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What's the biggest difference between Watauga Elementary and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
581
Elementary
DISTRICT 435 · STATE 499
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WASHINGTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510390001986
Watauga Elementary
23181 Watauga Rd, Abingdon, VA 24211 · (276) 739-3600 · Washington County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL581 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
39 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.5:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
75%
435 students
DISTRICT 75% · STATE 66%
Community
1
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 | 36 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 85 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 85 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 87 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 95 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 100 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 93 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (85) is 9% smaller than its 5th grade class (93).
Student demographics
20%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 24% · STATE 71% · 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
SOL 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
94.0%
VA avg 74.2% . +3.0pp since 2022
Math
92.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +0.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 94 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 92 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are up about 3 points since 2022, while math scores have held steady.
SOL results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 94.0% | 92.0% |
| 2023-24 | 95.0% | 92.0% |
| 2022-23 | 91.0% | 92.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of VA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
93.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
67.7%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+25.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 93% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 68% typical for Virginia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 25 points, placing it in Virginia's top 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 Watauga Elementary
Watauga Elementary's state test result (93.1% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watauga Elementary this school | 581 | 74.9% | 93.1% |
| High Point Elementary Bristol | 582 | 76.1% | 84.9% |
| Meadowview Elementary Meadowview | 544 | 75.2% | 73.6% |
| Cassell Elementary Waynesboro | 634 | 71.1% | 68.1% |
| Riverheads Elementary Staunton | 714 | 72.8% | 68.9% |
| Spiller Elementary Wytheville | 615 | 82.4% | 74.6% |
Matched among Virginia elementary 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 Watauga Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Virginia | In Washington County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 93.1% | #18 of 1,101 | #1 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 92.0% | #73 of 1,111 ▼ 20 | #1 of 7 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 94.0% | #25 of 1,111 ▼ 15 | #1 of 7 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 581 | #399 of 1,176 | #2 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.1:1 | #798 of 1,105 | #7 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 19.6% | #1,049 of 1,106 | #3 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 74.9% | #581 of 1,157 | #7 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.8% | #264 of 324 | 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. 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
581
+50 (+9%) vs 2020
+71% since 1990-91, when it was 339
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
was 16.1:1
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 | 581 | 38.5 | 15.1:1 | 75% (435) |
| 2023-24 | 568 | 36.5 | 15.6:1 | 73% (417) |
| 2022-23 | 557 | 38 | 14.7:1 | 66% (366) |
| 2020-21 | 531 | 33 | 16.1:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 565 | 33.3 | 16.9:1 | 48% (271) |
| 2015-16 | 570 | 32 | 17.8:1 | 44% (248) |
| 2010-11 | 565 | 32 | 17.7:1 | 30% (171) |
| 2000-01 | 466 | 5 | 93.2:1 | 34% (158) |
| 1990-91 | 339 | 21 | 16.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Watauga Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (565 to 581); teachers up 15% (33.3 to 38.5).
About Watauga Elementary
Watauga Elementary is a public elementary school in Abingdon, Virginia. Enrollment stands at 581 students, covering pre-K through 5.
Washington County Public Schools counts 7,270 students in its 16 schools, and Watauga Elementary is one of them.
The share of White students at Watauga Elementary is 90%. Enrollment also includes 4% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 20%.
Watauga Elementary lists 38.5 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 15.1 students per teacher. Across elementary schools in Virginia, the average ratio is 13.8:1. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 75% of the student body. That is in line with the 75% average for public schools in Washington County.
Given its lunch-eligibility share, the predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results for Watauga Elementary is 67.7%. It actually posts 93.1%, which is 25.4 points higher and in the top 10% of Virginia schools.
In the wider Washington County area, the median household earns about $64,552 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 27% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 7%. Across Washington County, 19 public schools serve about 7,270 students.
Abingdon High is the nearest public school to Watauga Elementary, about 3.4 miles away. Within five miles of Watauga Elementary, there are 4 other public schools. In a group of 8 nearby schools with scores, Watauga Elementary ranks 1st on average proficiency.
Watauga Elementary is coded as Rural: Fringe in federal locale data.
Federal enrollment counts rose from 531 (2020-21) to 581 (2024-25). In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 16.1:1; by 2024-25 it was 15.1:1.
You can use this page to share news and ask questions about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Washington County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
53,926
Census ACS
Median income
$64,552
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
7,270 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Washington County Public Schools
- Abingdon HighHigh · 914 students
- E.B. Stanley MiddleMiddle · 659 students
- John S. Battle HighHigh · 613 students
- High Point ElementaryElementary · 582 students
- Meadowview ElementaryElementary · 544 students
- Washington County Virtual SchoolCombined · 537 students
Other schools in Abingdon
- Abingdon HighHigh · 914 students
- E.B. Stanley MiddleMiddle · 659 students
- Washington County Virtual SchoolCombined · 537 students
- Abingdon ElementaryElementary · 426 students
- Greendale ElementaryElementary · 257 students
- A. Linwood Holton Governor's SchoolElementary
Other Watauga Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Watauga Elementary. Watauga Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- Watauga Elementary SchoolWATAUGA, TX · 700 students
- Watauga ElementaryRidgetop, TN · 343 students
Nearby schools
- Abingdon High3.4 mi · 914
- Washington County Virtual School3.4 mi · 537
- E.B. Stanley Middle3.6 mi · 659
- Abingdon Elementary4.4 mi · 426
- Greendale Elementary7.4 mi · 257
- Meadowview Elementary7.7 mi · 544
Frequently asked questions
About Watauga ElementaryHow large is Watauga Elementary?
Watauga Elementary enrolls approximately 581 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Watauga Elementary serve?
Watauga Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Watauga Elementary?
Approximately 15.1:1 students per teacher at Watauga Elementary.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Watauga Elementary?
At Watauga Elementary, the student body is approximately 90% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% Black, 2% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Watauga Elementary public or private?
Watauga Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Washington County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.