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Salem Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

50^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Salem Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Salem, Iowa, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 92 students. The school is part of the Mount Pleasant Community School District, which is ranked 190 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 2-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger.

Salem Elementary School consistently outperforms the Mount Pleasant Community School District and the state of Iowa in academic proficiency across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 100% of 4th and 5th-grade students were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 70.6% and 71.1% for the district, respectively. The school also has a strong statewide ranking, consistently placing in the top 100 elementary schools in Iowa, and maintains a relatively low student-teacher ratio compared to nearby schools.

While Salem Elementary School outperforms the other Mount Pleasant Community School District elementary schools, the nearby Central Lee Elementary School (in the Central Lee Community School District) also stands out with strong academic performance and a higher statewide ranking. This suggests that there may be valuable lessons to be learned from the practices and strategies employed at Central Lee Elementary School. Despite the overall strong performance of Salem Elementary School, there are still areas where the school could potentially improve, such as reducing chronic absenteeism and further closing the achievement gaps between the school and the state averages in certain subjects and grade levels.

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,189

Per pupil spending ?

36%

Free/discounted lunch ?

412 E. Jackson St.
Salem, IA 52649

(319) 258-7799

District: Mount Pleasant Community School District

Students who attend Salem Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Mount Pleasant Middle School
High:	Mount Pleasant High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.2%

African American:

2.3%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Salem Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 97th percentile in 2015 → 91st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Iowa average (88% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Iowa elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school88%

District avg66%

Iowa avg71%

50^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 3% (2015) to top 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Mount Pleasant Community School District

190^th of 313Mount Pleasant Community School District among Iowa 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	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	82.7	50 of 576	91.3%	★★★★★
2024	93.7	3 of 557	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	81.2	71 of 565	87.4%	★★★★☆
2022	84.4	49 of 574	91.5%	★★★★★
2021	70.4	154 of 567	72.8%	★★★★☆
2019	82.8	70 of 603	88.4%	★★★★☆
2018	76.3	103 of 567	81.8%	★★★★☆
2017	63.1	244 of 574	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	68.0	200 of 599	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	87.6	16 of 616	97.4%	★★★★★
2014	78.1	77 of 603	87.2%	★★★★☆
2013	65.5	211 of 624	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.3	199 of 626	68.2%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Science93%+29 vs state

Mathematics93%+19 vs state

English Language Arts81%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Salem Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)				ISASP Mathematics (2025)				ISASP Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Salem Elementary School	Public	K-5	412 E. Jackson St.	Salem	52649	Henry County	Mount Pleasant Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 258-7799	86	7	11.9	36.0%	81 (94.2%)	2 (2.3%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.3%)	82.7	50^th of 576 public elementary schools	91.3%		93.7	3^rd of 557 public elementary schools	99.5%	47	66.7	100.0	85.7		88.9	90.0	100.0		92.9	$13,189	$487	$12,702
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	1-2	501 S Corkhill	Mount Pleasant	52641	Henry County	Mount Pleasant Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 385-7765	202	16	12.5	51.5%	140 (69.3%)	3 (1.5%)	39 (19.3%)	9 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.4%)								(n/a)										$12,116	$766	$11,351
Van Allen Elementary School	Public	3-5	801 E Henry Street	Mount Pleasant	52641	Henry County	Mount Pleasant Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 385-7771	362	30	11.9	49.7%	275 (76.0%)	9 (2.5%)	51 (14.1%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.0%)	30.7	456^th of 576 public elementary schools	20.8%		29.4	444^th of 557 public elementary schools	20.3%	12	59.7	60.3	59.6		66.4	69.0	67.5		58.8	$13,319	$745	$12,574
Harlan Elementary School	Public	PK-K	1001 N Main Street	Mount Pleasant	52641	Henry County	Mount Pleasant Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(319) 385-7762	195	12	16.8	34.9%	150 (76.9%)	8 (4.1%)	29 (14.9%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.6%)								(n/a)
Van Buren County Community School District Harmony Center	Public	PK, KG-6	33727 Rte J40	Farmington	52626	Van Buren County	Van Buren County Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 592-3600	175	14	12.9	58.3%	163 (93.1%)	2 (1.1%)	5 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.9%)	32.7	449^th of 576 public elementary schools	22.0%		20.9	467^th of 557 public elementary schools	16.2%	18	58.3	85.0	48.1	50.0	91.7	80.0	48.1	50.0	44.4
Clark Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	401 S Walnut St	New London	52645	Henry County	New London Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 367-0507	314	26	12.1	35.4%	272 (86.6%)	12 (3.8%)	18 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	38.2	414^th of 576 public elementary schools	28.1%		49.4	335^th of 557 public elementary schools	39.9%	79	69.4	80.7	52.8		77.6	66.7	60.4		50.9	$12,091	$638	$11,453
Danville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	419 South Main Street	Danville	52623	Des Moines County	Danville Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 392-4221	362	26	13.7	30.9%	348 (96.1%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	83.2	45^th of 576 public elementary schools	92.2%		72.1	140^th of 557 public elementary schools	74.9%	95	89.8	85.4	89.8	88.5	89.8	83.3	86.4	90.4	72.9	$10,174	$277	$9,896
Central Lee Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	2642 Highway 218	Donnellson	52625	Lee County	Central Lee Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 835-9510	564	31	18.2	29.8%	534 (94.7%)	13 (2.3%)	12 (2.1%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	74.5	124^th of 576 public elementary schools	78.5%		48.3	347^th of 557 public elementary schools	37.7%	223	73.1	84.4			84.6	89.0				$9,302	$340	$8,962
Fort Madison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	502 48th Street	Fort Madison	52627	Lee County	Fort Madison Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(319) 372-7252	932	70	13.2	62.1%	719 (77.1%)	25 (2.7%)	96 (10.3%)	6 (0.6%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (8.9%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Salem Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Salem Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Mount Pleasant Middle School
High : Mount Pleasant High School

What district is Salem Elementary School in?

Mount Pleasant Community School District

How many students attend Salem Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 86 students attended Salem Elementary School.

Is Salem Elementary School a good school?

Yes. Salem Elementary School ranks in the top 8.7% of Iowa elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Salem Elementary School?

Students at Salem Elementary School are 94% White, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

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