Watertown High School - 01

Summary:

Watertown High School - 01 is a public high school serving 1,220 students in grades 9-12 in Watertown, South Dakota. The school is part of the Watertown School District 14-4, which is ranked 56 out of 126 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Watertown High School - 01 has maintained a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 85.7% to 91.9% over the past three school years, which is higher than the state average. The school also consistently outperforms the state average in the Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 66.31% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state average of 63.01%. However, the school's performance is not uniform across all student subgroups, and there are opportunities to address the achievement gaps observed for certain demographic groups, such as Hispanic and Native American students.

When comparing Watertown High School - 01 to nearby high schools, such as Hamlin High School - 01 and Castlewood High School - 01, the data shows that these schools outperform Watertown High School - 01 in several metrics, such as graduation rates and test scores. However, Watertown High School - 01 still maintains a higher overall ranking compared to these schools. Additionally, Watertown High School - 01 has a relatively low percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (around 20%), which is lower than the state average, suggesting that the school serves a more affluent population compared to some of the nearby schools.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 200 NE 9th St
       Watertown, SD  57201


(605) 882-6316

District: Watertown School District 14-4

SchoolDigger Rank:
75th of 141 South Dakota High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,853 Help


Feeder schools for Watertown High School - 01:

Elementary:    Jefferson Elementary - 09
    Lincoln Elementary - 05
    McKinley Elementary - 06
    Mellette Elementary - 07
    More...
Middle:    Watertown Intermediate School - 13
    Watertown Middle School - 02

Student/teacher ratio:  16.6 Help
Number of students:  1,220

Racial breakdown:

White:
84.5%
Hispanic:
5.6%
American Indian:
4.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  22.4% Help


 See top rated South Dakota high schools

 Compare Watertown High School - 01 to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Watertown High School - 01 ranks worse than 53.2% of high schools in South Dakota. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 50.16. (See more...)
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The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Watertown High School - 01 freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Watertown High School - 01 is $8,853.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Watertown High School - 01:

SchoolDigger ranks Watertown High School - 01 75th of 141 South Dakota public high schools. (See Watertown High School - 01 in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Watertown School District 14-4:

SchoolDigger ranks Watertown School District 14-4 56th of 126 South Dakota school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Watertown High School - 01?

Rank History for Watertown High School - 01

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Watertown High School - 01

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 67.13 46th 133 65.4%
2004 47.04 80th 132 39.4%
2005 33.45 106th 137 22.6%
2006 46.02 82nd 136 39.7%
2007 80.80 17th 141 87.9%
2008 53.91 68th 135 49.6%
2009 38.39 99th 144 31.3%
2010 49.36 94th 150 37.3%
2011 69.51 46th 141 67.4%
2012 76.85 26th 143 81.8%
2013 62.42 63rd 144 56.3%
2015 54.07 62nd 133 53.4%
2016 57.15 61st 141 56.7%
2017 63.44 52nd 137 62.0%
2018 69.05 41st 138 70.3%
2019 81.25 19th 135 85.9%
2021 60.26 55th 140 60.7%
2022 58.50 65th 134 51.5%
2023 54.72 70th 138 49.3%
2024 50.16 75th 141 46.8%
See the entire list of South Dakota High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Watertown High School - 01

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 17.69 12th 14 14.3%
See the entire list of Best South Dakota High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Watertown High School - 01

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 55.74 6th 17 64.7%
2023 39.61 7th 10 30.0%
2024 47.66 10th 19 47.4%
See the entire list of Best South Dakota High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Watertown High School - 01

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.46 27th 53 49.1%
2019 58.33 13th 44 70.5%
2021 60.95 10th 37 73.0%
2022 50.19 13th 25 48.0%
2023 32.65 37th 46 19.6%
2024 37.05 30th 48 37.5%
See the entire list of Best South Dakota High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Watertown High School - 01

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 64.38 31st 82 62.2%
2019 78.81 10th 83 88.0%
2021 64.63 33rd 89 62.9%
2022 50.26 44th 84 47.6%
2023 52.10 50th 95 47.4%
2024 47.65 56th 93 39.8%
See the entire list of Best South Dakota High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Watertown High School - 01

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 71.61 22nd 90 75.6%
2019 80.58 13th 88 85.2%
2021 51.52 44th 89 50.6%
2022 58.49 35th 87 59.8%
2023 52.00 53rd 96 44.8%
2024 50.88 55th 107 48.6%
See the entire list of Best South Dakota High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Watertown High School - 01

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 41.05 5th 9 44.4%
2022 28.45 8th 11 27.3%
2023 28.24 10th 15 33.3%
2024 7.36 17th 17 0.0%
See the entire list of Best South Dakota High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Watertown High School - 01

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 46.72 11th 19 42.1%
2021 29.78 15th 17 11.8%
See the entire list of Best South Dakota High Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Watertown High School - 01

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools SD State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 65.94 37th 123 69.9%
2019 77.56 24th 123 80.5%
2021 57.31 52nd 129 59.7%
2022 57.73 56th 123 54.5%
2023 48.15 70th 121 42.1%
2024 50.13 69th 125 44.8%
See the entire list of Best South Dakota High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: South Dakota Department of Education, 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.

Watertown High School - 01 Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: South Dakota Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Open Quote Administration talks at you. Does not want to integrate parental solutions to ongoing poor behavior patterns. Simply continues to lower the bar so graduation rate appears decent. Passing with all D's is good enough and proficient is only 75. Uggh! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Watertown High School - 01

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 821 821
1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 825 825
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 811 811
1992 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 811 811
1993 799 0 10 0 8 n/a n/a 0 817
1994 1231 1 9 7 19 n/a n/a 0 1267
1995 1377 2 11 6 22 n/a n/a 0 1418
1996 1377 2 11 6 22 n/a n/a 0 1418
1997 1416 8 11 5 23 n/a n/a 0 1463
1998 1421 13 8 4 20 n/a n/a 0 1466
1999 1426 9 9 5 20 n/a n/a 0 1469
2000 1429 9 8 6 24 n/a n/a 0 1476
2001 1375 5 10 8 34 n/a n/a 0 1432
2002 1283 2 11 11 38 n/a n/a 0 1345
2003 1283 2 11 11 38 n/a n/a 0 1345
2004 1204 2 11 13 38 n/a n/a 0 1268
2005 1192 1 11 16 30 n/a n/a 0 1250
2006 1188 2 15 19 27 n/a n/a 0 1251
2007 1195 2 6 16 38 n/a n/a 0 1257
2008 1166 2 12 13 45 n/a n/a 0 1238
2009 1193 3 17 18 40 n/a n/a 0 1271
2010 1127 3 15 22 33 n/a n/a 0 1200
2011 1090 5 10 29 43 2 0 0 1179
2012 1069 10 8 20 33 0 5 0 1145
2013 1067 6 14 27 31 0 6 0 1151
2014 1052 10 9 37 22 0 7 0 1137
2015 1078 6 14 39 36 0 11 0 1184
2016 1092 13 10 49 36 0 9 0 1209
2017 1113 9 9 45 37 0 18 0 1231
2018 1086 8 10 38 45 1 23 0 1211
2019 1087 7 5 37 46 0 25 0 1207
2020 1043 9 7 44 45 0 31 0 1179
2021 1085 12 8 51 50 1 30 0 1237
2022 1090 9 9 54 57 1 39 0 1259
2023 1031 8 10 68 52 0 51 0 1220

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 Watertown High School - 01

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 821 35.9 22.8 n/a
1990 825 39.2 21.0 n/a
1991 811 45.7 17.7 n/a
1992 811 45.7 17.7 n/a
1993 817 59.3 13.8 n/a
1994 1267 68.1 18.6 n/a
1995 1418 74.5 19.0 n/a
1996 1418 74.5 19.0 n/a
1997 1463 77.1 19.0 7.9
1998 1466 73.6 19.9 11.6
1999 1469 75.5 19.5 13.3
2000 1476 74.7 19.8 17.5
2001 1432 74.4 19.2 13.3
2002 1345 73.4 18.3 15.8
2003 1345 73.4 18.3 15.8
2004 1268 71.3 17.8 21.7
2005 1250 73.2 17.1 21.1
2006 1251 75.7 16.5 16.2
2007 1257 74.6 16.8 15.7
2008 1238 76.4 16.2 19.2
2009 1271 73.3 17.3 20.9
2010 1200 74.8 16.0 23.1
2011 1179 69.6 16.9 24.2
2012 1145 70.5 16.2 23.5
2013 1151 69.3 16.5 23.5
2014 1137 68.8 16.5 25.4
2015 1184 72.0 16.4 26.9
2016 1209 64.0 18.8 30.6
2017 1231 66.5 18.5 25.3
2018 1211 75.2 16.0 25.5
2019 1207 73.9 16.3 23.4
2020 1179 73.3 16.0 22.1
2021 1237 70.2 17.6 23.5
2022 1259 71.2 17.6 19.5
2023 1220 73.3 16.6 22.4

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 Watertown High School - 01

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 821 35.9 22.8 n/a
1990 825 39.2 21.0 n/a
1991 811 45.7 17.7 n/a
1992 811 45.7 17.7 n/a
1993 817 59.3 13.8 n/a
1994 1267 68.1 18.6 n/a
1995 1418 74.5 19.0 n/a
1996 1418 74.5 19.0 n/a
1997 1463 77.1 19.0 7.9
1998 1466 73.6 19.9 11.6
1999 1469 75.5 19.5 13.3
2000 1476 74.7 19.8 17.5
2001 1432 74.4 19.2 13.3
2002 1345 73.4 18.3 15.8
2003 1345 73.4 18.3 15.8
2004 1268 71.3 17.8 21.7
2005 1250 73.2 17.1 21.1
2006 1251 75.7 16.5 16.2
2007 1257 74.6 16.8 15.7
2008 1238 76.4 16.2 19.2
2009 1271 73.3 17.3 20.9
2010 1200 74.8 16.0 23.1
2011 1179 69.6 16.9 24.2
2012 1145 70.5 16.2 23.5
2013 1151 69.3 16.5 23.5
2014 1137 68.8 16.5 25.4
2015 1184 72.0 16.4 26.9
2016 1209 64.0 18.8 30.6
2017 1231 66.5 18.5 25.3
2018 1211 75.2 16.0 25.5
2019 1207 73.9 16.3 23.4
2020 1179 73.3 16.0 22.1
2021 1237 70.2 17.6 23.5
2022 1259 71.2 17.6 19.5
2023 1220 73.3 16.6 22.4

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 Watertown High School - 01

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2020 $462 (5.8%) $7,534 (94.2%) $7,996
2021 $508 (6.2%) $7,674 (93.8%) $8,183
2022 $732 (8.9%) $7,464 (91.1%) $8,197
2023 $762 (8.6%) $8,091 (91.4%) $8,853

Data source: South Dakota Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Watertown High School - 01

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 19th of 135 High schoolsRanks 70th of 138 High schools
 36.7%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts (Watertown High School - 01)77.867.3
 10.5%
   11th Grade English Language Arts (Watertown School District 14-4)77.867.3
 10.5%
   11th Grade English Language Arts (South Dakota)64.465.2
 0.7%
11th Grade Mathematics (Watertown High School - 01)54.736.4
 18.3%
   11th Grade Mathematics (Watertown School District 14-4)54.736.4
 18.3%
   11th Grade Mathematics (South Dakota)41.237.8
 3.4%
11th Grade Science (Watertown High School - 01)46.651.8
 5.2%
   11th Grade Science (Watertown School District 14-4)46.651.8
 5.2%
   11th Grade Science (South Dakota)36.451.8
 15.4%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students12071220
 1.1%
African American78
 14.3%
American Indian4652
 13%
Asian510
 100%
Hispanic3768
 83.8%
Pacific Islander00
White10871031
 5.2%
Two or More Races2551
 104%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients23.4%22.4%
 1%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Watertown High School - 01

Watertown High School - 01 ranks 75th of 141 South Dakota high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,220 students attended Watertown High School - 01.

Students at Watertown High School - 01 are 85% White, 6% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 4% Two or more races.


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

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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