Enrollment
375
Elementary
DISTRICT 382 · STATE 499
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SALEM CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510346002046
West Salem Elementary
520 N Bruffey St, Salem, VA 24153 · (540) 387-2503 · Salem city
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL375 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 63% of Virginia public elementary schools
- B+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
13.7:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
35%
133 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 | 13 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 46 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 58 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 53 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 70 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 50 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 85 | 23% |
This year's kindergarten class (46) is 46% smaller than its 5th grade class (85).
Student demographics
36%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
81.0%
VA avg 74.2% . +6.0pp since 2022
Math
83.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +7.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 81 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 83 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 6 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 7 points.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 81.0% | 83.0% |
| 2023-24 | 78.0% | 76.0% |
| 2022-23 | 75.0% | 76.0% |
% 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
80.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
78.5%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 80% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 78% 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 West Salem Elementary
West Salem Elementary's state test result (80.4% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Salem Elementary this school | 375 | 35.5% | 80.4% |
| South Salem Elementary Salem | 371 | 40.2% | 83.1% |
| New London Academy Elementary Forest | 330 | 31.8% | 87.3% |
| Poquoson Primary Poquoson | 417 | 30.9% | N/A |
| South Anna Elementary Montpelier | 439 | 36.9% | 79.1% |
| Colonial Elementary Troutville | 439 | 36.0% | 89.3% |
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 West Salem Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 80.4% | #302 of 1,101 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 83.0% | #328 of 1,111 ▲ 136 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 81.0% | #313 of 1,111 ▲ 65 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 375 | #869 of 1,176 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.7:1 | #488 of 1,105 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 36.5% | #941 of 1,106 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 35.5% | #892 of 1,157 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.6% | #307 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
375
-17 (-4%) vs 2020
-12% since 1990-91, when it was 424
Student : Teacher
13.7:1
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 | 375 | 27.4 | 13.7:1 | 35% (133) |
| 2023-24 | 407 | 25.5 | 16.0:1 | 40% (164) |
| 2022-23 | 399 | 27.5 | 14.5:1 | 37% (146) |
| 2020-21 | 392 | 28 | 14.0:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 439 | 26.5 | 16.6:1 | 31% (135) |
| 2015-16 | 397 | 24 | 16.5:1 | 21% (85) |
| 2010-11 | 408 | 23 | 17.7:1 | 21% (84) |
| 2000-01 | 471 | 31 | 15.2:1 | 11% (52) |
| 1990-91 | 424 | 24 | 17.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Salem Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (439 to 375); teachers up 3% (26.5 to 27.4).
About West Salem Elementary
West Salem Elementary is one of the public schools in Salem, Virginia. It is a low-enrollment elementary school. The grade span is pre-K through 5, and enrollment is 375 students. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Virginia is about 499, so this school runs 25% smaller than that.
Salem City Public Schools runs 7 schools with a combined 3,984 students. West Salem Elementary is one of them.
A majority of students at West Salem Elementary, 79%, are White. Next come 7% Hispanic, 6% Black, 5% multiracial, and 3% Asian. County-wide, about 83% of residents are White. The chance that two students picked at random at West Salem Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 36%.
Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.7:1 at West Salem Elementary, with 27.4 full-time-equivalent teachers. Across elementary schools in Virginia, the average ratio is about 13.8:1. The count of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch equals 35% of enrollment. The average for public schools in Salem city is 51%.
West Salem Elementary is graded B by allk12, scoring above 63% of Virginia public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 78.5% at West Salem Elementary; the school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 80.4%.
According to the American Community Survey, in Salem city, median household income is about $66,725, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 33% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. West Salem Elementary is one of 10 public schools in Salem city, which together enroll about 3,984 students.
Salem High is the public school closest to West Salem Elementary, about 0.2 miles away. West Salem Elementary has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. West Salem Elementary's average proficiency of 80.4% compares with 79.5% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Under the NCES locale system, West Salem Elementary is Suburb: Mid-size.
West Salem Elementary had 392 students in 2020-21 and 375 in 2024-25, a 4% decrease.
If you have questions about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at West Salem Elementary, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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
- South Salem ElementaryElementary · 371 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 West Salem Elementary schools
One other US public school is named West Salem Elementary. West Salem Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- West Salem ElementaryWest Salem, WI · 677 students
Nearby schools
- Salem High0.2 mi · 1,202
- G.W. Carver Elementary1.3 mi · 404
- Virginia Virtual Academy at Salem1.4 mi · 415
- South Salem Elementary1.4 mi · 371
- Andrew Lewis Middle1.5 mi · 839
- Fort Lewis Elementary2.3 mi · 250
Frequently asked questions
About West Salem ElementaryHow many students attend West Salem Elementary?
West Salem Elementary enrolls approximately 375 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does West Salem Elementary serve?
West Salem Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at West Salem Elementary?
Approximately 13.7:1 students per teacher at West Salem Elementary.
How diverse is West Salem Elementary?
West Salem Elementary reports a student body of 79% White, 7% Hispanic, 6% Black, 3% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees West Salem Elementary?
West Salem Elementary 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.