Enrollment
224
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Rockville Centre, NY
Watson School
Federal NCES profile for Watson School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 362478003432
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 10
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Watson School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of New York schools.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Rockville Centre · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9:1
- small classes for New York
- 12.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Watson School has class sizes smaller than 82% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Watson School ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Rockville Centre, NY.
School address
District: Rockville Centre Union Free School District · New York
NCES ID 362478003432 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.2%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watson School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Watson School
Watson School is a lower-poverty, small elementary school in Rockville Centre, New York, enrolling 224 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 12.2% free-meal eligibility runs 78% below the New York average.
Enrollment of 224 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Among 109 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #80, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 448 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
12.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Rockville Centre Union Free School District spends $34,282 per pupil, 30% above the New York average, a better-resourced district than most.
Rockville Centre Union Free School District also operates South Side High School (959 students) and South Side Middle School (806 students) alongside Watson School.
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 Watson School compares
Watson School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9:1 | ▼ 24% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.2% | ▼ 78% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 224 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
224
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 78% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 18% in New York - lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$34,282
per pupil, district-wide
- above New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 60.7%
Hispanic or Latino 20.5%
Two or More 9.4%
African American 4.5%
Asian 4.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 60.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.7, Watson School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rockville Centre Union Free School District, which includes Watson School.
$34,282
Per student
+30%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+107%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 80.1%
State 14.9%
Federal 4.9%
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 Watson School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Side High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| South Side Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hewitt School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wilson School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| William S Covert School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Watson School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 959
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 286
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~224 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Watson School's federal record.
- Compare Watson School against another school. Compare schools
- Rockville Centre Union Free 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 Watson School
How many students attend Watson School?
Watson School has 224 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Rockville Centre, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watson School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watson School is 9:1, which is 24% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 43% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watson School?
12.2% of students at Watson School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watson School?
The largest demographic group at Watson School is White at 60.7% of enrollment, in Rockville Centre, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watson School?
Watson School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Watson School rank among elementary schools in Rockville Centre?
By Resource Investment Index, Watson School ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Rockville Centre, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Rockville Centre on the city page.
Is Watson School a good school?
Watson School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 82% of New York schools. 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 Rockville Centre Union Free School District?
Besides Watson School, Rockville Centre Union Free School District also operates South Side High School (959 students), South Side Middle School (806 students), and Hewitt School (465 students). See the Rockville Centre Union Free School District district page for the complete list.
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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.