Enrollment
1,012
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Watertown, WI
Watertown High
Federal NCES profile for Watertown High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 551575002002
👥 S:T ratio 41
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Watertown High earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median. It is also one of the largest schools in Wisconsin.
- #7 of 10
- public schools in Watertown · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.7:1
- students per teacher
- 29.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Watertown High has class sizes near the Wisconsin median. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Watertown High ranks #7 of 10 public schools in Watertown, WI.
School address
District: Watertown Unified School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551575002002 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.9%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watertown High compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Watertown High
Watertown High is a large high school in Watertown, Wisconsin, enrolling 1,012 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 29.9% lands close to the Wisconsin typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Wisconsin, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,012 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 150 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #45.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 45/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 337 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Watertown's high schools, it stands alongside Endeavor Charter School (46 students): Watertown High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.7:1 vs 15.3:1).
Watertown Unified School District also operates Riverside Middle (616 students) and Webster Elementary (381 students) alongside Watertown 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 Watertown High compares
Watertown High on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.7:1 | ▲ 2% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.9% | ▼ 22% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,012 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,012
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 68% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,383
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 337 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
49
in-school suspensions + 75 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.3 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 70.5%
Hispanic or Latino 21.6%
Two or More 4.7%
African American 1.8%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 70.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 45.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.4, Watertown High is more mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Watertown Unified School District, which includes Watertown High.
$14,383
Per student
-4%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 49.2%
Federal 11.0%
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.
How Watertown High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Webster Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Douglas Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Schurz Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Watertown 4 Kids | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Watertown High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 381
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 311
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 223
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 155
- Students per teacher
- 25.8:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar high schools in Watertown
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 Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,012 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Watertown High's federal record.
- Compare Watertown High against another school. Compare schools
- Watertown Unified School District'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 Watertown High
How many students attend Watertown High?
Watertown High has 1,012 students enrolled. It is a high school in Watertown, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watertown High?
The student-teacher ratio at Watertown High is 14.7:1, which is 2% higher than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watertown High?
29.9% of students at Watertown High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watertown High?
The largest demographic group at Watertown High is White at 70.5% of enrollment, in Watertown, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watertown High?
Watertown High has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Watertown High rank among public schools in Watertown?
By Resource Investment Index, Watertown High ranks #7 of 10 public schools in Watertown, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Watertown on the city page.
Is Watertown High a good school?
Watertown High earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median. It is also one of the largest schools in Wisconsin. 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 Watertown Unified School District?
Besides Watertown High, Watertown Unified School District also operates Riverside Middle (616 students), Webster Elementary (381 students), and Douglas Elementary (311 students). See the Watertown Unified School District 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.