Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Best Public Schools in Salem, MA

At a glance

Schools

4,205

Students

Districts

Top rankedSalem Academy Charter School192^nd of 353 Massachusetts high schools

▲

Biggest riser

Horace Mann Laboratory up 67 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Salem High 9.8 students per teacher

✦

Newly ranked this year

New Liberty Innovation School

SchoolDigger ratings

2★

1★

0★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Massachusetts cities →See the top-ranked Massachusetts schools →

Summary:

Salem, Massachusetts has 11 schools enrolling 4,205 students, ranging from PK–5 and K–5 elementary schools through one middle school and four high schools, split between Salem (10 schools, 3,725 students, about 89% of the city) and Salem Academy Charter (District) (one school, 480 students). The four "high schools" vary enormously in size — from Salem High at 952 students to Salem Prep High School at 23 — a difference of more than 40x.

If you are comparing schools, Salem Academy Charter School is the clear academic leader, beating the state in ELA, science and 8th-grade civics and posting 95.6% graduation with 0.0% dropout. Among the traditional elementaries, Carlton is strongest and the only district elementary to top the state in any all-grades subject, while Bates gets the best elementary math (38.55) at the city's lowest per-student spending ($18,948). Witchcraft Heights also outperforms in math. By contrast, Bentley Academy Innovation School (8th percentile, all-grades math 9.6%), Horace Mann Laboratory (16th percentile, though improving), and New Liberty Innovation School (23.1% dropout) face the biggest challenges. Collins Middle improved from the 23rd to 34th percentile.

Citywide, mathematics is the structural weak point: the district trails the state by 15.7 points in math versus 9.7 in ELA, and 3rd-grade math ranges from 2.5% at Bentley to 43.24% at Saltonstall School. Spending does not track outcomes, and free/reduced-lunch data is blank for all 11 schools, so no poverty-adjusted comparison is possible.

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2026)								MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2026)								MCAS Next Generation Science (2026)				MCAS Next Generation Biology (2026)	MCAS Next Generation Civics (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 3rd Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 4th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 6th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 7th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Mathematics All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Science 5th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 8th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science 10th Grade	MCAS Next Generation Science All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Biology End of Course	MCAS Next Generation Civics 8th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Salem Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	6-12	45 Congress St.	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem Academy Charter (District)	Yes	No	No	Yes	(978) 744-2105	480	44	11.0	54.2%	128 (26.7%)	45 (9.4%)	273 (56.9%)	19 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.5%)	45.4	192^nd of 353 public high schools	45.6%		59.5	145^th of 349 public high schools	58.5%	47				29.3	56.0	44.6	47.8	43.3				28.0	42.7	37.8	29.0	36.2		41.9	42.0	41.9	30.1	46.0			$20,808
Saltonstall School	Public	K-5	211 Lafayette Street	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1297	412	31	13.2	66.0%	135 (32.8%)	22 (5.3%)	222 (53.9%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.6%)	33.8	597^th of 899 public elementary schools	33.6%		41.4	537^th of 906 public elementary schools	40.7%	60	43.2	33.3	30.8					35.0	43.2	22.9	26.9					29.9	30.8			30.8			100%	0%	$23,737
Bates	Public	PK, KG-5	53 Liberty Hill Avenue	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1250	410	33	12.5	54.1%	200 (48.8%)	30 (7.3%)	146 (35.6%)	5 (1.2%)	6 (1.5%)	2 (0.5%)	20 (4.9%)	39.9	536^th of 899 public elementary schools	40.4%		42.8	526^th of 906 public elementary schools	41.9%	10	36.7	32.8	32.7					34.1	40.7	39.7	34.7					38.6	36.7			36.7			97%	3%	$23,131
Carlton	Public	K-5	10 Skerry Street	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1280	247	24	10.4	45.7%	136 (55.1%)	15 (6.1%)	80 (32.4%)	4 (1.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.6%)	43.1	509^th of 899 public elementary schools	43.4%		38.9	559^th of 906 public elementary schools	38.3%	50	56.1	32.4	33.3					40.8	34.2	27.0	35.7					32.5	42.9			42.9			98%	2%	$25,017
Horace Mann Laboratory	Public	PK, KG-5	79 Willson Street	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1290	293	25	11.8	64.8%	100 (34.1%)	22 (7.5%)	150 (51.2%)	11 (3.8%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.4%)	17.5	753^rd of 899 public elementary schools	16.2%		12.5	820^th of 906 public elementary schools	9.5%	67	20.0	31.7	19.1					23.4	9.1	26.8	23.8					19.7	19.5			19.5			100%	0%	$25,801
Salem High	Public	9-12	77 Willson Street	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	No	(978) 740-1123	952	97	9.8	61.7%	341 (35.8%)	74 (7.8%)	467 (49.1%)	23 (2.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (4.2%)	43.8	196^th of 353 public high schools	44.5%		53	167^th of 349 public high schools	52.1%	29							34.2								35.4				33.1		42.3				$28,544
Witchcraft Heights	Public	K-5	1 Frederick Street	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1271	455	33	13.6	54.9%	196 (43.1%)	35 (7.7%)	185 (40.7%)	18 (4.0%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	17 (3.7%)	33.1	605^th of 899 public elementary schools	32.7%		35.4	590^th of 906 public elementary schools	34.9%	15	30.9	21.6	33.9					28.5	29.4	33.8	41.8					34.9	37.3			37.3			100%	0%	$24,319
Collins Middle	Public	6-8	29 Highland Avenue	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1191	611	48	12.6	60.7%	246 (40.3%)	43 (7.0%)	272 (44.5%)	16 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.4%)	31.9	316^th of 478 public middle schools	33.9%		31.4	318^th of 484 public middle schools	34.3%	2				33.6	37.2	27.0		32.5				25.3	18.2	25.4		23.1		30.8		30.8		26.2			$25,535
Salem Prep High School	Public	8-12	2 Museum Place Mall	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	No	(978) 740-1171	23	2	11.7	82.6%	8 (34.8%)	1 (4.3%)	13 (56.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.3%)								(n/a)																									$43,868
Bentley Academy Innovation School	Public	PK, KG-5	25 Memorial Drive	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1260	286	20	14.3	71.7%	36 (12.6%)	21 (7.3%)	224 (78.3%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	11.7	826^th of 899 public elementary schools	8.1%		18.1	760^th of 906 public elementary schools	16.1%	66	10.0	35.3	12.0					17.7	2.5	25.7	4.0					9.6	14.6			14.6			100%	0%	$24,740
New Liberty Innovation School	Public	9-12	2 East India Square	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	No	(978) 825-3470	36	4	8.0	63.9%	10 (27.8%)	3 (8.3%)	19 (52.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (8.3%)	10.2	323^rd of 353 public high schools	8.5%					(n/a)							18.2								9.1						10.0				$34,847

Cities Near Salem

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Peabody	1.18 mi	11	292^nd
Marblehead	2.21 mi	6	78^th
Beverly	2.45 mi	8	99^th
Swampscott	2.8 mi	3	100^th
Danvers	3.06 mi	8	235^th

See the top MA Massachusetts cities

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