sprague High School Salem | 1,712 | 88.8% | 23.5% |
| North Medford High School Medford | 1,721 | 86.8% | 42.2% |
| South Medford High School Medford | 1,856 | 86.9% | 34.4% |
| Sam Barlow High School Gresham | 1,635 | 81.5% | 26.1% |
Matched among Oregon high 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 West Salem High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 24.5% | #120 of 177 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 13.7% | #122 of 194 ▲ 32 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.6% | #96 of 201 ▲ 22 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,606 | #31 of 257 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 25.1:1 | #159 of 171 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.7% | #33 of 171 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 89.5% | #52 of 207 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.3% | #37 of 102 |
Ranked against other public high 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
1,606
-126 (-7%) vs 2020
-8% since 2010-11, when it was 1,744
Student : Teacher
25.1:1
was 27.1:1
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 | 1,606 | 64 | 25.1:1 | 89% (1,437) |
| 2023-24 | 1,666 | 70.3 | 23.7:1 | 67% (1,112) |
| 2022-23 | 1,733 | 72.4 | 23.9:1 | 86% (1,484) |
| 2020-21 | 1,732 | 64 | 27.1:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 1,810 | 76.3 | 23.7:1 | 34% (624) |
| 2015-16 | 1,770 | 76 | 23.3:1 | 38% (676) |
| 2010-11 | 1,744 | 79 | 22.1:1 | 38% (663) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Salem High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (1,810 to 1,606); teachers down 16% (76.3 to 64).
About West Salem High School
The public high school West Salem High School is located in Salem, Oregon. The school counted 1,606 students in 2024-25, covering grades 9 through 12. The school is 155% above the average for high schools in Oregon.
West Salem High School is run by Salem-Keizer SD 24J, whose 65 schools enroll 37,776 students.
The student body at West Salem High School is 56% White. The school is also 27% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 2% Asian, and 2% Black. The White share of the county population is higher, at 78%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 60, compared with 70 nationally.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 25.1:1. The school has 64 full-time-equivalent teachers. By comparison, the average for high schools in Oregon is 19.8:1. In all, 89% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
West Salem High School earns a C+ on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 42% of Oregon public high schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for West Salem High School is 27.9%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 24.5%.
American Community Survey estimates for Polk County show that the median household earns about $85,118 a year, about 31% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. Polk County has 24 public schools with about 11,121 students, including West Salem High School.
A public school about 0.4 miles away, Chapman Hill Elementary School, is the closest to West Salem High School. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. The school's 24.5% average proficiency ranks 9th among 9 nearby schools.
West Salem High School has an NCES locale of City: Mid-size.
The school's student count fell 7% between the 2020-21 and 2024-25 school years. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio dropped to 25.1:1, from 27.1:1.
People can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates and other school topics. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Polk County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
89,662
Census ACS
Median income
$85,118
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
24
11,121 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Salem-Keizer SD 24J
- McKay High SchoolHigh · 2,380 students
- South Salem High SchoolHigh · 2,195 students
- North Salem High SchoolHigh · 2,107 students
- McNary High SchoolHigh · 1,995 students
- Sprague High SchoolHigh · 1,712 students
- Stephens Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,014 students
Other schools in Salem
- McKay High SchoolHigh · 2,380 students
- South Salem High SchoolHigh · 2,195 students
- North Salem High SchoolHigh · 2,107 students
- Sprague High SchoolHigh · 1,712 students
- Stephens Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,014 students
- Waldo Middle SchoolMiddle · 997 students
Other West Salem High schools
One other US public school is named West Salem High. West Salem High School is the largest of the 2.
- West Salem HighWest Salem, WI · 603 students
Nearby schools
- Chapman Hill Elementary School0.4 mi · 306
- Straub Middle School0.4 mi · 568
- Kalapuya Elementary School0.6 mi · 483
- Brush College Elementary School1.0 mi · 250
- Myers Elementary School1.0 mi · 342
- Harritt Elementary School1.1 mi · 498
Frequently asked questions
About West Salem High SchoolHow many students attend West Salem High School?
West Salem High School enrolls approximately 1,606 students in grades 09-12.
Is West Salem High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
West Salem High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does West Salem High School have?
West Salem High School employs 64 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 25.1:1.
What is the student diversity at West Salem High School?
Student demographics at West Salem High School are roughly 56% White, 27% Hispanic, 2% Black, 2% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is West Salem High School in?
West Salem High School is part of Salem-Keizer SD 24J.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.