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James R Watson Elementary School

Q: Is James R Watson Elementary School a good school?

James R Watson Elementary School ranks 364 th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

364^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,005 Indiana Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of Indiana elementary schools

Summary

James R Watson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Auburn, Indiana, serving 579 students in grades PK-5 and part of the DeKalb County Ctl United School District.

The school consistently outperforms the district and state averages in ILEARN test scores, with 43.27% of students proficient or better in ELA and 53.82% in math, compared to 39.5% and 40.88% for the district, respectively. While the school has seen an increase in chronic absenteeism, reaching 19.2% in 2022-2023, it is still lower than the district average of 19.0%. The school has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 33.16% to 40.82%, indicating the socioeconomic status of the student population.

Compared to nearby schools, South Side Elementary School and Huntertown Elementary School, James R Watson Elementary School outperforms them in academic achievement. However, some schools in other districts, such as Cedar Canyon Elementary School, have even higher academic performance. Despite the school's strong academic performance, its statewide ranking has declined from 95th out of 1,020 schools in 2021-2022 to 364th out of 1,005 schools in 2024-2025, potentially due to the performance of other schools improving at a faster rate.

590

Students ?

19.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,898

Per pupil spending ?

40.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

901 Eckhart Ave
Auburn, IN 46706

(260) 920-1014

District: DeKalb County Ctl United School District

Students who attend James R Watson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	DeKalb Middle School
High:	DeKalb High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.2%

Hispanic:

7.6%

Two or more races:

2.0%

See top rated Indiana elementary schools

Compare James R Watson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 71st percentile in 2015 → 64th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Indiana average (47% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in DeKalb County Ctl United School District

✓Above the Indiana median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg40%

Indiana avg38%

364^th of 1,005

Indiana public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 29% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Indiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the DeKalb County Ctl United School District

169^th of 380DeKalb County Ctl United School District among Indiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Indiana percentile	Rating
2025	63.1	364 of 1005	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.9	272 of 1011	73.1%	★★★★☆
2023	77.8	202 of 1016	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	87.6	95 of 1020	90.7%	★★★★★
2021	84.3	131 of 1016	87.1%	★★★★☆
2019	73.2	255 of 1031	75.3%	★★★★☆
2018	68.1	337 of 1027	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	73.1	266 of 1033	74.2%	★★★★☆
2016	68.5	329 of 1046	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	69.7	298 of 1040	71.3%	★★★★☆
2014	69.9	308 of 1036	70.3%	★★★★☆
2013	68.2	334 of 1035	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.0	537 of 1015	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	68.6	318 of 1025	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.0	391 of 1009	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	70.4	294 of 1003	70.7%	★★★★☆
2008	62.1	395 of 996	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.9	561 of 985	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	58.2	436 of 961	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	59.7	417 of 959	56.5%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Indiana (2024-2025) ?

Math54%

Social Studies44%+6 vs state

English Language Arts43%

Science42%

★

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Schools Near James R Watson Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2025)					ILEARN Math (2025)					ILEARN Science (2025)			ILEARN Social Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 4th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 3rd Grade	ILEARN Math 4th Grade	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Science 4th Grade	ILEARN Science 6th Grade	ILEARN Science All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
James R Watson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	901 Eckhart Ave	Auburn	46706	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Ctl United School District	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 920-1014	590	30	19.3	40.2%	526 (89.2%)	3 (0.5%)	45 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	12 (2.0%)	63.1	364^th of 1005 public elementary schools	63.8%		71.9	272^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	73.1%	92	45.7	38.7	46.6		43.3	43.2	63.2	52.3		53.8	41.5		41.5	44.3	$9,898	$539	$9,359
McKenney-Harrison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 South Indiana Ave	Auburn	46706	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Ctl United School District	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 920-1015	620	33	18.5	57.1%	556 (89.7%)	2 (0.3%)	35 (5.6%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	14 (2.3%)	61.3	379^th of 1005 public elementary schools	62.3%		55.9	465^th of 1011 public elementary schools	54.0%	86	36.5	51.1	37.0		41.2	54.2	62.0	40.2		52.2	57.6		57.6	32.6	$9,459	$716	$8,743
Waterloo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	300 E Douglas St	Waterloo	46793	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Ctl United School District	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 920-1011	247	14	17.7	63.6%	226 (91.5%)	2 (0.8%)	9 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.0%)	29.5	734^th of 1005 public elementary schools	27.0%		27.7	748^th of 1011 public elementary schools	26.0%	14	17.4	14.8	25.6		20.2	30.4	55.6	41.0		42.7	29.6		29.6	12.8	$13,076	$1,395	$11,682
J E Ober Elementary School	Public	K-5	801 E Houston St	Garrett	46738	DeKalb County	Garrett-Keyser-Butler Com School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 357-3112	704	51	13.9	59.5%	634 (90.1%)	2 (0.3%)	33 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.7%)	30 (4.3%)	26.8	758^th of 1005 public elementary schools	24.6%		24.8	769^th of 1011 public elementary schools	23.9%	11	21.9	24.8	31.3		25.6	32.0	33.6	29.3		31.8	31.2		31.2	23.2	$10,443	$1,241	$9,202
Country Meadow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2410 Cr 10	Ashley	46705	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Ctl United School District	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 920-1017	314	19	16.5	48.1%	287 (91.4%)	3 (1.0%)	14 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.2%)	37.4	647^th of 1005 public elementary schools	35.6%		44.3	585^th of 1011 public elementary schools	42.1%	62	25.5	31.6	27.5		27.8	32.7	44.7	33.3		36.1	50.0		50.0	31.4	$11,993	$1,067	$10,926
Riverdale Elementary School	Public	K-6	6127 Sr 1	Saint Joe	46785	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Eastern Com School District	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 337-5464	300	17	17.8	41.7%	277 (92.3%)	2 (0.7%)	12 (4.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.3%)	71.6	270^th of 1005 public elementary schools	73.1%		78.1	202^nd of 1011 public elementary schools	80.0%	68	26.7	43.5	51.2	47.2	43.1	33.3	71.7	43.9	61.1	54.3	71.7	55.6	64.6	48.8	$10,838	$594	$10,244
Butler Elementary School	Public	K-6	1025 S Broadway	Butler	46721	DeKalb County	DeKalb County Eastern Com School District	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 868-2123	366	27	13.6	68.3%	332 (90.7%)	4 (1.1%)	22 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	15.7	853^rd of 1005 public elementary schools	15.1%		14	883^rd of 1011 public elementary schools	12.7%	30	21.7	11.5	27.9	13.7	18.6	31.9	15.4	14.0	11.8	19.5	23.1	13.7	18.5	25.6	$12,980	$582	$12,398
Avilla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	200 W Washington St	Avilla	46710	Noble County	East Noble School Corporation	No	No	No	No	(260) 897-2301	422	28	14.8	29.6%	395 (93.6%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)	55.4	455^th of 1005 public elementary schools	54.7%		52.5	501^st of 1011 public elementary schools	50.4%	46	42.1	49.3	43.6		45.5	54.4	46.7	29.1		43.9	40.0		40.0	34.6	$10,556	$613	$9,943
Cedar Canyon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	15011 Coldwater Rd	Fort Wayne	46845	Allen County	Northwest Allen County Schools	No	No	No	No	(260) 637-6101	508	34	15.0	9.6%	421 (82.9%)	5 (1.0%)	23 (4.5%)	31 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (5.3%)	84.7	137^th of 1005 public elementary schools	86.4%		81.6	164^th of 1011 public elementary schools	83.8%	27	60.8	53.8	57.1		57.1	81.1	62.5	51.4		63.3	58.8		58.8	61.0	$9,620	$387	$9,233
South Side Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1350 S Sherman St	Kendallville	46755	Noble County	East Noble School Corporation	No	No	No	Yes	(260) 349-2200	300	23	13.1	48.3%	247 (82.3%)	5 (1.7%)	39 (13.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	30.2	727^th of 1005 public elementary schools	27.7%		34.5	681^st of 1011 public elementary schools	32.6%	46	26.0	21.3	35.7		27.3	40.0	25.5	40.5		35.3	21.3		21.3	28.6	$11,428	$1,273	$10,155

Frequently Asked Questions about James R Watson Elementary School

What district is James R Watson Elementary School in?

DeKalb County Ctl United School District

What schools do graduates of James R Watson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend James R Watson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : DeKalb Middle School
High : DeKalb High School

What is the racial makeup of James R Watson Elementary School?

Students at James R Watson Elementary School are 89% White, 8% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend James R Watson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 590 students attended James R Watson Elementary School.

Is James R Watson Elementary School a good school?

James R Watson Elementary School ranks 364^th of 1005 Indiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate James R Watson Elementary School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Indiana Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.