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Salem Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
245th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools
Better than 84% of North Carolina elementary schools
Summary

Salem Elementary is a public elementary school located in Apex, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 753 students. The school is part of the Wake County Schools district, which is ranked 60 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Salem Elementary has consistently ranked in the top 25% of North Carolina elementary schools over the past 5 years, with strong academic performance, particularly in mathematics. In 2024-2025, 82.8% of 4th-grade students were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to 68% for Wake County and 58.9% for the state. The school's reading performance is also above average, with 75% of 4th-grade students proficient or better, compared to 66.6% for Wake County and 58.1% for the state. However, the school's performance for certain student subgroups, such as African American, Hispanic, English Language Learner, and low-income students, is relatively lower, suggesting the need for targeted interventions and support.

When compared to nearby schools, Olive Chapel Elementary and Scotts Ridge Elementary, Salem Elementary generally performs well academically, particularly in mathematics. The school also has a relatively low student-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending, suggesting effective resource allocation. Overall, Salem Elementary appears to be a strong-performing school within the Wake County Schools district, with opportunities for continued improvement and growth.

776
Students ?
13.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
$10,097
Per pupil spending ?
25.4%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 6116 Old Jenks Road
       Apex, NC  27523

(919) 363-2865

District: Wake County Schools


Students who attend Salem Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Salem Middle
High:    Apex High
    Wake Early College of Health and Science
    Wake STEM Early College High School
    Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
    More...
Racial breakdown:

White:
49.4%
Asian:
25.4%
Hispanic:
16.4%
more
 See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

 Compare Salem Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 84th percentile in 2015 → 84th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the North Carolina average (71% vs 57% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 16% of North Carolina elementary schools
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school71%
District avg66%
North Carolina avg57%
245th of 1,490
North Carolina public elementary schools ?
Top 16%▼ down 1 pts since 2015
See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
35th of 115Elementary Schools in the Wake County Schools
60th of 242Wake County Schools among North Carolina 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202579.9245 of 149083.6%★★★★☆
202481.5219 of 150585.4%★★★★☆
202383.5189 of 150287.4%★★★★☆
202284.1194 of 151487.2%★★★★☆
202175.5308 of 148979.3%★★★★☆
201950.4758 of 147348.5%★★☆☆☆
201849.7757 of 143447.2%★★☆☆☆
201763.0522 of 142963.5%★★★☆☆
201664.0494 of 142565.3%★★★☆☆
201580.7227 of 144084.2%★★★★☆
201487.9129 of 139090.7%★★★★★
201392.281 of 140394.2%★★★★★
201276.7269 of 138880.6%★★★★☆
201181.5177 of 138187.2%★★★★☆
201082.6151 of 136388.9%★★★★☆
200986.4105 of 135492.2%★★★★★
200892.340 of 132497.0%★★★★★
200788.053 of 129395.9%★★★★★
200685.2103 of 127691.9%★★★★★

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202420.8816 of 92411.7%★☆☆☆☆
202262.6258 of 92772.2%★★★★☆
201925.5797 of 94916.0%★☆☆☆☆
201810.5902 of 9272.7%☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202554.379 of 13139.7%★★☆☆☆
202464.561 of 13053.1%★★★☆☆
202364.752 of 11454.4%★★★☆☆
202259.062 of 10742.1%★★☆☆☆
202146.469 of 9527.4%★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202275.473 of 63488.5%★★★★☆
202170.895 of 64685.3%★★★★☆
201941.6498 of 87843.3%★★☆☆☆
201841.3504 of 89743.8%★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202550.2226 of 56359.9%★★★☆☆
202433.9370 of 53330.6%★★☆☆☆
202343.7264 of 51448.6%★★☆☆☆
202262.6104 of 48578.6%★★★★☆
202165.765 of 38583.1%★★★★☆
201916.5483 of 4972.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201818.6395 of 4216.2%☆☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202581.6193 of 145186.7%★★★★☆
202486.1139 of 145590.4%★★★★★
202383.1173 of 145988.1%★★★★☆
202284.0173 of 145888.1%★★★★☆
202176.5270 of 144081.3%★★★★☆
201947.9780 of 142445.2%★★☆☆☆
201842.4888 of 140536.8%★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202560.1324 of 71054.4%★★★☆☆
202449.8476 of 66928.8%★☆☆☆☆
202362.9217 of 58262.7%★★★☆☆
202264.1172 of 50065.6%★★★☆☆
202154.2297 of 49439.9%★★☆☆☆
201966.527 of 61295.6%★★★★★

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202534.3668 of 96130.5%★★☆☆☆
202423.2827 of 95113.0%★☆☆☆☆
202349.0454 of 91550.4%★★★☆☆
202256.2326 of 89363.5%★★★☆☆
202142.8453 of 84346.3%★★☆☆☆
201919.2792 of 8658.4%☆☆☆☆☆
201822.2757 of 85111.0%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202519.41296 of 14379.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202425.41218 of 145016.0%★☆☆☆☆
202343.0853 of 143740.6%★★☆☆☆
202232.3986 of 136627.8%★☆☆☆☆
202134.7873 of 132934.3%★★☆☆☆
201920.61199 of 136111.9%★☆☆☆☆
201812.01278 of 13324.1%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202575.5296 of 145079.6%★★★★☆
202473.2334 of 146477.2%★★★★☆
202381.2209 of 146185.7%★★★★☆
202281.4210 of 146485.7%★★★★☆
202171.8363 of 144474.9%★★★★☆
201951.8708 of 143050.5%★★★☆☆
201857.2607 of 141357.0%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202546.8369 of 82155.1%★★★☆☆
202467.7150 of 80181.3%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankNorth Carolina percentileRating
202574.1267 of 117277.2%★★★★☆
202479.9199 of 116682.9%★★★★☆
202376.1235 of 118380.1%★★★★☆
202272.6287 of 119476.0%★★★★☆
202168.1334 of 117271.5%★★★★☆
201973.5270 of 118377.2%★★★★☆
201873.5283 of 117876.0%★★★★☆
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 (2022)88th percentile~ school
Female (2025)87th percentile+3 vs school
Male (2025)80th percentile-4 vs school
White (2025)77th percentile-6 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)60th percentile-24 vs school
Special Education (2025)55th percentile-29 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2025)54th percentile-29 vs school
Asian (2025)40th percentile-44 vs school
Hispanic (2025)30th percentile-53 vs school
African American (2024)12th percentile-74 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)10th percentile-74 vs school
By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?
Mathematics75%+15 vs state
Science74%+12 vs state
Reading66%+13 vs state

3.4
5 ratings · 3 written reviews
52
41
30
21
11
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What people are saying
by a parent
Saturday, October 31, 2020

Open Quote Great administrators and dedicated teachers. Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, June 7, 2019

Open Quote Teachers have been great, though most teachers with experience have left to get away from the current admin. Even the newly hired teachers are doing the same thing. Close Quote


by a parent
Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Open Quote Lots of bused in students from Raleigh. Downhill big time since 2016. Good teachers leaving left and right and I don't blame them! The new Administration is lacking in experience. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Salem Elementary

Salem Elementary ranks 245th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 776 students attended Salem Elementary.

Students at Salem Elementary are 49% White, 25% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 6% African American, 2% Two or more races.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

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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