Salem Middle School

Summary:

Salem Middle School is a public middle school located in Lithonia, Georgia, serving 988 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the DeKalb County School District, which is ranked 138 out of 203 school districts in Georgia and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Salem Middle School consistently underperforms compared to the DeKalb County and Georgia state averages in Milestones Assessment scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 13.2% of 6th graders, 18.6% of 7th graders, and 28.2% of 8th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the DeKalb County averages of 32.5%, 31.9%, and 37.2%, respectively. The school's mathematics performance is even more concerning, with only 5.5% of 6th graders, 7% of 7th graders, and 15.4% of 8th graders scoring proficient or better, compared to the DeKalb County averages of 19.8%, 22.4%, and 28.9%. Additionally, the school has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 99.22% in 2020-2021 to 100% in 2022-2023, indicating a predominantly low-income student population.

When comparing Salem Middle School to other nearby schools in the DeKalb County district, it becomes evident that the school is underperforming significantly. For instance, Wadsworth Magnet School for High Achievers, located just 7 miles away, consistently outperforms Salem Middle School and the district averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, with proficiency rates often exceeding 90%. Despite the increased spending per student and the high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, Salem Middle School has not shown significant improvement in its academic performance, raising questions about the effectiveness of the school's instructional strategies and resource allocation.

Detail:

Public 6-8

5333 Salem Rd
Lithonia, GA 30038

(678) 676-9402

District: DeKalb County

SchoolDigger Rank:
524^th of 588 Georgia Middle Schools

Students who attend Salem Middle School usually attend:

High:

Martin Luther King- Junior High School

Feeder schools for Salem Middle School:

Elementary:	Browns Mill Elementary School
	Chapel Hill Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.8

Number of students: 988

Racial breakdown:

African American:

93.0%

Hispanic:

4.9%

Two or more races:

1.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Salem Middle School ranks worse than 89.1% of middle schools in Georgia. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 13.66. (See more...)

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

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Schooldigger Rankings:

Salem Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Salem Middle School 524^th of 588 Georgia public middle schools. (See Salem Middle School in the ranking list.)

DeKalb County:

SchoolDigger ranks DeKalb County 138^th of 203 Georgia school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Salem Middle School.

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Rank History for Salem Middle School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	GA State Percentile
2006	30.09	350^th	420	16.7%
2007	25.37	383^rd	445	13.9%
2008	26.49	388^th	462	16.0%
2009	28.50	396^th	466	15.0%
2010	17.75	443^rd	494	10.3%
2011	16.01	461^st	504	8.5%
2012	15.12	461^st	508	9.3%
2013	9.91	494^th	527	6.3%
2014	12.00	483^rd	521	7.3%
2015	11.73	483^rd	537	10.1%
2016	12.31	492^nd	545	9.7%
2017	14.56	481^st	539	10.8%
2018	12.99	495^th	543	8.8%
2019	16.28	484^th	559	13.4%
2021	13.94	474^th	542	12.5%
2022	13.59	503^rd	567	11.3%
2023	13.26	528^th	577	8.5%
2024	13.66	524^th	588	10.9%

See the entire list of Georgia Middle School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Georgia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 2)

25%

75%

Reviews:

by a citizen
Monday, August 8, 2022

Runs like a run-down prison. Extremely poor management.No respect for Latinos. Close Quote

by a student
Tuesday, March 21, 2017

this is the best school ever Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, December 27, 2012

This school is awful. The teachers have no control over the students. The teachers seem as they have an I don't care attitude in which rubs off on the students. The teachers don't work with the parents or return phone calls. It is the most disorganized and awful school I have ever encountered. I would not recommend you move anywhere near this district. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Salem Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1993	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	980	980
1994	128	977	11	10	1	n/a	n/a	0	1127
1995	70	1022	6	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	1107
1996	70	1022	6	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	1107
1997	43	939	2	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	988
1998	30	1233	2	5	1	n/a	n/a	0	1271
1999	28	1453	3	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	1493
2000	23	1587	3	10	0	n/a	n/a	0	1623
2001	20	1746	3	15	1	n/a	n/a	0	1785
2002	18	1620	2	18	2	n/a	n/a	0	1660
2003	18	1620	2	18	2	n/a	n/a	0	1660
2004	9	1397	3	9	1	n/a	n/a	0	1419
2005	4	1444	2	7	0	n/a	n/a	19	1476
2006	4	1241	4	5	2	n/a	n/a	23	1279
2007	2	1170	3	7	2	n/a	n/a	25	1209
2008	1	1095	1	4	3	n/a	n/a	22	1126
2009	1	1086	0	3	3	n/a	n/a	21	1114
2010	1	981	4	46	12	2	40	0	1086
2011	4	1084	3	27	8	2	20	0	1148
2012	2	1088	5	15	5	2	12	0	1129
2013	6	1135	0	23	1	0	5	0	1170
2014	7	1113	0	17	1	0	8	0	1146
2015	4	1052	1	24	0	0	14	0	1095
2016	5	1010	2	28	0	0	12	0	1057
2017	4	931	4	27	1	1	14	0	982
2018	9	945	3	33	2	2	13	0	1007
2019	6	978	0	28	2	0	14	0	1028
2020	9	983	0	34	2	0	17	0	1045
2021	3	971	0	39	3	0	16	0	1032
2022	2	966	0	43	4	0	10	0	1025
2023	3	919	2	48	1	0	15	0	988

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Salem Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	980	52.0	18.8	25.5
1994	1127	68.4	16.5	28.7
1995	1107	65.0	17.0	34.5
1996	1107	65.0	17.0	34.5
1997	988	55.6	17.8	54.4
1998	1271	71.7	17.7	67.3
1999	1493	81.9	18.2	60.8
2000	1623	91.2	17.8	65.2
2001	1785	94.4	18.9	58.4
2002	1660	110.0	15.1	69.4
2003	1660	110.0	15.1	69.4
2004	1419	82.3	17.2	57.3
2005	1476	85.5	17.3	64.4
2006	1279	80.5	15.9	67.7
2007	1209	76.5	15.8	74.4
2008	1126	73.8	15.3	73.9
2009	1114	72.0	15.5	74.6
2010	1086	70.0	15.5	76.1
2011	1148	69.5	16.5	76.4
2012	1129	73.5	15.3	79.7
2013	1170	63.5	18.4	78.4
2014	1146	66.0	17.3	84
2015	1095	68.0	16.1	84.4
2016	1057	67.0	15.7	83.5
2017	982	65.3	15.0	76.6
2018	1007	66.0	15.2	85.5
2019	1028	64.0	16.0	86
2020	1045	63.5	16.4	99.2
2021	1032	68.0	15.1	99.2
2022	1025	65.5	15.6	n/a
2023	988	58.6	16.8	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Salem Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1993	980	52.0	18.8	25.5
1994	1127	68.4	16.5	28.7
1995	1107	65.0	17.0	34.5
1996	1107	65.0	17.0	34.5
1997	988	55.6	17.8	54.4
1998	1271	71.7	17.7	67.3
1999	1493	81.9	18.2	60.8
2000	1623	91.2	17.8	65.2
2001	1785	94.4	18.9	58.4
2002	1660	110.0	15.1	69.4
2003	1660	110.0	15.1	69.4
2004	1419	82.3	17.2	57.3
2005	1476	85.5	17.3	64.4
2006	1279	80.5	15.9	67.7
2007	1209	76.5	15.8	74.4
2008	1126	73.8	15.3	73.9
2009	1114	72.0	15.5	74.6
2010	1086	70.0	15.5	76.1
2011	1148	69.5	16.5	76.4
2012	1129	73.5	15.3	79.7
2013	1170	63.5	18.4	78.4
2014	1146	66.0	17.3	84
2015	1095	68.0	16.1	84.4
2016	1057	67.0	15.7	83.5
2017	982	65.3	15.0	76.6
2018	1007	66.0	15.2	85.5
2019	1028	64.0	16.0	86
2020	1045	63.5	16.4	99.2
2021	1032	68.0	15.1	99.2
2022	1025	65.5	15.6	n/a
2023	988	58.6	16.8	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Salem Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2017	$812 (8.4%)	$8,911 (91.6%)	$9,723
2018	$634 (6.4%)	$9,218 (93.6%)	$9,853
2019	$706 (6.4%)	$10,346 (93.6%)	$11,052

Data source: Georgia Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Salem Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 484^th of 559 Middle schools	Ranks 528^th of 577 Middle schools	4.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Salem Middle School)	18.8	19	0.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (DeKalb County)	34.3	31.1	3.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	46	39.2	6.8%
6th Grade Mathematics (Salem Middle School)	6.8	6.3	0.5%
6th Grade Mathematics (DeKalb County)	25.4	19.7	5.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	40	32.9	7.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Salem Middle School)	12.7	17.3	4.6%
7th Grade English Language Arts (DeKalb County)	27.5	29.6	2.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	39	39.1	0.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Salem Middle School)	14.5	9	5.5%
7th Grade Mathematics (DeKalb County)	27.9	20.2	7.7%
7th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	43	34.9	8.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Salem Middle School)	26.4	21.8	4.6%
8th Grade English Language Arts (DeKalb County)	38.5	35.7	2.8%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Georgia)	47	42.1	4.9%
8th Grade Mathematics (Salem Middle School)	25.1	8.4	16.7%
8th Grade Mathematics (DeKalb County)	26.5	23.4	3.1%
8th Grade Mathematics (Georgia)	35	36.2	1.2%
8th Grade Science (Salem Middle School)	22.5	8.3	14.2%
8th Grade Science (DeKalb County)	25.9	20.1	5.8%
8th Grade Science (Georgia)	32	26.4	5.6%
8th Grade Social Studies (Salem Middle School)	12.3	4.9	7.4%
8th Grade Social Studies (DeKalb County)	26.9	21.9	5%
8th Grade Social Studies (Georgia)	41	35.9	5.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1028	988	3.9%
African American	978	919	6%
American Indian	2	1	50%
Asian	0	2
Hispanic	28	48	71.4%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	6	3	50%
Two or More Races	14	15	7.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	86%	100%	14%

Schools Near Salem Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2024)	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2024)					Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2024)					Milestones Assessment Science (2024)		Milestones Assessment Social Studies (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Salem Middle School	Public	6-8	5333 Salem Rd	Lithonia	30038	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-9402	988	59	16.8	100.0%	3 (0.3%)	919 (93.0%)	48 (4.9%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.5%)	13.7	524^th of 588 public middle schools	10.9%		13.3	528^th of 577 public middle schools	8.5%	4				13.2	18.6	28.2			5.5	7.0	15.4		10.7	9.6	$11,052	$706	$10,346
Chapel Hill Middle School	Public	6-8	3535 Dogwood Farm Rd	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-8502	692	47	14.8	100.0%	5 (0.7%)	636 (91.9%)	30 (4.3%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (2.3%)	23	455^th of 588 public middle schools	22.6%		34.4	377^th of 577 public middle schools	34.7%	78	72.2			21.1	20.6	35.8			10.9	10.1	27.4		19.3	14.6	$12,208	$704	$11,504
Miller Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	2215 Miller Rd	Decatur	30035	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 676-8902	722	48	15.2	100.0%	3 (0.4%)	644 (89.2%)	46 (6.4%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	20 (2.8%)	13.5	527^th of 588 public middle schools	10.4%		15.5	504^th of 577 public middle schools	12.7%	23				22.9	15.9	29.2			2.6	4.9	7.8		7.0	15.0	$12,183	$806	$11,378
Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School	Public	6-8	5200 Covington Hwy	Decatur	30035	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-0302	718	45	15.9	100.0%	13 (1.8%)	578 (80.5%)	69 (9.6%)	33 (4.6%)	7 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	16 (2.2%)	17.3	498^th of 588 public middle schools	15.3%		16.3	497^th of 577 public middle schools	13.9%	1				19.0	23.9	22.3			6.3	13.4	19.0		16.2	11.5	$12,006	$984	$11,021
Lithonia Middle School	Public	6-8	2451 Randall Ave	Lithonia	30058	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-0702	1,214	73	16.6	100.0%	7 (0.6%)	1,065 (87.7%)	99 (8.2%)	3 (0.2%)	7 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (2.6%)	13.7	523^rd of 588 public middle schools	11.1%		13.5	526^th of 577 public middle schools	8.8%	3				19.4	19.1	21.8			7.1	7.7	15.6		11.2	9.5	$10,968	$800	$10,168
Redan Middle School	Public	6-8	1775 Young Rd	Lithonia	30058	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-7902	668	52	12.8	100.0%	5 (0.7%)	581 (87.0%)	55 (8.2%)	8 (1.2%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.4%)	24.9	442^nd of 588 public middle schools	24.8%		19.5	471^st of 577 public middle schools	18.4%	29				26.2	27.2	33.6			22.9	19.0	16.9		13.8	14.5	$12,118	$756	$11,362
Austin Road Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Austin Rd	Stockbridge	30281	Henry County	Henry County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 507-5407	542	31	17.7	67.5%	32 (5.9%)	401 (74.0%)	88 (16.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.1%)	32.4	395^th of 588 public middle schools	32.8%		32.4	392^nd of 577 public middle schools	32.1%	3	62.1			30.1	30.7	37.4			17.5	17.7	28.9		16.7	29.9	$8,774	$504	$8,271
Columbia Middle School	Public	6-8	3001 Columbia Dr	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 875-0502	604	48	12.5	100.0%	4 (0.7%)	557 (92.2%)	26 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.2%)	11.8	547^th of 588 public middle schools	7.0%		17	490^th of 577 public middle schools	15.1%	57				23.7	12.9	22.5			4.8	7.3	10.9		6.9	7.0	$11,436	$832	$10,603
Wadsworth Magnet School for High Achievers	Public, Magnet	4-8	3039 Santa Monica Dr	Decatur	30032	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(678) 874-2402	196	12	16.7	51.5%	8 (4.1%)	165 (84.2%)	7 (3.6%)	8 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	4 (2.0%)	99.9	1^st of 588 public middle schools	99.8%					(n/a)	100.0	92.2	98.1	94.2	98.3	100.0	96.1	84.6	94.2	96.7	100.0	100.0	84.4	93.3	$24,223	$803	$23,419
Cedar Grove Middle School	Public	6-8	2300 Wildcat Rd	Decatur	30034	DeKalb County	DeKalb County	No	No	No	Yes	(678) 874-4202	777	48	16.3	100.0%	2 (0.3%)	716 (92.1%)	40 (5.1%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.8%)	13.9	521^st of 588 public middle schools	11.4%		14.2	519^th of 577 public middle schools	10.1%	2				13.5	17.3	22.4			4.4	9.8	18.8		11.3	15.2	$12,879	$722	$12,157

Frequently Asked Questions about Salem Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Salem Middle School?

Students at Salem Middle School are 93% African American, 5% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Is Salem Middle School a good school?

Salem Middle School ranks in the bottom 10.9% of Georgia middle schools.

What district is Salem Middle School in?

DeKalb County

How many students attend Salem Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 988 students attended Salem Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Salem Middle School attend?

Students who attend Salem Middle School usually go on to attend Martin Luther King- Junior High School

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