Enrollment
1,289
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Boone, NC
Watauga High
Federal NCES profile for Watauga High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370483001943
👥 S:T ratio 48
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Watauga High earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of North Carolina schools.
- #3 of 7
- public schools in Boone · Resource Index
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- small classes for North Carolina
- 29.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Watauga High has class sizes smaller than 78% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Watauga High ranks #3 of 7 public schools in Boone, NC.
School address
District: Watauga County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370483001943 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
99.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watauga High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Watauga High
Watauga High is a large high school in Boone, North Carolina, enrolling 1,289 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 29.3% free-meal eligibility runs 56% below the North Carolina average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,289 students.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,698 North Carolina schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 161 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #2, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 23 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 303 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Boone's high schools, it stands alongside Watauga Innovation Academy (292 students): Watauga High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13:1 vs 73:1).
Watauga County Schools also operates Hardin Park Elementary (854 students) and Parkway Elementary (610 students) alongside Watauga High.
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 Watauga High compares
Watauga High on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 18% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.3% | ▼ 56% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,289 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,289
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 22% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,698
per pupil, district-wide
- above North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.3 FTE
Per 303 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
88
in-school suspensions + 74 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 80.8%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 2.1%
African American 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 80.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.1, Watauga High is less mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 23
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Watauga County Schools, which includes Watauga High.
$12,698
Per student
+6%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 56.5%
Federal 15.6%
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 Watauga High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin Park Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Parkway Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blowing Rock Elementary | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Valle Crucis Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Green Valley Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Watauga High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 610
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 345
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high schools in Boone
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,289 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Watauga High's federal record.
- Compare Watauga High against another school. Compare schools
- Watauga County Schools'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 Watauga High
How many students attend Watauga High?
Watauga High has 1,289 students enrolled. It is a high school in Boone, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watauga High?
The student-teacher ratio at Watauga High is 13:1, which is 18% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watauga High?
29.3% of students at Watauga High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watauga High?
The largest demographic group at Watauga High is White at 80.8% of enrollment, in Boone, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watauga High?
Watauga High has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Watauga High rank among public schools in Boone?
By Resource Investment Index, Watauga High ranks #3 of 7 public schools in Boone, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Boone on the city page.
Is Watauga High a good school?
Watauga High earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of North Carolina 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 Watauga County Schools?
Besides Watauga High, Watauga County Schools also operates Hardin Park Elementary (854 students), Parkway Elementary (610 students), and Blowing Rock Elementary (409 students). See the Watauga County Schools 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.