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West Salem Elementary

Q: Is West Salem Elementary a good school?

West Salem Elementary ranks 323 rd of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

323^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 71% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

West Salem Elementary is a public elementary school in Salem, Virginia, serving 407 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Salem City Public Schools district, which is ranked 35 out of 129 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

West Salem Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages in academic achievement, particularly in mathematics and English reading. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school ranked 323 out of 1,110 Virginia elementary schools, placing it in the top 30%. The school's performance is especially strong in 3rd-grade mathematics, with 91.55% of students scoring proficient or better, compared to 83.85% for the district and 72.89% for the state. West Salem Elementary also excels in 3rd-grade English reading, with 83.33% of students scoring proficient or better, compared to 80% for the district and 66.93% for the state.

While West Salem Elementary outperforms nearby schools like East Salem Elementary and G.W. Carver Elementary, it faces competition from other high-performing schools in the region, such as Mason's Cove Elementary, Glenvar Elementary, and Fort Lewis Elementary, all of which are part of the Roanoke County Public Schools district. Despite having a significant population of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, West Salem Elementary maintains strong academic performance, suggesting effective strategies for supporting and addressing the needs of this student population.

375

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,591

Per pupil spending ?

35.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

520 N Bruffey St
Salem, VA 24153-2598

(540) 387-2503

District: Salem City Public Schools

Students who attend West Salem Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Andrew Lewis Middle
High:	Salem High

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.9%

Hispanic:

6.9%

African American:

6.4%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare West Salem Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 49th percentile in 2022 → 71st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (80% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 71st (2025) from a 49th-percentile low (2022)

✓Above the Virginia median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school80%

District avg74%

Virginia avg71%

323^rd of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Salem City Public Schools

35^th of 129Salem City Public Schools among Virginia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	72.2	323 of 1110	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.0	370 of 1114	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.3	463 of 1114	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.3	561 of 1109	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	78.8	225 of 1103	79.6%	★★★★☆
2019	64.3	427 of 1105	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.9	456 of 1097	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.1	318 of 1099	71.1%	★★★★☆
2016	67.1	349 of 1096	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.0	217 of 1100	80.3%	★★★★☆
2014	74.3	230 of 1110	79.3%	★★★★☆
2013	72.6	260 of 1120	76.8%	★★★★☆
2012	71.2	259 of 1117	76.8%	★★★★☆
2011	74.5	204 of 1117	81.7%	★★★★☆
2010	61.2	426 of 1113	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.3	408 of 1082	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.9	243 of 1081	77.5%	★★★★☆
2007	70.2	274 of 1083	74.7%	★★★★☆
2006	77.2	160 of 1071	85.1%	★★★★☆
2005	71.1	250 of 1062	76.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	77.9	41 of 355	88.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	63.7	412 of 1096	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.4	447 of 1098	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.0	563 of 1100	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	60.3	397 of 1046	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.3	360 of 1036	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	77.8	232 of 1093	78.8%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	284 of 1101	74.2%	★★★★☆
2023	66.4	371 of 1093	66.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	485 of 973	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	490 of 979	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	637 of 984	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2024)88th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2025)79th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)62nd percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)62nd percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)50th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

VA Studies83%+15 vs state

Mathematics83%+10 vs state

English Reading80%+10 vs state

Science73%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Salem Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Mathematics (2025)			SOL Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)			SOL VA Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	520 N Bruffey St	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-2503	375	27	13.7	35.5%	296 (78.9%)	24 (6.4%)	26 (6.9%)	12 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.5%)	72.2	323^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	70.9%		69	370^th of 1114 public elementary schools	66.8%	47	91.6	72.0	81.7	73.2	83.3	80.0	78.3	83.0	$10,591	$289	$10,302
G.W. Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6 Fourth St	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 387-2492	404	29	13.8	88.4%	234 (57.9%)	96 (23.8%)	47 (11.6%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.7%)	72.1	325^th of 1110 public elementary schools	70.7%		82.7	159^th of 1114 public elementary schools	85.7%	166	80.5	89.3	77.5	67.6	81.6	85.1	77.5	83.6	$11,206	$1,271	$9,935
South Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 Carolyn Rd	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-2478	371	36	10.1	40.2%	282 (76.0%)	30 (8.1%)	36 (9.7%)	8 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	77.6	251^st of 1110 public elementary schools	77.4%		80.5	212^th of 1114 public elementary schools	81.0%	39	86.7	75.0	95.0	83.3	76.7	83.1	88.1	79.3	$10,097	$503	$9,594
Fort Lewis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3115 West Main St	Salem	24153	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-6594	250	18	14.2	21.6%	198 (79.2%)	5 (2.0%)	18 (7.2%)	10 (4.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.2%)	87	88^th of 1110 public elementary schools	92.1%		87.1	85^th of 1114 public elementary schools	92.4%	3	86.8	91.4	95.5	97.7	81.1	88.6	97.7	79.4	$11,452	$1,716	$9,736
East Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1765 Boulevard	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 375-7001	378	30	12.8	88.1%	163 (43.1%)	76 (20.1%)	94 (24.9%)	9 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.3%)	54.4	545^th of 1110 public elementary schools	50.9%		56.5	530^th of 1114 public elementary schools	52.4%	15	79.6	71.0	73.3	70.7	81.6	67.2	67.6	74.6	$12,726	$1,432	$11,295
Glen Cove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5901 Cove Rd	Roanoke	24019	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 561-8135	425	30	14.4	67.5%	263 (61.9%)	63 (14.8%)	47 (11.1%)	19 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.8%)	81.1	194^th of 1110 public elementary schools	82.5%		76.1	267^th of 1114 public elementary schools	76.0%	73	86.7	83.1	86.7	83.3	81.7	87.7	85.0	84.1	$10,189	$481	$9,708
Glenvar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4507 Malus Dr	Salem	24153	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-6540	372	26	14.5	42.7%	322 (86.6%)	13 (3.5%)	18 (4.8%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	64.4	431^st of 1110 public elementary schools	61.2%		71.9	325^th of 1114 public elementary schools	70.8%	106	87.7	74.1	74.2	82.3	73.7	79.6	72.6	68.5	$10,676	$503	$10,172
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5005 Grandin Rd Extension	Roanoke	24018	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 772-7580	400	32	12.6	46.3%	277 (69.3%)	45 (11.3%)	36 (9.0%)	18 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.0%)	80.5	207^th of 1110 public elementary schools	81.4%		82.6	161^st of 1114 public elementary schools	85.5%	46	80.0	83.1	85.0	85.0	85.9	87.5	86.7	84.4	$11,876	$466	$11,410
Westside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1441 Westside Blvd NW	Roanoke	24017	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 853-2967	624	54	11.5	98.9%	69 (11.1%)	342 (54.8%)	149 (23.9%)	9 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (8.5%)	4.5	1076^th of 1110 public elementary schools	3.1%		4.3	1089^th of 1114 public elementary schools	2.2%	13	44.4	48.2	49.4	42.2	22.5	41.6	40.8	40.3	$14,177	$2,212	$11,965
Fairview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	648 Westwood Blvd NW	Roanoke	24017	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 853-2978	479	40	12.0	99.4%	67 (14.0%)	258 (53.9%)	74 (15.4%)	50 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.1%)	17	961^st of 1110 public elementary schools	13.4%		17.1	966^th of 1114 public elementary schools	13.3%	5	59.4	56.4	50.6	41.8	34.3	61.0	52.8	72.6	$12,110	$2,316	$9,794

Frequently Asked Questions about West Salem Elementary

What is the racial makeup of West Salem Elementary?

Students at West Salem Elementary are 79% White, 7% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

How many students attend West Salem Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 375 students attended West Salem Elementary.

Is West Salem Elementary a good school?

West Salem Elementary ranks 323^rd of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is West Salem Elementary in?

Salem City Public Schools

What schools do graduates of West Salem Elementary attend?

Students who attend West Salem Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Andrew Lewis Middle
High : Salem High

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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.