Enrollment
761
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 251218002005
Watertown High — Watertown, MA
Federal NCES profile for Watertown High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 59
📚 AP courses 95
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 78
📋 Attendance 39
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Watertown · Massachusetts
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
72.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watertown High compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Watertown High reports 761 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 72.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% below the Massachusetts state mean of 12.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 36% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 111 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Watertown spends $68,134 per pupil district-wide, above the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 77.0% from local sources (property taxes), 18.0% from the state, and 5.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Watertown High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Massachusetts state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.2:1 | ▼ 16% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 761 | top 85% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
10.2:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 22% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
24.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$68,134
per pupil, district-wide
— above Massachusetts avg of $28,509
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.9 FTE
Per 111 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 761 Top 85% in Massachusetts — larger than 15% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 72.0
Students per teacher 10.2:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 251218002005
Student demographics
White 56.2%
Hispanic or Latino 24.1%
Asian 8.0%
Two or More 6.9%
African American 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 56.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 19
Counselors (FTE) 6.9
Students per counselor 111:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.3%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Watertown, which includes Watertown High.
$68,134
Per student
+139%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
+250%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 77.0%
State 18.0%
Federal 5.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Enrollment
- 422
- Students per teacher
- 8.7:1
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Watertown High
How many students attend Watertown High?
Watertown High has 761 students enrolled. It is a high school in Watertown, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watertown High?
The student-teacher ratio at Watertown High is 10.2:1, which is 16% lower than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 36% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watertown High?
The largest demographic group at Watertown High is White at 56.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Watertown, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watertown High?
Watertown High has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.