Enrollment
371
Elementary
DISTRICT 382 · STATE 499
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SALEM CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510346002048
South Salem Elementary
1600 Carolyn Rd, Salem, VA 24153 · (540) 387-2478 · Salem city
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL371 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 79% of Virginia public elementary schools
- A-Test 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 Virginia public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
149 students
DISTRICT 56% · STATE 66%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 23 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 43 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 59 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 61 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 62 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 62 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 61 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (43) is 30% smaller than its 5th grade class (61).
Student demographics
40%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
Students here typically continue to
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
83.0%
VA avg 74.2% . -1.0pp since 2022
Math
86.0%
VA avg 72.7% . -2.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 83 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 86 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are down about 1 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 2 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 83.0% | 86.0% |
| 2023-24 | 85.0% | 84.0% |
| 2022-23 | 84.0% | 88.0% |
% 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
83.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
77.2%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 83% 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 South Salem Elementary
South Salem Elementary's state test result (83.1% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Salem Elementary this school | 371 | 40.2% | 83.1% |
| Christiansburg Elementary Christiansburg | 401 | 42.6% | 75.0% |
| West Salem Elementary Salem | 375 | 35.5% | 80.4% |
| South Anna Elementary Montpelier | 439 | 36.9% | 79.1% |
| Beaverdam Elementary Beaverdam | 339 | 43.4% | 75.9% |
| Glenvar Elementary Salem | 372 | 42.7% | 77.0% |
Matched among Virginia elementary 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 South Salem Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 83.1% | #225 of 1,101 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 86.0% | #233 of 1,111 ▲ 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 83.0% | #250 of 1,111 ▼ 70 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 371 | #877 of 1,176 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.2:1 | #30 of 1,105 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 40.4% | #898 of 1,106 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 40.2% | #851 of 1,157 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.9% | #384 of 759 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
371
+8 (+2%) vs 2020
-20% since 1990-91, when it was 461
Student : Teacher
10.2:1
was 14.0:1
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 | 371 | 36.5 | 10.2:1 | 40% (149) |
| 2023-24 | 389 | 29.5 | 13.2:1 | 41% (159) |
| 2022-23 | 388 | 30 | 12.9:1 | 42% (163) |
| 2020-21 | 363 | 26 | 14.0:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 421 | 26.5 | 15.9:1 | 35% (149) |
| 2015-16 | 399 | 26 | 15.3:1 | 25% (99) |
| 2010-11 | 451 | 26 | 17.4:1 | 26% (119) |
| 2000-01 | 431 | 32 | 13.5:1 | 13% (58) |
| 1990-91 | 461 | 26 | 17.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Salem Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (421 to 371); teachers up 38% (26.5 to 36.5).
About South Salem Elementary
Located in Salem, Virginia, South Salem Elementary is a small elementary school. School enrollment was 371 students in 2024-25, in pre-K through 5. For comparison, elementary schools in Virginia average about 499 students.
South Salem Elementary belongs to Salem City Public Schools, a district of 7 schools and 3,984 students.
At South Salem Elementary, White students make up 76% of the student body. The school is also 10% Hispanic, 8% Black, 4% multiracial, and 2% Asian. South Salem Elementary's diversity index is 40%, against a US figure of 70%.
South Salem Elementary operates with 36.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 10.2:1. On average, elementary schools in Virginia have 13.8:1, compared with 10.2:1 here. South Salem Elementary reports 40% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The 51% average for public schools in Salem city is 11 points higher.
Measured against Virginia public elementary schools, South Salem Elementary receives an A-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
On BeatsExpectations, South Salem Elementary is 6.0 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Virginia schools.
Among Salem city residents, the median household income is $66,725, about 33% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 7%. Besides South Salem Elementary, Salem city has 9 other public schools.
Salem High is located about 1.2 miles from South Salem Elementary. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. In a group of 8 nearby schools with scores, South Salem Elementary ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
Federal records code the school's setting as Suburb: Mid-size.
Enrollment went from 363 in 2020-21 to 371 in 2024-25, a change of 8 students. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio fell from 14.0:1 to 10.2:1.
Posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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
- Salem HighHigh · 1,202 students
- 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
Other schools in Salem
- Salem HighHigh · 1,202 students
- 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
Other South Salem Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named South Salem Elementary. South Salem Elementary is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- South Salem Elementary SchoolCovington, GA · 855 students
- SOUTH SALEM ELEMENTARY SCHOOLPORT WASHINGTON, NY · 435 students
Nearby schools
- Salem High1.2 mi · 1,202
- West Salem Elementary1.4 mi · 375
- G.W. Carver Elementary1.6 mi · 404
- Fort Lewis Elementary1.7 mi · 250
- Virginia Virtual Academy at Salem1.8 mi · 415
- Andrew Lewis Middle1.8 mi · 839
Frequently asked questions
About South Salem ElementaryHow large is South Salem Elementary?
South Salem Elementary enrolls approximately 371 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does South Salem Elementary serve?
South Salem Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at South Salem Elementary?
Approximately 10.2:1 students per teacher at South Salem Elementary.
What is the student diversity at South Salem Elementary?
Student demographics at South Salem Elementary are roughly 76% White, 10% Hispanic, 8% Black, 2% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is South Salem Elementary public or private?
South Salem Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Salem City Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.