1
Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at SALEM HIGH?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,202
High
DISTRICT 569 · STATE 1,213
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SALEM CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510346002043
Salem High
400 Spartan Dr, Salem, VA 24153 · (540) 387-2437 · Salem city
GRADES 09–12HIGH22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,202 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
9.1:1
133 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.0:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
485 students
DISTRICT 56% · STATE 66%
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 | 311 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 315 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 288 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 288 | 24% |
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 55% · STATE 71% · 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
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Salem City Public Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
SOL 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
91.0%
VA avg 74.2% . +1.0pp since 2022
Math
92.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +7.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 91 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 92 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 7 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 91.0% | 92.0% |
| 2023-24 | 90.0% | 87.0% |
| 2022-23 | 90.0% | 85.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. 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
74.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
77.1%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 74% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 77% typical for Virginia 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 Virginia'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 Salem High
Salem High's state test result (74.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem High this school | 1,202 | 40.3% | 74.3% |
| Patrick Henry High Ashland | 1,294 | 39.1% | 69.6% |
| Warhill High Williamsburg | 1,277 | 32.7% | 78.9% |
| William Byrd High Vinton | 1,134 | 37.7% | 80.0% |
| Christiansburg High Christiansburg | 1,072 | 37.0% | 75.0% |
| King George High King George | 1,492 | 30.2% | 72.9% |
Matched among Virginia 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 Salem High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 74.3% | #156 of 311 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 92.0% | #58 of 316 ▲ 51 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 91.0% | #76 of 316 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,202 | #153 of 325 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.1:1 | #10 of 309 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.3% | #176 of 309 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 40.3% | #224 of 319 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.0% | #110 of 178 |
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
1,202
-60 (-5%) vs 2020
+18% since 1990-91, when it was 1,021
Student : Teacher
9.1:1
was 15.2:1
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 | 1,202 | 132.5 | 9.1:1 | 40% (485) |
| 2023-24 | 1,213 | 103.4 | 11.7:1 | 41% (503) |
| 2022-23 | 1,227 | 101.5 | 12.1:1 | 39% (480) |
| 2020-21 | 1,262 | 83 | 15.2:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 1,292 | 84.4 | 15.3:1 | 30% (393) |
| 2015-16 | 1,181 | 87 | 13.6:1 | 22% (255) |
| 2010-11 | 1,267 | 76 | 16.7:1 | 24% (300) |
| 2000-01 | 1,242 | 87 | 14.3:1 | 8% (97) |
| 1990-91 | 1,021 | 70 | 14.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Salem High.
Since 2017-18: students down 7% (1,292 to 1,202); teachers up 57% (84.4 to 132.5).
About Salem High
Salem High is a mid-sized high school found in Salem, Virginia. It enrolls 1,202 students in 2024-25. The grades offered are 9 through 12.
Besides Salem High, Salem City Public Schools runs 6 other schools. The district enrolls 3,984 students.
About 65% of the student body at Salem High is White. Smaller groups are 17% Black, 10% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 2% Asian. County-wide, 83% of Salem city residents are White. A diversity index of 53% means there is a 53% chance two randomly chosen students at Salem High are from different groups.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 9.1:1. The school has 132.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. The school's 9.1:1 compares with an average of 13.9:1 for high schools in Virginia. Federal data show 40% of students (485) are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The rate at public schools in Salem city averages 51%, higher than here.
A school with Salem High's lunch-eligibility share in Virginia is predicted to score 77.1%. Salem High scores 74.3%, 2.9 points below that line.
In Salem city, where the school is located, the median household earns about $66,725 a year, roughly 33% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Salem High, Salem city has 10 public schools.
West Salem Elementary, about 0.2 miles away, is the closest public school. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Among the 8 closest schools with test data, this one included, Salem High ranks 6th on average proficiency.
Its location is classified as Suburb: Mid-size by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Salem High had a net loss of 60 students, or 5%. The ratio was 15.2:1 in 2020-21 and 9.1:1 in 2024-25.
People who know Salem High can post here about open houses, carpools, and field trips. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Salem city at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
25,618
Census ACS
Median income
$66,725
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
10
3,984 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Salem City Public Schools
- Andrew Lewis MiddleMiddle · 839 students
- Virginia Virtual Academy at SalemCombined · 415 students
- G.W. Carver ElementaryElementary · 404 students
- East Salem ElementaryElementary · 378 students
- West Salem ElementaryElementary · 375 students
- South Salem ElementaryElementary · 371 students
Other schools in Salem
- Andrew Lewis MiddleMiddle · 839 students
- Glenvar HighHigh · 620 students
- Glenvar MiddleMiddle · 433 students
- Virginia Virtual Academy at SalemCombined · 415 students
- G.W. Carver ElementaryElementary · 404 students
- East Salem ElementaryElementary · 378 students
Other Salem High schools
10 other US public schools in 10 states are named Salem High. Salem High is the 3rd largest of the 11.
- Salem HighVirginia Beach, VA · 1,690 students
- Salem High SchoolCANTON, MI · 1,871 students
- Salem High SchoolConyers, GA · 1,118 students
- Salem High SchoolSalem, NH · 1,116 students
- Salem HighSalem, MA · 952 students
Nearby schools
- West Salem Elementary0.2 mi · 375
- South Salem Elementary1.2 mi · 371
- G.W. Carver Elementary1.4 mi · 404
- Virginia Virtual Academy at Salem1.6 mi · 415
- Andrew Lewis Middle1.6 mi · 839
- Fort Lewis Elementary2.1 mi · 250
Frequently asked questions
About Salem HighHow large is Salem High?
Salem High enrolls approximately 1,202 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Salem High serve?
Salem High serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Salem High have?
Salem High employs 133 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 9.1:1.
What is the student diversity at Salem High?
Student demographics at Salem High are roughly 65% White, 10% Hispanic, 17% Black, 2% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Salem High?
Salem High is overseen by Salem City Public Schools in Salem city.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.