Best Public Schools in Salem, NY

Summary:

The city of Salem, New York is home to two schools: Salem Elementary School and Salem High School, both part of the Salem Central School District. While Salem High School is a standout performer, earning a 4-star rating and ranking 171 out of 1,234 New York high schools, Salem Elementary School appears to be struggling, with declining state rankings and below-average proficiency rates on NY State Assessments.

Salem High School boasts consistently high performance on Regents exams, with many subject areas seeing over 80% proficiency rates. The school also maintains a strong 84.3% four-year graduation rate and a relatively low 4.5% dropout rate. In contrast, Salem Elementary School has seen its statewide ranking decline from 1,201 in 2023-2024 to 1,265 in 2024-2025, and the school is performing below state averages on many of the NY State Assessments, particularly in English Language Arts.

Both schools have relatively high free/reduced lunch rates, around 52%, indicating a significant population of economically disadvantaged students. The higher per-student spending at Salem High School compared to the elementary school may be a factor in the school's stronger performance, suggesting the need for equitable resource allocation across the district. Additionally, the high chronic absenteeism rate of 31.5% at Salem High School is a concern and may be contributing to the school's performance challenges, highlighting the importance of addressing attendance issues.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Regents Chemistry (2025)	Regents Common Core Algebra II (2025)	Regents Common Core English Language Arts (2025)	Regents Earth Science (2025)	Regents Global History and Geography (2025)	Regents Living Environment (2025)	Regents Physics (2025)	Regents U.S. History and Government (2025)	Regents Algebra I (2025)	Regents Geometry (2025)	NY State Assessments English Language Arts (2025)						NY State Assessments Math (2025)						NY State Assessments Science (2025)		% Completely Immunized (2020)	% Polio (2020)	% Measles (2020)	% Mumps (2020)	% Rubella (2020)	% Diphtheria (2020)	% Hepatitis B (2020)	% Varicella (2020)	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	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	Regents Chemistry End of Course	Regents Common Core Algebra II End of Course	Regents Common Core English Language Arts End of Course	Regents Earth Science End of Course	Regents Global History and Geography End of Course	Regents Living Environment End of Course	Regents Physics End of Course	Regents U.S. History and Government End of Course	Regents Algebra I End of Course	Regents Geometry End of Course	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	NY State Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 3rd Grade	NY State Assessments Math 4th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 6th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 7th Grade	NY State Assessments Math 8th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 5th Grade	NY State Assessments Science 8th Grade	% Completely Immunized All Grades	% Polio All Grades	% Measles All Grades	% Mumps All Grades	% Rubella All Grades	% Diphtheria All Grades	% Hepatitis B All Grades	% Varicella All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Salem High School	Public	7-12	41 E Broadway	Salem	12865	Washington County	Salem Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(518) 854-7600	230	27	8.5	43.9%	219 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	78.7	171^st of 1234 public high schools	86.1%		81.1	104^th of 1242 public high schools	91.6%	67	80.0	100.0	100.0	83.3	87.5	95.1	76.9	69.7	86.4	89.3					50.0	58.5					83.3	87.9		73.8	95.5	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	$51,990	$2,927	$49,063
Salem Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	41 E Broadway	Salem	12865	Washington County	Salem Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(518) 854-9505	295	27	10.7	49.2%	269 (91.2%)	3 (1.0%)	18 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.7%)	47.2	1265^th of 2445 public elementary schools	48.3%		48.9	1201^st of 2445 public elementary schools	50.9%	64											34.3	57.1	48.3	51.1			51.5	68.3	59.3	45.5			44.4		97.7	99.7	100.0	100.0	100.0	98.7	100.0	99.7	$12,892	$726	$12,166

Cities Near Salem

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Greenwich	8.71 mi	2	219^th
Cambridge	9.21 mi	2	288^th
Argyle	9.42 mi	2	444^th
Schuylerville	12.48 mi	3	190^th
Hartford	14.63 mi	2	237^th

See the top NY New York cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the WNYC and the New York State Department of Health and the NY State Education Department.

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.