Salem City Public Schools

The Salem City Public Schools district in Virginia consists of 7 schools, including 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school, and 1 alternative virtual school. The district as a whole is ranked 35 out of 129 school districts in Virginia and is rated 4 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Salem High School stands out as a top-performing high school in the state, with an impressive 92.8% 4-year graduation rate, a low 4.5% dropout rate, and exceptional standardized test scores, with 90-98% proficiency rates in core subjects. South Salem Elementary is also a high-performing school, ranked 251 out of 1,110 elementary schools in Virginia and consistently achieving 75-95% proficiency rates in math and reading. While the Virginia Virtual Academy at Salem has lower test scores compared to the district and state averages, it still manages to achieve 70-86% proficiency in many subject areas and stands out for its 100% proficiency rate in 11th grade writing.

The district faces some challenges, including a concerning 15.7% chronic absenteeism rate across all schools and a wide range of free/reduced lunch rates, from 40% at some schools to over 80% at others, indicating significant socioeconomic diversity. The district spends between $7,972 and $9,017 per student, which is in line with the state average, and student-teacher ratios range from 8.9 to 15.9 students per teacher, with the virtual school having the lowest ratio.