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South Salem Elementary

Q: Is South Salem Elementary a good school?

South Salem Elementary ranks 251 st of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

251^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 77% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

South Salem Elementary is a public elementary school in Salem, Virginia, serving 389 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Salem City Public Schools district, which is ranked 35 out of 129 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

South Salem Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Virginia, with a statewide ranking between 107 and 326 over the past 10 years. The school's performance on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests is impressive, with students consistently scoring above the state and district averages in mathematics, science, and English reading across all grade levels. In 2024-2025, South Salem Elementary's 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade students achieved 86.67%, 75%, and 95% proficiency in mathematics, respectively, compared to the state averages of 72.89%, 72.98%, and 71.56%. The school's performance is particularly strong in 5th-grade mathematics and science, where students outperformed the state and district by a significant margin.

When compared to the nearby Roanoke County Public Schools district, which has a higher overall ranking, South Salem Elementary still performs well, with several of its metrics matching or exceeding the top-performing schools in the Roanoke County district. Despite having a significant percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, South Salem Elementary has been able to maintain strong academic performance, suggesting effective strategies for supporting these students.

371

Students ?

10.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,097

Per pupil spending ?

40.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1600 Carolyn Rd
Salem, VA 24153-5999

(540) 387-2478

District: Salem City Public Schools

Students who attend South Salem Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Andrew Lewis Middle
High:	Salem High

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.0%

Hispanic:

9.7%

African American:

8.1%

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Compare South Salem Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 73rd percentile in 2015 → 77th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (83% vs 71% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of Virginia elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Salem City Public Schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school83%

District avg74%

Virginia avg71%

251^st of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From top 27% (2015) to top 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Salem City Public Schools

35^th of 129Salem City Public Schools among Virginia 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	77.6	251 of 1110	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.5	212 of 1114	81.0%	★★★★☆
2023	85.9	107 of 1114	90.4%	★★★★★
2022	73.8	291 of 1109	73.8%	★★★★☆
2021	78.3	234 of 1103	78.8%	★★★★☆
2019	69.9	326 of 1105	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	74.4	236 of 1097	78.5%	★★★★☆
2017	77.2	188 of 1099	82.9%	★★★★☆
2016	73.0	256 of 1096	76.6%	★★★★☆
2015	69.7	301 of 1100	72.6%	★★★★☆
2014	66.8	338 of 1110	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	83.1	103 of 1120	90.8%	★★★★★
2012	82.9	87 of 1117	92.2%	★★★★★
2011	71.4	253 of 1117	77.4%	★★★★☆
2010	70.0	269 of 1113	75.8%	★★★★☆
2009	81.0	89 of 1082	91.8%	★★★★★
2008	76.9	159 of 1081	85.3%	★★★★☆
2007	87.2	31 of 1083	97.1%	★★★★★
2006	82.5	76 of 1071	92.9%	★★★★★
2005	86.7	36 of 1062	96.6%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	69.0	91 of 355	74.4%	★★★★☆
2023	64.0	107 of 324	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	220 of 1096	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	201 of 1098	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	152 of 1100	86.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	78.7	152 of 1046	85.5%	★★★★☆
2024	80.7	117 of 1036	88.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	72.6	308 of 1093	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	79.2	203 of 1101	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	86.6	76 of 1093	93.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	66.2	339 of 973	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.3	346 of 979	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.3	231 of 984	76.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)85th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)80th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2024)74th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2025)72nd percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)65th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics86%+13 vs state

Science83%+14 vs state

English Reading83%+12 vs state

VA Studies79%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Salem Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Mathematics (2025)			SOL Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)			SOL VA Studies (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	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 Carolyn Rd	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-2478	371	36	10.1	40.2%	282 (76.0%)	30 (8.1%)	36 (9.7%)	8 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	77.6	251^st of 1110 public elementary schools	77.4%		80.5	212^th of 1114 public elementary schools	81.0%	39	86.7	75.0	95.0	83.3	76.7	83.1	88.1	79.3	$10,097	$503	$9,594
West Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	520 N Bruffey St	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-2503	375	27	13.7	35.5%	296 (78.9%)	24 (6.4%)	26 (6.9%)	12 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.5%)	72.2	323^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	70.9%		69	370^th of 1114 public elementary schools	66.8%	47	91.6	72.0	81.7	73.2	83.3	80.0	78.3	83.0	$10,591	$289	$10,302
G.W. Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6 Fourth St	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 387-2492	404	29	13.8	88.4%	234 (57.9%)	96 (23.8%)	47 (11.6%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.7%)	72.1	325^th of 1110 public elementary schools	70.7%		82.7	159^th of 1114 public elementary schools	85.7%	166	80.5	89.3	77.5	67.6	81.6	85.1	77.5	83.6	$11,206	$1,271	$9,935
Fort Lewis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3115 West Main St	Salem	24153	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-6594	250	18	14.2	21.6%	198 (79.2%)	5 (2.0%)	18 (7.2%)	10 (4.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.2%)	87	88^th of 1110 public elementary schools	92.1%		87.1	85^th of 1114 public elementary schools	92.4%	3	86.8	91.4	95.5	97.7	81.1	88.6	97.7	79.4	$11,452	$1,716	$9,736
Glenvar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4507 Malus Dr	Salem	24153	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-6540	372	26	14.5	42.7%	322 (86.6%)	13 (3.5%)	18 (4.8%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	64.4	431^st of 1110 public elementary schools	61.2%		71.9	325^th of 1114 public elementary schools	70.8%	106	87.7	74.1	74.2	82.3	73.7	79.6	72.6	68.5	$10,676	$503	$10,172
East Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1765 Boulevard	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 375-7001	378	30	12.8	88.1%	163 (43.1%)	76 (20.1%)	94 (24.9%)	9 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.3%)	54.4	545^th of 1110 public elementary schools	50.9%		56.5	530^th of 1114 public elementary schools	52.4%	15	79.6	71.0	73.3	70.7	81.6	67.2	67.6	74.6	$12,726	$1,432	$11,295
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5005 Grandin Rd Extension	Roanoke	24018	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 772-7580	400	32	12.6	46.3%	277 (69.3%)	45 (11.3%)	36 (9.0%)	18 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.0%)	80.5	207^th of 1110 public elementary schools	81.4%		82.6	161^st of 1114 public elementary schools	85.5%	46	80.0	83.1	85.0	85.0	85.9	87.5	86.7	84.4	$11,876	$466	$11,410
Glen Cove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5901 Cove Rd	Roanoke	24019	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 561-8135	425	30	14.4	67.5%	263 (61.9%)	63 (14.8%)	47 (11.1%)	19 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.8%)	81.1	194^th of 1110 public elementary schools	82.5%		76.1	267^th of 1114 public elementary schools	76.0%	73	86.7	83.1	86.7	83.3	81.7	87.7	85.0	84.1	$10,189	$481	$9,708
Fairview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	648 Westwood Blvd NW	Roanoke	24017	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 853-2978	479	40	12.0	99.4%	67 (14.0%)	258 (53.9%)	74 (15.4%)	50 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.1%)	17	961^st of 1110 public elementary schools	13.4%		17.1	966^th of 1114 public elementary schools	13.3%	5	59.4	56.4	50.6	41.8	34.3	61.0	52.8	72.6	$12,110	$2,316	$9,794
Westside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1441 Westside Blvd NW	Roanoke	24017	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 853-2967	624	54	11.5	98.9%	69 (11.1%)	342 (54.8%)	149 (23.9%)	9 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (8.5%)	4.5	1076^th of 1110 public elementary schools	3.1%		4.3	1089^th of 1114 public elementary schools	2.2%	13	44.4	48.2	49.4	42.2	22.5	41.6	40.8	40.3	$14,177	$2,212	$11,965

Frequently Asked Questions about South Salem Elementary

What schools do graduates of South Salem Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Salem Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Andrew Lewis Middle
High : Salem High

How many students attend South Salem Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 371 students attended South Salem Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of South Salem Elementary?

Students at South Salem Elementary are 76% White, 10% Hispanic, 8% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is South Salem Elementary a good school?

South Salem Elementary ranks 251^st of 1110 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is South Salem Elementary in?

Salem City Public Schools

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