Watauga County Schools School District

175 Pioneer Trail
Boone, NC 28607
(District boundaries shown in map)
9/
10
Top 20%

Top Rankings

Watauga County Schools School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:

Category
Attribute
Overall Rank
Highest overall rank (Top 20%)
Math Proficiency
Highest math proficiency (Top 20%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
Student Attention
Lowest student:teacher ratio (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 2 public high schools serving 1,584 students in Watauga County Schools School District. This district's average high testing ranking is 10/10, which is in the top 10% of public high schools in North Carolina.
Public High Schools in Watauga County Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of 84% (versus the North Carolina public high school average of 58%), and reading proficiency score of 72% (versus the 58% statewide average).
Public High School in Watauga County School School District have a Graduation Rate of 89%, which is more than the North Carolina average of 85%.
The school with highest graduation rate is Watauga High School, with 89% graduation rate. Read more about public school graduation rate statistics in North Carolina or national school graduation rate statistics.
Minority enrollment is 17% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the North Carolina public high school average of 55% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
11 Schools
761 Schools
# Students
4,746 Students
565,764 Students
# Teachers
396 Teachers
33,453 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
11:1
11:1

District Rank

Watauga County Schools School District, which is ranked within the top 20% of all 320 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 89% has decreased from 91% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (NC)
#61 out of 325 school districts
(Top 20%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Watauga County Schools  School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
65%
51%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Watauga County Schools  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
63%
50%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Watauga County Schools  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
74%
63%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Watauga County Schools  School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
89%
86%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Watauga County Schools  School District and public school graduation rate of North Carolina by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.30
0.70
# American Indian Students
14 Students
5,772 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
91 Students
21,293 Students
% Asian Students
2%
4%
# Hispanic Students
500 Students
115,235 Students
% Hispanic Students
11%
20%
# Black Students
54 Students
138,700 Students
% Black Students
1%
24%
# White Students
3,946 Students
254,801 Students
% White Students
83%
45%
# Hawaiian Students
2 Students
765 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
139 Students
30,969 Students
% of Two or more races Students
3%
6%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
114
491
# Students in K Grade:
333
6,922
# Students in 1st Grade:
325
6,949
# Students in 2nd Grade:
330
7,207
# Students in 3rd Grade:
321
7,125
# Students in 4th Grade:
337
7,196
# Students in 5th Grade:
346
7,763
# Students in 6th Grade:
334
11,146
# Students in 7th Grade:
368
12,024
# Students in 8th Grade:
354
12,284
# Students in 9th Grade:
447
137,976
# Students in 10th Grade:
419
126,349
# Students in 11th Grade:
375
117,582
# Students in 12th Grade:
343
104,750
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $11,948 is higher than the state median of $11,187. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $11,930 is higher than the state median of $11,612. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (NC)
Total Revenue
$57 MM
$17,307 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Watauga County Schools  School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$57 MM
$17,964 MM
This chart displays total spending of Watauga County Schools  School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$11,948
$11,187
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Watauga County Schools  School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$11,930
$11,612
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Watauga County Schools  School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in North Carolina by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Watauga County Schools School District Public High Schools (2025)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Watauga High School
(Math: 85-89% | Reading: 73%)
Rank:
10/
10
Top 10%
300 Go Pioneers Drive
Boone, NC 28607
(828) 264-2407
Grades: 9-12
| 1,279 students
Rank: #22.
Watauga Innovation Academy
(Math: 70-79% | Reading: 65-69%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
300 Go Pioneers Drive
Boone, NC 28607
(828) 264-2407
Grades: 9-12
| 305 students

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • District size: 11 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 4,746 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 11:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 17%
  • : 89% (Top 50% in NC)
  • : Top 20%
  • : 65% (Top 20%)
  • : 63% (Top 30%)
  • : 74% (Top 30%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NC Dept. of Education

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