Enrollment
590
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Auburn, IN
James R Watson Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for James R Watson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 180159000222
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 87
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
James R Watson Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Indiana schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 33.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 590
- students enrolled
James R Watson Elementary School has class sizes larger than 83% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist · Indiana
NCES ID 180159000222 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.3%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James R Watson Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at James R Watson Elementary School
James R Watson Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Auburn, Indiana, enrolling 590 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 590 puts it in the larger third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 481 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #260.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 590 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Auburn's public schools, it stands alongside Mckenney-Harrison Elementary Sch (620 students): James R Watson Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.4:1 vs 18.2:1).
Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist also operates Dekalb High School (1,007 students) and Dekalb Middle School (759 students) alongside James R Watson Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How James R Watson Elementary School compares
James R Watson Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.4:1 | ▲ 16% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.3% | ▼ 33% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 590 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
590
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 83% in Indiana - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
5.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,502
per pupil, district-wide
- below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 590 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 89.2%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 89.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.8, James R Watson Elementary School is less mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist, which includes James R Watson Elementary School.
$11,502
Per student
-5%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.8%
State 59.1%
Federal 10.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How James R Watson Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dekalb High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dekalb Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mckenney-Harrison Elementary Sch | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Country Meadow Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waterloo Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to James R Watson Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,007
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 759
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 620
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 314
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 247
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar other schools in Auburn
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~590 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on James R Watson Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare James R Watson Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about James R Watson Elementary School
How many students attend James R Watson Elementary School?
James R Watson Elementary School has 590 students enrolled. It is a public school in Auburn, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James R Watson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at James R Watson Elementary School is 18.4:1, which is 16% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at James R Watson Elementary School?
33.3% of students at James R Watson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James R Watson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at James R Watson Elementary School is White at 89.2% of enrollment, in Auburn, IN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James R Watson Elementary School?
James R Watson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is James R Watson Elementary School a good school?
James R Watson Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Indiana schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist?
Besides James R Watson Elementary School, Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist also operates Dekalb High School (1,007 students), Dekalb Middle School (759 students), and Mckenney-Harrison Elementary Sch (620 students). See the Dekalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.