Watertown School District
Listed by NCES as Watertown School District 14-4 (district ID 4676620)
Public school district · Codington County · South Dakota · NCES district ID 4676620
Watertown School District spent $10,402 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 78% of the other South Dakota districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $10,886). Its 8 schools enrolled 3,606 students in 2024-25; 35.3% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,526 per student, up 10.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 86% (South Dakota: 84%).
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 South Dakota's largest districts
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Watertown ranks 7.
Where the money came from
$45,935,000 in revenue: 35.3% state, 55.1% local and 9.6% federal. Total spending including $9,550,000 of capital outlay was $50,068,000, or $13,165 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$16,209,000 35%
- Local$25,298,000 55%
- Federal$4,428,000 10%
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 24 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
3,803 students in 2022-23, 3,690 students in 2023-24, 3,606 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 3,803 | 252.5 | 15.1 |
| 2023-24 | 3,690 | 248.3 | 14.9 |
| 2024-25 | 3,606 | 239.3 | 15.1 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$13,534,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,559 per student
Watertown School District booked $13,534,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 253 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 $53,596 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 83 in 100 South Dakota districts with a figure (state median $49,840, 141 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 South Dakota teacher salary at $49,761 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $10,882,000 | 80.4% |
| Special education | $1,949,000 | 14.4% |
| Vocational | $142,000 | 1.0% |
| Other programs | $561,000 | 4.1% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,228 in 2018-19, $3,333 in 2019-20, $3,179 in 2020-21, $3,302 in 2021-22, $3,559 in 2022-23.
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 Watertown School District scored proficient or above: 59% in reading and 51% in math, against 51% in reading and 42.2% in math across South Dakota. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within South Dakota, not across states.
| Subject | This district | South Dakota | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 59% | 51% | 2,041 |
| Math | 51% | 42.2% | 2,042 |
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
86% of the 295 students in Watertown School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 84% across South Dakota. 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.
| This district | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 86% | 84% |
| Students in the class | 295 | 9,963 |
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.
5 elementary schools, 1,277 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Elementary - 05 | 361 | 14.8 | 26.6% | Not Title I |
| Jefferson Elementary - 09 | 333 | 14.3 | 24.9% | Not Title I |
| McKinley Elementary - 06 | 296 | 13.8 | 23.3% | Schoolwide program |
| Mellette Elementary - 07 | 267 | 13.7 | 31.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Sunrise Colony - 15 | 20 | 10.0 | not reported | Not reported |
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.
2 middle schools, 1,107 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown Middle School - 02 | 575 | 14.8 | 24.7% | Not Title I |
| Watertown Intermediate School - 13 | 532 | 14.4 | 28.0% | Eligible, no 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, 1,222 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown High School - 01 | 1,222 | 16.8 | 21.6% | Not Title I |
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.
3 more schools on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory
These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.
Roosevelt Elementary - 08
School in Watertown; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (closed); 228 students; 12.6 students per teacher.
Garfield Education Center - 14
School in Watertown; 50 students; 12.5 students per teacher.
Sunrise Colony - 15
Elementary school in Summit; open in 2024-25; 20 students; 10.0 students per teacher.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.
Contact Watertown School District
- Website: watertown.k12.sd.us
- Phone: (605) 882-6312
- Office: 200 NE 9th St, Watertown, SD 57201
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 Watertown School District
- South Dakota districts by spending per studentWatertown School District ranks 19 of 24 South Dakota districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($10,402).#19 of 24
- Every school district in South DakotaWatertown School District is the number 6 by size of 150 South Dakota districts, with 3,803 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#6 of 150
- Aberdeen School District 06-1The next larger South Dakota district: 4,326 students in fall 2022, $10,673 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$10,673
- Brookings School District 05-1The next smaller South Dakota district: 3,431 students in fall 2022, $11,811 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,811
- Compare Watertown School District with Aberdeen School District 06-1Enrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Watertown High School - 01, its largest high school1,222 students in 2024-25, 16.8 per teacher.1,222
- Teacher salary spending across South DakotaWatertown School District spent $53,596 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $49,840); spending, not a salary.$53,596
- 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 Watertown School District
How many schools and students are in Watertown School District?
8 schools were open in 2024-25 (5 elementary, 2 middle, 1 high), enrolling 3,606 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Watertown School District spend per student?
$10,402 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the South Dakota median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $10,886 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,526 per student, up 10.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Watertown School District's money come from?
$45,935,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 35.3% state, 55.1% local and 9.6% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Watertown School District live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 296 of the 4,490 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 6.6%, 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.How much does Watertown School District spend on teacher salaries?
$13,534,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,559 per student. Divided by the 253 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $53,596 per teacher, more than 83 in 100 South Dakota districts (state median $49,840). 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 South Dakota teacher salary at $49,761 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Watertown School District do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Watertown School District scored proficient or above: 59% in reading and 51% in math, against 51% in reading and 42.2% in math across South Dakota. South Dakota'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.What is the graduation rate in Watertown School District?
86% of the 295 students in Watertown School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 84% across South Dakota. 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.What is Watertown School District's NCES district ID?
4676620. 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