Waltham’s school superintendent is pledging to improve the city’s schools in the wake of a scathing state review that found the district to be poorly managed, with a high turnover rate in top administrative positions, relatively low funding for technology and at-risk groups, and student drop-out and absentee rates higher than the state’s average.

The report, based on a four-day site visit in February by Department of Elementary and Secondary Education officials, comes after the district received a “level three’’ designation from the agency that places Waltham in the bottom 20 percent statewide.