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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
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded

This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work

Enrollment
383
Elementary
DISTRICT 279 · STATE 283
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

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K8322%
Kindergarten6316%
Grade 15915%
Grade 26818%
Grade 36116%
Grade 44913%

This year's kindergarten class (63) is 29% larger than its 4th grade class (49).

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%
White
28274%
DISTRICT 89% · STATE 87% · US 43%
Hispanic
82%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 3% · US 30%
Black
318%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 4% · US 15%
Asian
21%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 1% · US 6%
Two+
5715%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Pacific Islander
31%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
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
Male
19350%
Female
19050%

Discussions

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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
MeasureThis schoolIn West VirginiaIn 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. 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 2024-25
Enrollment
383
-11 (-3%) vs 2020
-14% since 1990-91, when it was 443
Student : Teacher
14.7:1
was 13.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-253832614.7:1N/A
2023-243762713.9:1N/A
2022-234152715.4:1N/A
2020-213943013.1:160% (237)
2017-184662617.9:170% (326)
2015-164072715.1:161% (247)
2010-114502915.5:164% (287)
2000-013072313.3:152% (159)
1990-914432418.5:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Watson Elementary School.

Since 2017-18: students down 18% (466 to 383); teachers unchanged (26 to 26).

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 394 in 2020-21 to 383 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 13.1:1; 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 profile
Population
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

School name
Watson Elementary School
District
Marion County Schools
Address
1579 Mary Lou Retton Dr, Fairmont, WV 26554
Phone
(304) 367-2156
County
Marion County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–04
Total enrollment
383
Teachers (FTE)
26
Student–teacher ratio
14.7:1
Locale
32-Town: Distant
NCES ID
540072000579
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Marion County Schools
Other schools in Fairmont
Other Watson Elementary schools

2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Watson Elementary. Watson Elementary School is the 2nd largest of the 3.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Watson Elementary School
How 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.
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