Salem Community Schools

The Salem Community Schools district in Indiana consists of three schools: Bradie Shrum Elementary, Salem High School, and Salem Middle School. The data reveals that Bradie Shrum Elementary stands out as a high-performing school, with relatively strong proficiency rates in ILEARN Math and Social Studies compared to the district and state averages. In contrast, Salem Middle School struggles the most, with only 22.31% proficiency in ILEARN Math.

Chronic absenteeism is a concern across the district, ranging from 19.8% at Bradie Shrum Elementary to 33.6% at Salem High School. The schools also serve a significant population of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting that they may be facing significant socioeconomic challenges. Despite the consistent per-student spending across the district, the data highlights a disparity in academic performance between the elementary school and the middle/high schools.

To address these challenges, the Salem Community Schools district could focus on strategies to improve chronic absenteeism, target resource allocation to address the specific needs of each school and student population, and learn from the success of Bradie Shrum Elementary to improve overall academic performance across the district.