Enrollment
566
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 381254000415
Watford City High School — Watford City, ND
Federal NCES profile for Watford City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 20
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 77
📋 Attendance 31
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: Mckenzie Co 1 · North Dakota
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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.9:1
vs 11.7:1 North Dakota avg
+70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.8%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watford City High School compares with North Dakota 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
Watford City High School reports 566 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 70% above the North Dakota state mean of 11.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% below the North Dakota average and 58% below the national baseline. The school offers 5 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 113 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mckenzie Co 1 spends $26,594 per pupil district-wide, above the North Dakota average of $22,219 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 69.6% from local sources (property taxes), 17.3% from the state, and 13.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), 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 Watford City High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Dakota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.9:1 | ▲ 70% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.8% | ▼ 23% | 28.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 566 | top 92% | — | — |
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.
Economic need
21.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% below the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.9:1
students per teacher
— 70% above state mean
Top 98% in North Dakota — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.7%
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
$26,594
per pupil, district-wide
— above North Dakota avg of $22,219
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 113 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 66 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 566 Top 92% in North Dakota — larger than 8% of 499 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 19.9:1 +70% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.8% -23% vs state
NCES ID 381254000415
Student demographics
White 62.9%
Hispanic or Latino 24.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.9%
African American 3.0%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 62.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 113:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.7%
In-school suspensions 20
Out-of-school suspensions 66
Expulsions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mckenzie Co 1, which includes Watford City High School.
$26,594
Per student
+20%
vs North Dakota
Avg $22,219
+36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 69.6%
State 17.3%
Federal 13.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 663
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 538
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 30
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Similar high schools in Watford City
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 Watford City High School
How many students attend Watford City High School?
Watford City High School has 566 students enrolled. It is a high school in Watford City, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watford City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watford City High School is 19.9:1, which is 70% higher than the North Dakota average of 11.7:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watford City High School?
21.8% of students at Watford City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watford City High School?
The largest demographic group at Watford City High School is White at 62.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Watford City, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watford City High School?
Watford City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) 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.