Enrollment
515
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 390499203755
Watson Elementary School — Massillon, OH
Federal NCES profile for Watson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 84
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: Perry Local · Ohio
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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 18.3:1 Ohio avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.5%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watson Elementary School compares with Ohio 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
Watson Elementary School reports 515 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% below the Ohio state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% above the Ohio average and 31% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 515 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Perry Local spends $13,512 per pupil district-wide, below the Ohio average of $16,867 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 46.5% from local sources (property taxes), 37.8% from the state, and 15.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Watson Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Ohio state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▼ 23% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.5% | ▲ 12% | 31.6% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 515 | top 70% | — | — |
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
35.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% above the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 23% below state mean
Top 20% in Ohio — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
6.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,512
per pupil, district-wide
— below Ohio avg of $16,867
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 515 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 515 Top 70% in Ohio — larger than 30% of 3,586 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 -23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.5% +12% vs state
NCES ID 390499203755
Student demographics
White 82.9%
Two or More 9.9%
African American 4.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 82.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 515:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perry Local, which includes Watson Elementary School.
$13,512
Per student
-20%
vs Ohio
Avg $16,867
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 46.5%
State 37.8%
Federal 15.7%
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
- 1,456
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 585
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Massillon
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Jackson Memorial Middle School
Standard public school
1,313 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Massillon Intermediate School
Standard public school
900 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Strausser Elementary School
Standard public school
819 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Sauder Elementary School
Standard public school
722 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Pfeiffer Intermediate School
Standard public school
587 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Tuslaw Elementary School
Standard public school
482 students 20:1 students per teacher
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 Watson Elementary School
How many students attend Watson Elementary School?
Watson Elementary School has 515 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Massillon, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watson Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 23% lower than the Ohio average of 18.3:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watson Elementary School?
35.5% of students at Watson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Watson Elementary School is White at 82.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Massillon, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watson Elementary School?
Watson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.