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How has James R Watson Elementary School changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
590
Elementary
DISTRICT 443 · STATE 436
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DEKALB CO CTL UNITED SCH DIST·NCES 180159000222
James R Watson Elementary School
901 Eckhart Ave, Auburn, IN 46706 · (260) 920-1014 · DeKalb County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY31-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL590 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
19.4:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.1:1 · STATE 15.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
237 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 50%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 49 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 82 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 92 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 87 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 82 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 108 | 18% |
| Grade 5 | 90 | 15% |
Student demographics
20%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 57% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within DeKalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ILEARN 2024-25 . % At or Above ProficiencyEnglish Language Arts
43.3%
IN avg 39.2%
Math
53.8%
IN avg 41.1%
What this means: On the ILEARN, Indiana's statewide test, about 43 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 54 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Indiana schools, those numbers are about 39 and 41.
Source: ILEARN. 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
46.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.1%
based on IN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 47% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 47% typical for Indiana 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 Indiana'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 →
Where James R Watson Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Indiana | In DeKalb County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 46.5% | #370 of 983 | #3 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 53.8% | #342 of 986 | #2 of 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.3% | #370 of 986 | #2 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 590 | #194 of 1,079 | #3 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.4:1 | #941 of 991 | #7 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 19.9% | #760 of 996 | #1 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 40.2% | #789 of 1,058 | #8 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -3.0% | #521 of 597 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary 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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
590
+62 (+12%) vs 2020
+18% since 1990-91, when it was 502
Student : Teacher
19.4:1
was 19.6:1
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 | 590 | 30.4 | 19.4:1 | 40% (237) |
| 2023-24 | 579 | 30.4 | 19.0:1 | 39% (224) |
| 2022-23 | 588 | 32.3 | 18.2:1 | 41% (240) |
| 2020-21 | 528 | 27 | 19.6:1 | 36% (188) |
| 2017-18 | 608 | 29.2 | 20.8:1 | 45% (275) |
| 2015-16 | 621 | 28 | 22.2:1 | 42% (263) |
| 2010-11 | 595 | 27 | 22.0:1 | 37% (218) |
| 2000-01 | 574 | 32 | 17.9:1 | 15% (86) |
| 1990-91 | 502 | 23 | 21.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James R Watson Elementary School.
About James R Watson Elementary School
In Auburn, Indiana, James R Watson Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school. There are 590 students enrolled, covering pre-K through 5. On average, elementary schools in Indiana enroll around 436, and this school is 35% above that mark.
In DeKalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist, 6 schools enroll a combined 3,537 students.
A large majority of enrollment at James R Watson Elementary School is White, at 89%. Other reported shares: 8% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 20%.
James R Watson Elementary School has 30.4 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.4:1. Across elementary schools in Indiana, the average ratio is 15.5:1. The school has 40% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The gap from the 49% average for public schools in DeKalb County is 9 points.
James R Watson Elementary School's actual average proficiency rate across its state test results (46.5%) and its predicted rate (47.1%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Indiana schools.
In the wider DeKalb County area, the median household earns about $74,331 a year, about 20% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 7% of residents are in poverty. Across DeKalb County, 14 public schools serve about 6,781 students.
McKenney-Harrison Elementary Sch is about 1.1 miles away, making it the nearest public school. James R Watson Elementary School is one of several public schools in the area, with 7 others within five miles. James R Watson Elementary School ranks 1st of 7 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 46.5% against a local average of 33.7%.
NCES lists the school's locale as Town: Fringe. That means it sits in a town close to an urbanized area.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 590, up from 528 in 2020-21.
This page collects posts and questions about James R Watson Elementary School, such as fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Members of the school community can share what they know.
DeKalb County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
43,807
Census ACS
Median income
$74,331
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
14
6,781 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in DeKalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist
- DeKalb High SchoolHigh · 1,007 students
- DeKalb Middle SchoolMiddle · 759 students
- McKenney-Harrison Elementary SchElementary · 620 students
- Country Meadow Elementary SchoolElementary · 314 students
- Waterloo Elementary SchoolElementary · 247 students
Nearby schools
- McKenney-Harrison Elementary Sch1.1 mi · 620
- DeKalb High School2.4 mi · 1,007
- DeKalb Middle School2.6 mi · 759
- Waterloo Elementary School4.2 mi · 247
- J E Ober Elementary School4.6 mi · 704
- Garrett Middle School4.7 mi · 387
Frequently asked questions
About James R Watson Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at James R Watson Elementary School?
James R Watson Elementary School enrolls approximately 590 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does James R Watson Elementary School serve?
James R Watson Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does James R Watson Elementary School have?
James R Watson Elementary School employs 30 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.4:1.
What is the student diversity at James R Watson Elementary School?
Student demographics at James R Watson Elementary School are roughly 89% White, 8% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Two or more.
What district is James R Watson Elementary School in?
James R Watson Elementary School is part of DeKalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.