Best Public Schools in Zip Code 01970

Summary:

The 01970 zip code of Salem, Massachusetts is home to 12 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 4 high schools. While the overall school district appears to be underperforming, a few standout schools in the area are providing a quality education to their students.

The top-performing school in the area is Salem Academy Charter School, a public charter high school that boasts the highest MCAS proficiency rates, a 100% four-year graduation rate, and a 0% dropout rate. Another high-achieving school is Carlton Elementary School, which has the highest proficiency rates among the elementary schools in the area. Saltonstall School is also a standout elementary school, with strong performance in English Language Arts and Science.

The data reveals significant variation in school performance and funding across the Salem school district, suggesting that factors beyond just funding, such as leadership, curriculum, and teaching quality, play a key role in driving student outcomes. While some schools are excelling, others are struggling, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and a focus on equity to ensure all students in the 01970 zip code have access to a high-quality education.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCAS Next Generation English Language Arts (2025)								MCAS Next Generation Mathematics (2025)								MCAS Next Generation Science (2025)				MCAS Next Generation Biology (2025)	MCAS Next Generation Civics (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	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 All Grades	MCAS Next Generation Civics 8th Grade	Total
Salem Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	6-12	45 Congress St.	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem Academy Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(978) 744-2105	480	44	11.0		128 (26.7%)	45 (9.4%)	273 (56.9%)	19 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.5%)	59.5	145^th of 349 public high schools	58.5%		49.5	193^rd of 348 public high schools	44.5%	48				39.7	52.8	46.1	60.0	46.2				41.1	36.1	40.0	47.7	39.1		44.0	41.5	44.0	41.3	43.4	$20,795
Saltonstall School	Public	K-8	211 Lafayette Street	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1297	412	31	13.2		135 (32.8%)	22 (5.3%)	222 (53.9%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.6%)	41.4	537^th of 906 public elementary schools	40.7%		41.2	551^st of 916 public elementary schools	39.8%	14	33.3	45.8	43.5	43.9	20.9	35.0		37.3	37.8	29.2	21.7	26.2	11.6	10.0		23.1	47.8	20.0		34.9		22.5	$23,905
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		200 (48.8%)	30 (7.3%)	146 (35.6%)	5 (1.2%)	6 (1.5%)	2 (0.5%)	20 (4.9%)	42.8	526^th of 906 public elementary schools	41.9%		38.6	568^th of 916 public elementary schools	38.0%	42	26.8	41.7	33.9					33.7	32.1	56.3	33.3					39.5	46.8			46.8			$22,713
Carlton	Public	K-5	10 Skerry Street	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1280	247	24	10.4		136 (55.1%)	15 (6.1%)	80 (32.4%)	4 (1.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.6%)	38.9	559^th of 906 public elementary schools	38.3%		46.5	509^th of 916 public elementary schools	44.4%	50	42.5	35.0	43.8					40.6	25.0	32.5	29.2					28.9	41.7			41.7			$24,681
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		100 (34.1%)	22 (7.5%)	150 (51.2%)	11 (3.8%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (2.4%)	12.5	820^th of 906 public elementary schools	9.5%		12.7	827^th of 916 public elementary schools	9.7%	7	22.0	11.1	25.0					19.7	24.4	5.4	10.0					13.6	20.0			20.0			$23,351
Salem High	Public	9-12	77 Willson Street	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	No	(978) 740-1123	952	97	9.8		341 (35.8%)	74 (7.8%)	467 (49.1%)	23 (2.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (4.2%)	53	167^th of 349 public high schools	52.1%		47.5	201^st of 348 public high schools	42.2%	34							47.3								45.5				45.1		34.5		$28,332
Witchcraft Heights	Public	K-5	1 Frederick Street	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1271	455	33	13.6		196 (43.1%)	35 (7.7%)	185 (40.7%)	18 (4.0%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	17 (3.7%)	35.4	590^th of 906 public elementary schools	34.9%		30.1	635^th of 916 public elementary schools	30.7%	45	31.6	33.3	30.1					31.6	46.1	34.9	30.1					36.9	34.9			34.9			$24,568
Collins Middle	Public	6-8	29 Highland Avenue	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	Yes	(978) 740-1191	611	48	12.6		246 (40.3%)	43 (7.0%)	272 (44.5%)	16 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.4%)	31.4	318^th of 484 public middle schools	34.3%		21.4	381^st of 493 public middle schools	22.7%	63				31.5	34.4	33.3		33.1				19.1	20.5	22.8		20.9		32.5		32.5		23.3	$25,747
Salem Prep High School	Public	9-12	2 Museum Place Mall	Salem	01970	Essex County	Salem	No	No	No	No	(978) 740-1171	23	2	11.7		8 (34.8%)	1 (4.3%)	13 (56.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.3%)								(n/a)																							$43,927
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		36 (12.6%)	21 (7.3%)	224 (78.3%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	18.1	760^th of 906 public elementary schools	16.1%		11.6	840^th of 916 public elementary schools	8.3%	80	36.4	11.1	26.7					23.6	23.5	8.9	26.1					19.2	21.7			21.7			$27,350
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		10 (27.8%)	3 (8.3%)	19 (52.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (8.3%)								(n/a)							25.0								16.7								$33,883
Swampscott Elementary School	Public	K-4	10 Whitman Road	Swampscott	01970	Essex County	Swampscott	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(781) 596-8847	734	64	11.5		557 (75.9%)	17 (2.3%)	111 (15.1%)	18 (2.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	28 (3.8%)								(n/a)

Cities Near Zip Code 01970

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Salem	0.25 mi	14	287^th
Peabody	1.18 mi	11	293^rd
Marblehead	2.21 mi	6	93^rd
Beverly	2.45 mi	8	103^rd
Swampscott	2.8 mi	3	122^nd

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.