Salem High

Summary:

Salem High is a public high school located in Salem, Virginia, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,227 students. The school is part of the Roanoke City Public Schools district, which is ranked 20 out of 130 districts in Virginia and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Salem High stands out for its diverse student population, with a racial makeup of 68.22% White, 14.59% African American, 8.39% Hispanic, 3.18% Asian, and 5.46% two or more races. This diversity is higher than most of the nearby schools, which tend to have a predominantly White student population. Academically, Salem High has consistently performed well on state assessments, outperforming the state and district averages in subjects like Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, and English Reading. The school has also shown strong performance across different student subgroups, ranking highly for African American students and English Language Learner students.

While Salem High outperforms the state and district averages in many areas, it faces competition from nearby high-performing schools like Cave Spring High and Hidden Valley High, which are also part of the Roanoke County Public Schools district. These schools have consistently ranked higher than Salem High in the statewide rankings. Additionally, Salem High serves a more economically diverse student population, with a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch compared to some of the nearby schools.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 400 Spartan Dr
       Salem, VA  24153-3296


(540) 387-2437

District: Salem City Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
117th of 329 Virginia High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $7,973 Help


Feeder schools for Salem High:

Elementary:    East Salem Elementary
    G.W. Carver Elementary
    South Salem Elementary
    West Salem Elementary
Middle:    Andrew Lewis Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  11.7 Help
Number of students:  1,213

Racial breakdown:

White:
66.9%
African American:
16.2%
Hispanic:
8.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  41.5% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Salem High ranks better than 64.4% of high schools in Virginia. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 64.83. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Salem High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (66.9%), African American (16.2%), Hispanic (8.6%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 41.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Salem High is 11.7. (See more...)
Help
Compare Salem High employs 103.4 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Salem High is $7,973.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Salem High:

SchoolDigger ranks Salem High 117th of 329 Virginia public high schools. (See Salem High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Salem City Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Salem City Public Schools 20th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Salem High

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Rank History for all students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 66.28 47th 308 84.7%
2006 67.09 45th 314 85.7%
2007 69.65 39th 313 87.5%
2008 70.63 40th 316 87.3%
2009 64.98 68th 313 78.3%
2010 66.25 58th 317 81.7%
2011 67.38 62nd 320 80.6%
2012 69.38 39th 321 87.9%
2013 65.02 69th 321 78.5%
2014 69.19 53rd 322 83.5%
2015 72.10 37th 322 88.5%
2016 68.15 52nd 321 83.8%
2017 69.60 43rd 324 86.7%
2018 58.45 107th 326 67.2%
2019 51.72 153rd 327 53.2%
2021 65.08 57th 327 82.6%
2022 65.98 72nd 325 77.8%
2023 69.82 89th 326 72.7%
2024 64.83 117th 329 64.4%
See the entire list of Virginia High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 79.34 19th 193 90.2%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 84.99 14th 97 85.6%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 68.15 71st 320 77.8%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 70.08 80th 320 75.0%
2024 64.38 115th 322 64.3%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 77.57 25th 249 90.0%
2024 57.14 98th 253 61.3%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 67.05 107th 321 66.7%
2024 61.89 128th 322 60.2%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 66.20 72nd 240 70.0%
2024 69.83 55th 249 77.9%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 49.10 129th 232 44.4%
2024 58.60 87th 233 62.7%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Salem High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 63.93 96th 315 69.5%
2024 53.72 172nd 314 45.2%
See the entire list of Best Virginia High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Virginia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Salem High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Virginia Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Salem High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1103 1103
1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1030 1030
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 1021 1021
1992 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1025 1025
1993 1013 57 20 0 0 n/a n/a 0 1090
1994 1027 60 22 1 0 n/a n/a 0 1110
1995 1075 85 18 5 0 n/a n/a 0 1183
1996 1075 85 18 5 0 n/a n/a 0 1183
1997 1089 90 22 5 0 n/a n/a 0 1206
1998 1090 84 33 5 0 n/a n/a 0 1212
1999 1137 75 33 5 0 n/a n/a 0 1250
2000 1158 76 32 6 0 n/a n/a -4 1268
2001 1112 84 38 8 0 n/a n/a 0 1242
2002 1098 90 33 5 1 n/a n/a 0 1227
2003 1098 90 33 5 1 n/a n/a 0 1227
2004 1097 87 36 6 1 n/a n/a 1 1228
2005 1142 91 36 12 1 n/a n/a 3 1285
2006 1114 106 31 16 0 n/a n/a 4 1271
2007 1145 121 31 17 0 n/a n/a 9 1323
2008 1103 136 33 20 0 n/a n/a 7 1299
2009 1100 122 35 21 1 n/a n/a 7 1286
2010 1091 145 38 23 2 n/a n/a 11 1310
2011 1051 127 34 29 2 3 21 0 1267
2012 1040 125 33 32 1 2 29 0 1262
2013 999 116 28 33 0 1 42 0 1219
2014 985 103 25 38 0 0 49 0 1200
2015 974 106 25 37 0 0 59 0 1201
2016 939 113 26 34 0 1 68 0 1181
2017 951 116 30 40 0 0 68 0 1205
2018 990 148 34 55 2 3 60 0 1292
2019 971 153 31 61 1 1 60 0 1278
2020 952 151 32 69 0 1 48 0 1253
2021 943 152 31 79 0 0 57 0 1262
2022 893 154 37 99 1 0 65 0 1249
2023 837 179 39 103 1 1 67 0 1227
2024 811 196 32 104 2 1 67 0 1213

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Salem High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 1103 76.2 14.4 n/a
1990 1030 74.3 13.8 n/a
1991 1021 70.3 14.5 n/a
1992 1025 71.6 14.3 n/a
1993 1090 76.4 14.3 n/a
1994 1110 135.2 n/a 10.3
1995 1183 n/a 0.0 8.7
1996 1183 n/a 0.0 8.7
1997 1206 n/a 0.0 8.5
1998 1212 n/a 0.0 8.1
1999 1250 85.0 14.7 7.1
2000 1268 n/a 0.0 8.7
2001 1242 87.9 14.1 7.8
2002 1227 104.9 11.7 10.3
2003 1227 104.9 11.7 10.3
2004 1228 92.9 13.2 13.1
2005 1285 88.8 14.5 13.1
2006 1271 90.0 14.1 24.5
2007 1323 88.0 15.0 15.4
2008 1299 79.7 16.3 16.1
2009 1286 80.6 16.0 16.9
2010 1310 78.9 16.5 19.9
2011 1267 76.6 16.5 23.7
2012 1262 74.1 17.0 26.1
2013 1219 84.4 14.4 25.3
2014 1200 86.1 13.9 25.1
2015 1201 85.0 14.1 20.4
2016 1181 88.0 13.4 21.6
2017 1205 80.5 14.9 24.5
2018 1292 84.4 15.3 30.4
2019 1278 87.2 14.6 30.4
2020 1253 88.1 14.2 30.9
2021 1262 83.9 15.0 n/a
2022 1249 96.0 13.0 31
2023 1227 101.5 12.0 39.1
2024 1213 103.4 11.7 41.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Salem High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 1103 76.2 14.4 n/a
1990 1030 74.3 13.8 n/a
1991 1021 70.3 14.5 n/a
1992 1025 71.6 14.3 n/a
1993 1090 76.4 14.3 n/a
1994 1110 135.2 n/a 10.3
1995 1183 n/a 0.0 8.7
1996 1183 n/a 0.0 8.7
1997 1206 n/a 0.0 8.5
1998 1212 n/a 0.0 8.1
1999 1250 85.0 14.7 7.1
2000 1268 n/a 0.0 8.7
2001 1242 87.9 14.1 7.8
2002 1227 104.9 11.7 10.3
2003 1227 104.9 11.7 10.3
2004 1228 92.9 13.2 13.1
2005 1285 88.8 14.5 13.1
2006 1271 90.0 14.1 24.5
2007 1323 88.0 15.0 15.4
2008 1299 79.7 16.3 16.1
2009 1286 80.6 16.0 16.9
2010 1310 78.9 16.5 19.9
2011 1267 76.6 16.5 23.7
2012 1262 74.1 17.0 26.1
2013 1219 84.4 14.4 25.3
2014 1200 86.1 13.9 25.1
2015 1201 85.0 14.1 20.4
2016 1181 88.0 13.4 21.6
2017 1205 80.5 14.9 24.5
2018 1292 84.4 15.3 30.4
2019 1278 87.2 14.6 30.4
2020 1253 88.1 14.2 30.9
2021 1262 83.9 15.0 n/a
2022 1249 96.0 13.0 31
2023 1227 101.5 12.0 39.1
2024 1213 103.4 11.7 41.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Salem High

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $145 (1.9%) $7,647 (98.1%) $7,792
2020 $141 (1.8%) $7,730 (98.2%) $7,871
2021 $206 (2.6%) $7,767 (97.4%) $7,973

Data source: Virginia Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Salem High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 153rd of 327 High schoolsRanks 89th of 326 High schools
 19.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
End of Course Geometry (Salem High)7692
 16%
   End of Course Geometry (Salem City Public Schools)8396
 13%
   End of Course Geometry (Virginia)8380
 3%
End of Course Algebra I (Salem High)6787
 20%
   End of Course Algebra I (Salem City Public Schools)8390
 7%
   End of Course Algebra I (Virginia)8680
 6%
End of Course Algebra II (Salem High)9893
 5%
   End of Course Algebra II (Salem City Public Schools)9893
 5%
   End of Course Algebra II (Virginia)9186
 5%
End of Course Chemistry (Salem High)9199
 8%
   End of Course Chemistry (Salem City Public Schools)9199
 8%
   End of Course Chemistry (Virginia)8864
 24%
End of Course Biology (Salem High)8675
 11%
   End of Course Biology (Salem City Public Schools)8675
 11%
   End of Course Biology (Virginia)8370
 13%
End of Course Earth Science (Salem High)9185
 6%
   End of Course Earth Science (Salem City Public Schools)9184
 7%
   End of Course Earth Science (Virginia)8172
 9%
End of Course English Reading (Salem High)9187
 4%
   End of Course English Reading (Salem City Public Schools)9186
 5%
   End of Course English Reading (Virginia)8685
 1%
End of Course VA and US History (Salem High)7256
 16%
   End of Course VA and US History (Salem City Public Schools)7253
 19%
   End of Course VA and US History (Virginia)6838
 30%
End of Course World History I (Salem High)8238
 44%
   End of Course World History I (Salem City Public Schools)8236
 46%
   End of Course World History I (Virginia)8066
 14%
End of Course World History II (Salem High)5758
 1%
   End of Course World History II (Salem City Public Schools)5756
 1%
   End of Course World History II (Virginia)8148
 33%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students12781227
 4%
African American153179
 17%
American Indian11
Asian3139
 25.8%
Hispanic61103
 68.9%
Pacific Islander11
White971837
 13.8%
Two or More Races6067
 11.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients30.4%39.1%
 8.7%


Schools Near Salem High









Frequently Asked Questions about Salem High

Students at Salem High are 67% White, 16% African American, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,213 students attended Salem High.

Salem High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : East Salem Elementary
Elementary : G.W. Carver Elementary
Elementary : South Salem Elementary
Elementary : West Salem Elementary
Middle : Andrew Lewis Middle

Salem High ranks 117th of 329 Virginia high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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