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Watertown, Massachusetts - 5 schools
An equity score of 47/100 ranks Watertown #94 of 362 districts in Massachusetts (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $27,743 per pupil, Watertown ranks #48 of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending (Massachusetts districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,699
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$27,743
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Watertown operates 5 public schools serving 2,699 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Massachusetts. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 combined, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Middlesex County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $27,743 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 396 Massachusetts districts by per-pupil spending. See how Massachusetts compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 77.0% local, 18.0% state, and 5.0% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 47/100, ranked #94 of 362 in Massachusetts against a state average of 38, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (19 AP courses district-wide), a 259.9:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 17.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 54.8% White, 23.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hosmer, with a diversity index of 66.2/100.
Its largest campus is Watertown High, enrolling 761 students (27% of the district's total enrollment).
Watertown High accounts for 26.8% of all Watertown student enrollment
That concentration means Watertown-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Watertown school enrollment varies 2.4× across entities
Watertown school enrollment ranges from 320 students (lowest) to 761 students (highest), a spread of 441 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Watertown student-counselor ratio is 260:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Watertown is typically wider than the Watertown-aggregate figure suggests.
Watertown chronic absenteeism rate is 17.8% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Watertown is typically wider than the Watertown-aggregate figure suggests.