Waterford Public Schools

Listed by NCES as Waterford School District (district ID 0904860)

Public school district · Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region · Connecticut · NCES district ID 0904860

Waterford Public Schools spent $26,605 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 78% of the other Connecticut districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $23,805). Its 5 schools enrolled 2,174 students in 2024-25; 13.4% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $27,508 per student, up 3.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 85-89% (Connecticut: 88.2%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Connecticut districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Waterford Public Schools in enrollment (2,147 to 2,450 students) and Waterford Public Schools itself.

Current spending per student, Connecticut districts closest in size to Waterford Public Schools, FY23Weston Public Schools $28,431; Madison Public Schools $26,847; Waterford Public Schools $26,605; Plainville Community $23,321; Colchester Public Schools $22,707; Regional School District 10 $21,645; Tolland Public Schools $21,572; Killingly Public Schools $21,571; Ansonia Public Schools $21,321; Ledyard Public Schools $20,036; State median, 1,000+ students $23,805.15k20k25k30kWeston Public Schools$28,431Madison Public Schools$26,847Waterford Public Schools$26,605Plainville Community$23,321Colchester Public Schools$22,707Regional School District 10$21,645Tolland Public Schools$21,572Killingly Public Schools$21,571Ansonia Public Schools$21,321Ledyard Public Schools$20,036State median, 1,000+ students $23,805
Current spending per student, Connecticut districts closest in size to Waterford Public Schools, FY23Weston Public Schools $28,431; Madison Public Schools $26,847; Waterford Public Schools $26,605; Plainville Community $23,321; Colchester Public Schools $22,707; Regional School District 10 $21,645; Tolland Public Schools $21,572; Killingly Public Schools $21,571; Ansonia Public Schools $21,321; Ledyard Public Schools $20,036; State median, 1,000+ students $23,805.15k20k25k30kWeston Public Schools$28,431Madison Public Schools$26,847Waterford Public Schools$26,605Plainville Community$23,321Colchester Public Schools$22,707Regional School District 10$21,645Tolland Public Schools$21,572Killingly Public Schools$21,571Ansonia Public Schools$21,321Ledyard Public Schools$20,036State median, 1,000+ students $23,805
Current spending per student, Connecticut districts closest in size to Waterford Public Schools, FY23Weston Public Schools $28,431; Madison Public Schools $26,847; Waterford Public Schools $26,605; Plainville Community $23,321; Colchester Public Schools $22,707; Regional School District 10 $21,645; Tolland Public Schools $21,572; Killingly Public Schools $21,571; Ansonia Public Schools $21,321; Ledyard Public Schools $20,036; State median, 1,000+ students $23,805.15k20k25k30kWeston Public Schools$28,431Madison Public Schools$26,847Waterford Public Schools$26,605Plainville Community$23,321Colchester Public Schools$22,707Regional School District 10$21,645Tolland Public Schools$21,572Killingly Public Schools$21,571Ansonia Public Schools$21,321Ledyard Public Schools$20,036State median, 1,000+ students $23,805
Current spending per student, Connecticut districts closest in size to Waterford Public Schools, FY23Weston Public Schools $28,431; Madison Public Schools $26,847; Waterford Public Schools $26,605; Plainville Community $23,321; Colchester Public Schools $22,707; Regional School District 10 $21,645; Tolland Public Schools $21,572; Killingly Public Schools $21,571; Ansonia Public Schools $21,321; Ledyard Public Schools $20,036; State median, 1,000+ students $23,805.15k20k25k30kWeston Public Schools$28,431Madison Public Schools$26,847Waterford Public Schools$26,605Plainville Community$23,321Colchester Public Schools$22,707Regional School District 10$21,645Tolland Public Schools$21,572Killingly Public Schools$21,571Ansonia Public Schools$21,321Ledyard Public Schools$20,036State median, 1,000+ students $23,805

Where the money came from

$73,035,000 in revenue: 13.4% state, 81.6% local and 5.0% federal. Total spending including $1,559,000 of capital outlay was $68,373,000, or $29,244 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Waterford Public Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $9,764,000; Local $59,625,000; Federal $3,646,000; total $73,035,000.
  • State$9,764,000 13%
  • Local$59,625,000 82%
  • Federal$3,646,000 5%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 112 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

2,222 students in 2022-23, 2,232 students in 2023-24, 2,174 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Waterford Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,222, 2023-24: 2,232, 2024-25: 2,17401k2k3k2022-232,2222023-242,2322024-252,174
Waterford Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,222, 2023-24: 2,232, 2024-25: 2,17401k2k3k2022-232,2222023-242,2322024-252,174
Waterford Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,222, 2023-24: 2,232, 2024-25: 2,17401k2k3k2022-232,2222023-242,2322024-252,174
Waterford Public Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 2,222, 2023-24: 2,232, 2024-25: 2,17401k2k3k2022-232,2222023-242,2322024-252,174

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-232,222193.611.5
2023-242,232199.611.2
2024-252,174201.610.8

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$20,642,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $8,829 per student

Waterford Public Schools booked $20,642,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 197 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $104,995 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 94 in 100 Connecticut districts with a figure (state median $84,824, 173 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Connecticut teacher salary at $81,185 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$14,760,00071.5%
Special education$4,091,00019.8%
Other programs$1,791,0008.7%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $7,934 in 2018-19, $8,201 in 2019-20, $8,602 in 2020-21, $8,924 in 2021-22, $8,829 in 2022-23.

Waterford Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $7,934, 2019-20: $8,201, 2020-21: $8,602, 2021-22: $8,924, 2022-23: $8,82902.5k5k7.5k10k2018-19$7,9342019-20$8,2012020-21$8,6022021-22$8,9242022-23$8,829
Waterford Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $7,934, 2019-20: $8,201, 2020-21: $8,602, 2021-22: $8,924, 2022-23: $8,82902.5k5k7.5k10k2018-19$7,9342019-20$8,2012020-21$8,6022021-22$8,9242022-23$8,829
Waterford Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $7,934, 2019-20: $8,201, 2020-21: $8,602, 2021-22: $8,924, 2022-23: $8,82902.5k5k7.5k10k2018-19$7,9342019-20$8,2012020-21$8,6022021-22$8,9242022-23$8,829
Waterford Public Schools teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $7,934, 2019-20: $8,201, 2020-21: $8,602, 2021-22: $8,924, 2022-23: $8,82902.5k5k7.5k10k2018-19$7,9342019-20$8,2012020-21$8,6022021-22$8,9242022-23$8,829

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Waterford Public Schools scored proficient or above: 62% in reading and 51% in math, against 50.5% in reading and 39.8% in math across Connecticut. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Connecticut, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtConnecticutStudents tested
Reading and language arts62%50.5%1,242
Math51%39.8%1,237

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

85-89% of the 189 students in Waterford Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 88.2% across Connecticut. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtConnecticut
Four-year graduation rate85‑89%88.2%
Students in the class18940,732

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

3 elementary schools, 932 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Quaker Hill Elementary School33111.029.6%Targeted program
Great Neck Elementary School30910.223.3%Targeted program
Oswegatchie Elementary School2929.723.6%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 529 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Clark Lane Middle School52911.326.1%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 high school, 713 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Waterford High School71311.123.7%Targeted program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Waterford Public Schools

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Waterford Public Schools

  1. Connecticut districts by spending per studentWaterford Public Schools ranks 25 of 112 Connecticut districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($26,605).#25 of 112
  2. Every school district in ConnecticutWaterford Public Schools is the number 67 by size of 201 Connecticut districts, with 2,338 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#67 of 201
  3. Ledyard Public SchoolsThe next larger Connecticut district: 2,421 students in fall 2022, $20,036 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$20,036
  4. Ansonia Public SchoolsThe next smaller Connecticut district: 2,332 students in fall 2022, $21,321 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$21,321
  5. Compare Waterford Public Schools with Ledyard Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Waterford High School, its largest high school713 students in 2024-25, 11.1 per teacher.713
  7. Teacher salary spending across ConnecticutWaterford Public Schools spent $104,995 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $84,824); spending, not a salary.$104,995
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Waterford Public Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Waterford Public Schools?
    5 schools were open in 2024-25 (3 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high), enrolling 2,174 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Waterford Public Schools spend per student?
    $26,605 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Connecticut median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $23,805 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $27,508 per student, up 3.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Waterford Public Schools' money come from?
    $73,035,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 13.4% state, 81.6% local and 5.0% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Waterford Public Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 149 of the 2,820 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 5.3%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Waterford Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
    $20,642,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $8,829 per student. Divided by the 197 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $104,995 per teacher, more than 94 in 100 Connecticut districts (state median $84,824). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Connecticut teacher salary at $81,185 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Waterford Public Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Waterford Public Schools scored proficient or above: 62% in reading and 51% in math, against 50.5% in reading and 39.8% in math across Connecticut. Connecticut's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Waterford Public Schools?
    85-89% of the 189 students in Waterford Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 88.2% across Connecticut. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Waterford Public Schools' NCES district ID?
    0904860. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .