Carter County School District

Public Grades PK–12 DSchool Grade

Public schools for Watauga, and parts of Johnson City.

At a glance

4,450Students enrolled

14Schools

$11,729Spent per student

School path

Where would my kid go?

For Watauga

Grades PK–8

7 schoolsDepends on your address · see the listThis district

Grades 9–12

6 high schoolsDepends on your address · see the listThis district

Grades 12

4 high schoolsDepends on your address · see the listThis district

Based on district boundaries from the U.S. Department of Education. Where a town has more than one school at a grade, your street decides; check with the district before you enroll.

Academic performanceDistrict vs TN

Math proficiency16%

State average 26.9%

Graduation rate (4-year)88%

State average 90.3%

EDFacts via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (tests 2020–21; graduation 2019–20). The tick marks the state average.

Where the money goes

$11,729

per student each year · 10% below the TN average

Spending

Classroom instruction60%

Support & administration33%

Other7%

Paid for by

Local (mostly property tax)20%

State54%

Federal25%

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances (fiscal 2024).

Enrollment · last 5 years

4,470’20

4,397’21

4,433’22

4,541’23

4,450’24

Students

White · 91%4,054

Hispanic · 5%228

Two or more races · 3%122

Black · 1%30

Asian · 0%8

American Indian/Alaska Native · 0%7

Across the district's schools, as reported to NCES.

Schools14 in district

Level

All 14 Elementary 7 Middle 1 High 5 Other 1

📚

Hampton ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–8 · 662 students · Hampton

CPublic 📚

Happy Valley ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–4 · 506 students · Johnson City

BPublic 📚

Hunter ElementaryElementary · Grades K–8 · 498 students · Elizabethton

CPublic 📚

Central ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–8 · 267 students · Johnson City

C-Public 📚

Cloudland Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades PK–6 · 262 students · Roan Mountain

B-Public 📚

Unaka ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–8 · 194 students · Elizabethton

DPublic 📚

Valley Forge ElementaryElementary · Grades PK–5 · 186 students · Elizabethton

BPublic

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES). Ratings are from neighbors on TownTapestry.

Nearby districts

🏫

Elizabethton City School DistrictElizabethton · $13,471 per student

District facts from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory and school district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau's school finance survey. Test scores and graduation rates from EDFacts via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Neighbor ratings reflect opinions, not an official measure of school quality.