Watford City Middle School

Summary:

Watford City Middle School is a public middle school in Watford City, North Dakota, serving 455 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the McKenzie County 1 school district, which is ranked 18 out of 20 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Watford City Middle School has a diverse student population, with a racial makeup of 63.96% White, 22.86% Hispanic, 5.27% Native American, 2.64% African American, 1.54% Asian, and 0.88% Pacific Islander. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by the percentage of students proficient or better in NDSA Mathematics and Reading, is below the state average. In the 2023-2024 school year, 36% of Watford City Middle School students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 41%, and 39% were proficient or better in Reading, compared to the state average of 45%. The school's academic performance has remained relatively consistent over the past few years, with no significant improvement.

Watford City Middle School has also experienced concerning trends in dropout rates and chronic absenteeism. The dropout rate has decreased from 9% in 2019-2020 to 3% in 2021-2022, but it is still higher than the state's average. Chronic absenteeism has been a significant issue, with rates ranging from 18% in 2018-2019 to 30% in 2020-2021, well above the state's average. Additionally, a significant portion of the student population comes from low-income families, with 17.86% to 43.19% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch over the past few years.

Detail:

Public 6-8

100 Third St NE
Watford City, ND 58854

(701) 444-3626

District: McKenzie County 1

SchoolDigger Rank:
21^st of 24 North Dakota Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,350

Student/teacher ratio: 12.9

Number of students: 466

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.4%

Hispanic:

22.7%

American Indian:

4.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 32.2%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Watford City Middle School ranks worse than 87.5% of middle schools in North Dakota. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.35. (See more...)

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (64.4%), Hispanic (22.7%), American Indian (4.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 32.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Watford City Middle School is 12.9. (See more...)

Compare Watford City Middle School employs 36 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Watford City Middle School is $14,350.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Watford City Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Watford City Middle School 21^st of 24 North Dakota public middle schools. (See Watford City Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

McKenzie County 1:

SchoolDigger ranks McKenzie County 1 18^th of 20 North Dakota school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Watford City Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Watford City Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2019	27.46	19^th	23	17.4%
2021	22.15	22^nd	24	8.3%
2022	35.83	18^th	28	35.7%
2023	22.17	20^th	27	25.9%
2024	23.35	21^st	24	12.5%

See the entire list of North Dakota Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Female students at Watford City Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	45.45	14^th	20	30.0%
2024	26.85	17^th	19	10.5%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Watford City Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2019	11.78	17^th	18	5.6%
2021	8.08	18^th	18	0.0%
2022	24.16	17^th	20	15.0%
2023	9.41	19^th	20	5.0%
2024	29.12	16^th	19	15.8%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Watford City Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	ND State Percentile
2019	18.25	18^th	21	14.3%
2021	11.52	22^nd	22	0.0%
2022	20.98	21^st	25	16.0%
2023	16.68	18^th	25	28.0%
2024	16.08	22^nd	23	4.3%

See the entire list of Best North Dakota Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Watford City Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2018	171	5	3	29	10	1	2	221
2019	278	11	4	76	19	4	6	398
2020	289	9	7	79	14	5	10	413
2021	287	15	11	80	15	0	18	426
2022	289	13	6	78	18	2	14	420
2023	291	12	7	104	24	4	13	455
2024	300	14	6	106	23	6	11	466

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Watford City Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	221	17.2	12.8	46.6
2019	398	23.2	17.1	15.1
2020	413	29.0	14.2	33.2
2021	426	36.0	11.8	43.2
2022	420	33.9	12.3	17.9
2023	455	33.0	13.7	33.2
2024	466	36.0	12.9	32.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Watford City Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2018	221	17.2	12.8	46.6
2019	398	23.2	17.1	15.1
2020	413	29.0	14.2	33.2
2021	426	36.0	11.8	43.2
2022	420	33.9	12.3	17.9
2023	455	33.0	13.7	33.2
2024	466	36.0	12.9	32.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Watford City Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,560 (19.9%)	$6,283 (80.1%)	$7,843
2020	$1,629 (16.3%)	$8,388 (83.7%)	$10,017
2021	$2,927 (20.2%)	$11,576 (79.8%)	$14,503
2022	$2,369 (16.5%)	$11,981 (83.5%)	$14,350

Data source: North Dakota Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Watford City Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 19^th of 23 Middle schools	Ranks 20^th of 27 Middle schools	8.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
All Grades Mathematics (Watford City Middle School)	39	33	6%
All Grades Mathematics (McKenzie County 1)	32	34	2%
All Grades Mathematics (North Dakota)	45	39	6%
All Grades Reading (Watford City Middle School)	43	38	5%
All Grades Reading (McKenzie County 1)	40	37	3%
All Grades Reading (North Dakota)	47	44	3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	398	455	14.3%
African American	11	12	9.1%
American Indian	19	24	26.3%
Asian	4	7	75%
Hispanic	76	104	36.8%
Pacific Islander	4	4
White	278	291	4.7%
Two or More Races	6	13	116.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	15.1%	33.2%	18.1%

Schools Near Watford City Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				NDSA Mathematics (2024)	NDSA Reading (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NDSA Mathematics All Grades	NDSA Reading All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Watford City Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Third St NE	Watford City	58854	McKenzie County	McKenzie County 1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(701) 444-3626	466	36	12.9	32.2%	300 (64.4%)	14 (3.0%)	106 (22.7%)	6 (1.3%)	23 (4.9%)	6 (1.3%)	11 (2.4%)	23.4	21^st of 24 public middle schools	12.5%		22.2	20^th of 27 public middle schools	25.9%	1	36.0	39.0	$14,350	$2,369	$11,981

Frequently Asked Questions about Watford City Middle School

How many students attend Watford City Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 466 students attended Watford City Middle School.

What district is Watford City Middle School in?

McKenzie County 1

Is Watford City Middle School a good school?

Watford City Middle School ranks in the bottom 12.5% of North Dakota middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Watford City Middle School?

Students at Watford City Middle School are 64% White, 23% Hispanic, 5% American Indian, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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