Enrollment
470
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 080648001126
Watson Junior High School — Colorado Springs, CO
Federal NCES profile for Watson Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
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
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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.0%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watson Junior High School compares with Colorado 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 Junior High School reports 470 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% below the Colorado average and 44% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 235 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding School District No. 3 in the County of El Paso and State of spends $13,481 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 30.7% from local sources (property taxes), 56.9% from the state, and 12.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Junior High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Colorado state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.7:1 | ▼ 13% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.0% | ▼ 25% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 470 | top 67% | — | — |
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
29.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% below the Colorado 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
— 13% below state mean
Top 35% in Colorado — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
47.7%
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
$13,481
per pupil, district-wide
— below Colorado avg of $20,949
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 235 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 287 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 61.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 470 Top 67% in Colorado — larger than 33% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 14.7:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.0% -25% vs state
NCES ID 080648001126
Student demographics
White 49.8%
Hispanic or Latino 32.3%
Two or More 8.7%
African American 7.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 49.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 235:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 287
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District No. 3 in the County of El Paso and State of, which includes Watson Junior High School.
$13,481
Per student
-36%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 30.7%
State 56.9%
Federal 12.4%
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
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,193
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,044
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 658
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 582
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
Similar middle schools in Colorado Springs
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Chinook Trail Middle School
Standard public school
1,075 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Eagleview Middle School
Standard public school
905 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Skyview Middle School
Standard public school
862 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Timberview Middle School
Standard public school
837 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School
Standard public school
821 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Jenkins Middle School
Standard public school
791 students 19.8:1 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 Junior High School
How many students attend Watson Junior High School?
Watson Junior High School has 470 students enrolled. It is a middle school in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watson Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watson Junior High School is 14.7:1, which is 13% lower than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 8% 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 Junior High School?
29.0% of students at Watson Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watson Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Watson Junior High School is White at 49.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watson Junior High School?
Watson Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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.