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What's the best and worst thing about the food at WATSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
383
Elementary
DISTRICT 279 · STATE 283
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MARION COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 540072000579
Watson Elementary School
1579 Mary Lou Retton Dr, Fairmont, WV 26554 · (304) 367-2156 · Marion County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL383 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.2:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
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 | 83 | 22% |
| Kindergarten | 63 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 59 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 68 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 61 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 49 | 13% |
Student demographics
43%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 21% · STATE 23% · 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
EDFacts (federal) 2020-21 . % Proficient (SY 20-21)English Language Arts
27.0%
WV avg 39.7%
Math
22.0%
WV avg 27.8%
What this means: On the EDFacts (federal), West Virginia's statewide test, about 27 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 22 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all West Virginia schools, those numbers are about 40 and 28.
Source: EDFacts (federal). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Watson Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In West Virginia | In Marion County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 22.0% | #283 of 350 | #11 of 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 27.0% | #275 of 348 | #10 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 383 | #94 of 417 | #1 of 11 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.7:1 | #208 of 285 | #7 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 42.9% | #45 of 286 | #2 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.8% | #131 of 260 | #6 of 9 |
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.
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
383
-83 (-18%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
was 17.9:1
% White
74%
was 70%
% Hispanic
2%
was 2%
% Black
8%
was 17%
% Asian
1%
was 2%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free or reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 383 | 26 | 14.7:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 376 | 27 | 13.9:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 415 | 27 | 15.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 466 | 26 | 17.9:1 | 70% (326) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Watson Elementary School.
About Watson Elementary School
Among the schools in Fairmont, West Virginia, is Watson Elementary School, a medium-sized elementary school. The school's 383 students are in pre-K through 4. Enrollment is 35% higher than the average for elementary schools in West Virginia, which is about 283.
Marion County Schools is the local district for Watson Elementary School. It runs 19 schools with 7,112 students.
At Watson Elementary School, White students make up 74% of the student body. After that, the student body is 15% multiracial, 8% Black, and 2% Hispanic. Census figures show Marion County is about 92% White. The school's diversity index is 43%, meaning two students picked at random have a 43% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Federal staffing data show 26 full-time-equivalent teachers at Watson Elementary School and a ratio of 14.7:1. The school has more students per teacher than the 12.9:1 average for elementary schools in West Virginia.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Marion County show that the median household income is $67,370, about 27% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 10%. Besides Watson Elementary School, Marion County has 20 other public schools.
Nearby, East Fairmont High School is about 0.9 miles away. Within five miles of Watson Elementary School, there are at least 8 other public schools.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Town: Distant: in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
Watson Elementary School's enrollment dropped from 466 in 2017-18 to 383 in 2024-25. The largest shift in the student mix was in the Black share, which fell from 17% to 8%. In 2017-18, the student-to-teacher ratio was 17.9:1; by 2024-25 it was 14.7:1.
Threads on this page can be about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Marion County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
55,909
Census ACS
Median income
$67,370
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
21
7,112 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Marion County Schools
- Fairmont Senior High SchoolHigh · 835 students
- East Fairmont High SchoolHigh · 725 students
- North Marion High SchoolHigh · 671 students
- East Fairmont Middle SchoolMiddle · 647 students
- West Fairmont Middle SchoolMiddle · 592 students
- East Dale Elementary SchoolElementary · 352 students
Other schools in Fairmont
- Fairmont Senior High SchoolHigh · 835 students
- East Fairmont High SchoolHigh · 725 students
- East Fairmont Middle SchoolMiddle · 647 students
- West Fairmont Middle SchoolMiddle · 592 students
- East Dale Elementary SchoolElementary · 352 students
- East Park Elementary SchoolElementary · 321 students
Nearby schools
- East Fairmont High School0.9 mi · 725
- Jayenne Elementary School0.9 mi · 310
- West Fairmont Middle School1.0 mi · 592
- Pleasant Valley Elementary School1.2 mi · 179
- Fairmont Senior High School1.2 mi · 835
- East Fairmont Middle School2.3 mi · 647
Frequently asked questions
About Watson Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Watson Elementary School?
Watson Elementary School enrolls approximately 383 students in grades PK-04.
Is Watson Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Watson Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-04.
How many students per teacher at Watson Elementary School?
Approximately 14.7:1 students per teacher at Watson Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Watson Elementary School?
At Watson Elementary School, the student body is approximately 74% White, 2% Hispanic, 8% Black, 1% Asian, 15% Two or more.
Is Watson Elementary School public or private?
Watson Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Marion County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.