Watertown City School District
Watertown City School District is a public school district based in Watertown, New York, serving 3,964 students in 8 schools. By enrollment it ranks #108 of the 404 New York districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 73% of them. Its schools average 496 students each, about the same as the New York median of 538. Its superintendent is Dr. Larry Schmiegel. It spends about $17,580 per student on day-to-day operations, 25% less than the New York median. It has roughly 12.8 students per teacher.
How Watertown City compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Watertown City | New York median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $17,580 | $23,514 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $11,627 | $15,327 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $72.6 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $77.2 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 309 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 683 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 12.8 | 11.3 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 248 | 284 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The New York median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dr. Larry Schmiegel
Source: New York State Education Department, SEDREF, checked 2026-10-05. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in New York
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffern Central School DistrictHillburn | 4,002 | 6 | $31,592 | 10.9 | #105 |
| Washingtonville Central School DistrictWashingtonville | 3,979 | 5 | $23,594 | 12.6 | #106 |
| Auburn City School DistrictAuburn | 3,975 | 7 | $19,092 | 11.7 | #107 |
| Watertown City School DistrictWatertown · this district | 3,964 | 8 | $17,580 | 12.8 | #108 |
| South Country Central School DistrictEast Patchogue | 3,906 | 6 | $29,401 | 10.4 | #109 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| National ElementaryNational City, CA | 3,967 | $15,490 | 23.6 |
| Hereford ISDHereford, TX | 3,964 | $10,492 | 15.1 |
| Phoenix Elementary District (4256)Phoenix, AZ | 3,963 | $13,652 | 12.2 |
| Londonderry School DistrictLondonderry, NH | 3,962 | $19,226 | 11.7 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-ny-watertown-city-school-district