Skip to main content

Public middle school · Watertown School District 14-4 · Watertown, South Dakota

Watertown Middle School - 02

Watertown Middle School - 02 rates 6.8, right at the middle of Watertown School District 14-4's middle schools, whose rated median is 7.1.

Middle schools, 1 to 10This campus against public middle schools around it that are rated on verified state test data.
6.8this school

6.8 on a one-to-ten scale; the Watertown School District 14-4 median is 7.1.

#240 of 586 schools in South Dakota · Watertown School District 14-4: 2 middle schools rated, median 7.1

The brief

A Watertown School District 14-4 middle school where students score 6 points above what's typical for similar communities.

It ranks 240 of 586 schools in South Dakota and 3 of 8 in Watertown School District 14-4.

Watertown Middle School - 02 is listed in Watertown School District 14-4, and a district label does not verify attendance for an address: confirm the zoned campus with the district before you commit to a street.

Math51%8 points above the South Dakota average of 43%2025 SBAC
Reading63%12 points above the South Dakota average of 51%2025 SBAC
Proficiency has held near 57% across the 2-year record (2024–2025).2025 SBAC; 38 test records from SD state assessments and EdFacts (NCES).

What the rating is made of, each out of 10

Student Progress
7.5
40% of the rating
Academics
7.9
35% of the rating
Resources & Environment
4.1
25% of the rating
About this school's data1 correction under review · rating: low confidence · 7 sources, 2019–2025

Every number on this page comes from a published source with a stated period. Where a source is partial, aging, an estimate, or describes a surrounding area rather than the school, that limitation is named here.

Attendance data is under correction. This existing Resources & Environment score and overall rating may still reflect an unverified attendance input.

Full Profile · 3/3 metrics

Multi-year averages used by the rating model: math 58% (multi-year average, 2009-2025) · reading/ELA 67% (multi-year average, 2009-2025).

School directory (enrollment, grades, staff, contact)
NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) · SY 2023–24 · Medium confidence
  • Source period: SY 2023–24. A newer release may be available.
MySchoolScout rating and rank
MySchoolScout ranking model · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Derived as a weighted blend of the component scores shown in Academics from state assessment, EdFacts growth, and NCES resource records.
Math proficiency
State department of education · 2025 SBAC · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Reading/ELA proficiency
State department of education · 2025 SBAC · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived from source records rather than read directly from one field.
Student progress (growth)
State assessments · Mixed source periods · Low confidence
  • Vintage not available. Do not use this measure alone.
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Derived as the fitted year-over-year slope of proficiency from multi-year assessment records.
Neighborhood (income, housing, education)
U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates · Low confidence
  • Older source: ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates. Use as historical context.
  • Reported for the ZCTA for ZIP 57201; this does not measure the attendance area.
Programs (AP/IB, athletics, gifted)
CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22 · Medium confidence
  • Available for part of the eligible units; results may not represent the full area.
  • Source period: SY 2021–22. A newer release may be available.

Evidence periods: Rating mixed/unknown input periods; assessments multi-year average, 2009-2025; directory SY 2023–24

The neighborhood

Where it sits, and what the area looks like.
Watertown Middle School - 02 and the 13 nearest middle schools, each pin colored by its score.Pins are locations, not attendance boundaries. Verify the enrollment path with the district.

The area

Median income
$64,809
Median home value
$223,600
Median rent
$903/mo
College educated
21.3%
Homeownership
66%
Poverty rate
10.4%

U.S. Census ACS 5-year estimates · ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates for the ZCTA associated with school ZIP 57201; this is area context, not an attendance boundary.

Getting around

Walk Score
13
Car-Dependent
Bike Score
40
Somewhat Bikeable
City reported crime
916/100K
Reported Part-1 offenses (violent + property + arson) per 100,000 residents, from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program for Watertown. This is a city-level reported-crime measure, not a school safety rating.

Walk, transit and bike scores byWalk Score

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting · 2025 · city context (Watertown), not school-level safety or attendance eligibility. Source details

Source period: 2025. Freshness not available.

Programs and who goes here

What the campus offers, and who it enrolls.

Programs

Gifted and talented
Available
A program for qualifying students · CRDC via Urban Institute · SY 2021–22

Who goes here

Free or reduced lunch
27.9%
Students qualifying for federal meal assistance. Shown separately, never in the score.

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD).

The record

What is on file, and where each number came from.

Questions families ask

What grades does Watertown Middle School - 02 serve?

Watertown Middle School - 02 serves students in grades 7th through 8th.

How many students attend Watertown Middle School - 02?

Watertown Middle School - 02 has an enrollment of approximately 587 students.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Watertown Middle School - 02?

The student-teacher ratio at Watertown Middle School - 02 is 15.9:1. A lower ratio generally means more individual attention per student. The national average is approximately 16:1 for public schools.

How does Watertown Middle School - 02 rank in SD?

Watertown Middle School - 02 ranks #240 of 586 schools in SD.

What is Watertown Middle School - 02's MySchoolScout rating?

Watertown Middle School - 02 has a current MySchoolScout rating of 6.8 out of 10. This score combines the level-appropriate components shown in the rating breakdown; equity data is shown separately for context.

What are the test scores at Watertown Middle School - 02?

Based on loaded state assessment records, Watertown Middle School - 02 has 58% math proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2025) and 67% reading/ELA proficiency (multi-year average, 2009-2025).

Is Watertown Middle School - 02 a charter school?

No, Watertown Middle School - 02 is not a charter school. It is a traditional public school operated by the local school district.

Is Watertown Middle School - 02 a Title I school?

No, Watertown Middle School - 02 is not currently a Title I school.

What does the Free & Reduced Lunch percentage mean for Watertown Middle School - 02?

27.9% of students at Watertown Middle School - 02 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a commonly used indicator of economic need and provides important context when interpreting test scores.

School facts

Grades
7th – 8th
Enrollment
587
Student-teacher ratio
15.9:1
Teachers (FTE)
37
Type
Regular
Title I
No
Setting
Remote Town
County
Codington County
Rank in district
#3 of 8
Schools in district
9
District spending per student
$10,402
NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
District child poverty rate
6.6%
Census SAIPE · 2024
Area population (ZIP 57201)
26,375
Area average commute
14.1 min
Area median age
39.5

NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) (SY 2023–24).

Related reading

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, South Dakota Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.