1
What's the biggest difference between HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
705
Middle
DISTRICT 947 · STATE 794
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PALM BEACH·NCES 120150001481
HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL
9480 MACARTHUR BLVD, PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL 33403 · (561) 776-3600 · Palm Beach County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL705 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 18% of Florida public middle schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Florida public middle schools
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
43 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.5:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
67%
473 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 213 | 30% |
| Grade 7 | 231 | 33% |
| Grade 8 | 261 | 37% |
Student demographics
47%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 70% · STATE 70% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
FAST / B.E.S.T. 2024-25 . % at Level 3 or AboveEnglish Language Arts
43.9%
FL avg 56.7% . +6.5pp since 2023
Math
44.0%
FL avg 58.9% . +11.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the FAST / B.E.S.T., Florida's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 44 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Florida schools, those numbers are about 57 and 59. Reading and writing scores are up about 7 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 11 points.
FAST / B.E.S.T. results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 43.9% | 44.0% |
| 2023-24 | 37.4% | 32.9% |
% at Level 3 or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: FAST / B.E.S.T.. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
39.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.5%
based on FL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 39% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% typical for Florida schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Florida's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL
HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL's state test result (39.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL this school | 705 | 67.1% | 39.3% |
| LOCKHART MIDDLE ORLANDO | 660 | 65.5% | 39.1% |
| LAKE SHORE MIDDLE SCHOOL JACKSONVILLE | 748 | 67.9% | 36.0% |
| CONGRESS COMMUNITY MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYNTON BEACH | 845 | 63.6% | 28.4% |
| MEMORIAL MIDDLE ORLANDO | 712 | 69.2% | 31.1% |
| MEADOWBROOK MIDDLE ORLANDO | 808 | 70.2% | 39.9% |
Matched among Florida middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Florida | In Palm Beach County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.3% | #475 of 560 | #29 of 36 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 44.0% | #446 of 560 ▲ 55 | #32 of 36 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.9% | #405 of 560 ▲ 14 | #25 of 36 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 705 | #374 of 584 | #31 of 38 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.4:1 | #55 of 547 | #12 of 36 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 46.8% | #410 of 553 | #29 of 36 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 67.1% | #84 of 565 | #3 of 36 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -26.1% | #72 of 379 | #4 of 27 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
705
-174 (-20%) vs 2020
-26% since 1990-91, when it was 957
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
was 15.7:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 705 | 43.1 | 16.4:1 | 67% (473) |
| 2023-24 | 720 | 52.6 | 13.7:1 | 71% (508) |
| 2022-23 | 794 | 60 | 13.2:1 | 76% (606) |
| 2020-21 | 879 | 56 | 15.7:1 | 91% (799) |
| 2017-18 | 954 | 65 | 14.7:1 | 87% (833) |
| 2015-16 | 926 | 56 | 16.5:1 | 88% (817) |
| 2010-11 | 598 | 39 | 15.3:1 | 80% (478) |
| 2000-01 | 1,428 | 71 | 20.1:1 | 52% (744) |
| 1990-91 | 957 | 65 | 14.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL.
About HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL
HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL operates as a medium-sized middle-grades school in PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida. The student body numbers 705 students, from grades 6 through 8.
HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL is part of PALM BEACH, where 233 schools serve 191,505 students.
Roughly 70% of students at HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL are Black. The rest of enrollment is 19% Hispanic and 8% White. Among all residents of Palm Beach County, the Black share is about 19%. HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL's diversity index is 47%, against a US figure of 70%.
Teachers at HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL total 43.1 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 16.4:1. That is 3.2 students per teacher below the 19.6:1 average for middle schools in Florida. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 67%. Among public schools in Palm Beach County, the average eligibility rate is 45%.
HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL is graded C- by allk12, scoring above 18% of Florida public middle schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 47.5% at HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL; the school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 39.3%.
Census Bureau estimates for Palm Beach County show that the median household income is $83,581, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 41%, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL is one of 245 public schools in the county.
Of nearby public schools, PALM BEACH VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM is the closest, at about 0.2 miles. HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. The nearest schools with test data average 56.2%, higher than HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL's 39.3%.
The school is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000, according to its NCES locale (City: Small).
The school enrolled 705 students in 2024-25, 174 fewer than the 879 it had in 2020-21.
Discussion on this page can cover school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Palm Beach County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,533,806
Census ACS
Median income
$83,581
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
41%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
245
192,831 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in PALM BEACH
- JOHN I. LEONARD HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 3,262 students
- JUPITER HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 3,122 students
- PARK VISTA COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,881 students
- BOCA RATON COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,819 students
- PALM BEACH LAKES HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,809 students
- PALM BEACH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,760 students
Other schools in PALM BEACH GARDENS
- PALM BEACH GARDENS HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,407 students
- WATSON B. DUNCAN MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 1,042 students
- FRANKLIN ACADEMY- PALM BEACH GARDENSElementary · 963 students
- MARSH POINTE ELEMENTARYElementary · 820 students
- TIMBER TRACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 819 students
- PALM BEACH GARDENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 712 students
Nearby schools
- PALM BEACH VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM0.2 mi · 103
- PALM BEACH VIRTUAL FRANCHISE0.2 mi · 78
- GARDENS SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY ARTS INC0.7 mi · 303
- PALM BEACH GARDENS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL0.8 mi · 712
- ALLAMANDA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.2 mi · 634
- PALM BEACH GARDENS HIGH SCHOOL1.3 mi · 2,407
Frequently asked questions
About HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOLHow many students attend HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL?
HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolls approximately 705 students in grades 06-08.
Is HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL an elementary, middle, or high school?
HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL have?
HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL employs 43 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.4:1.
What is the student diversity at HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL?
Student demographics at HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL are roughly 8% White, 19% Hispanic, 70% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL?
HOWELL L. WATKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL is overseen by PALM BEACH in Palm Beach County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.