Enrollment
516
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050813000537
Watson Primary School — Huntsville, AR
Federal NCES profile for Watson Primary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 29
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 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 →
The verdict
Watson Primary School earns an F Resource Investment Index (38/100), with class sizes larger than 85% of Arkansas schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 38/100
- 17.7:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 56.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 516
- students enrolled
School address
District: Huntsville School District · Arkansas
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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.1%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watson Primary School compares with Arkansas 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 Primary School reports 516 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% above the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% below the Arkansas average and 8% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 449 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 Huntsville School District spends $16,744 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.0% from local sources (property taxes), 48.9% from the state, and 23.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), 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 Primary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Arkansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.7:1 | ▲ 30% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.1% | ▼ 5% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 516 | top 71% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
18 smaller classes than 26% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
516 larger than 64% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
56.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.7:1
students per teacher
— 30% above state mean
Top 85% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
6.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$16,744
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 449 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 516 Top 71% in Arkansas — larger than 29% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 17.7:1 +30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.1% -5% vs state
NCES ID 050813000537
Student demographics
White 83.7%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.7%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 0.6%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 83.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.1
Students per counselor 449:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Huntsville School District, which includes Watson Primary School.
$16,744
Per student
+17%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.0%
State 48.9%
Federal 23.2%
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
- 581
- Students per teacher
- 7.8:1
- Enrollment
- 479
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Enrollment
- 121
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 120
- Students per teacher
- 7.5:1
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 Watson Primary School
How many students attend Watson Primary School?
Watson Primary School has 516 students enrolled. It is a other school in HUNTSVILLE, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watson Primary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watson Primary School is 17.7:1, which is 30% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watson Primary School?
56.1% of students at Watson Primary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watson Primary School?
The largest demographic group at Watson Primary School is White at 83.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in HUNTSVILLE, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watson Primary School?
Watson Primary School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) 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.