Fort Lewis Elementary

Located at 3115 West Main St, in Salem, Virginia, Fort Lewis Elementary is a low-enrollment elementary-level community that serves 250 students (grades pre-K through 5), operated by Roanoke County Public Schools. By comparison, Virginia's public schools average about 499 students each, so Fort Lewis Elementary sits 50% smaller than that benchmark.

Within Roanoke County Public Schools, which oversees 26 schools and 13,735 students, Fort Lewis Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Fort Lewis Elementary lists that the largest single group is White, at 79% of enrollment; the rest reads as 7% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, 4% Asian, 2% Black.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Fort Lewis Elementary has 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.3:1. The state averages about 13.8:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 22% of students at Fort Lewis Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Roanoke County (around 49%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Fort Lewis Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 82.2%; this one delivers 88.8%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Roanoke County put median household income runs about $83,709, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 4%. In all, Roanoke County runs 26 public schools (combined enrollment of about 13,154 students), of which Fort Lewis Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Glenvar Elementary, roughly 1.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Fort Lewis Elementary ranks 1st on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 78.9%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 255 students in 2018 compared to 250 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.