Cottonwood Elementary

Q: Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary ranks 159 th of 301 Idaho elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Cottonwood Elementary is a public elementary school in Rigby, Idaho, serving 626 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Jefferson County Joint District, which is ranked 35 out of 77 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating.

Cottonwood Elementary has a higher percentage of white students (82.11%) compared to nearby schools, which range from 73.57% to 92.18% white students. The school also has a higher percentage of Hispanic students (15.65%) than the surrounding area. Cottonwood has seen a steady increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 11.6% in 2020-2021 to 19.0% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the 15.3% to 21.7% range of nearby schools. While the school's math scores are better than the district and state averages, its English language arts scores lag behind, with only 46.4% of students proficient or better compared to the district's 56.2% and the state's 53.3%.

Cottonwood Elementary's statewide ranking has declined from 131 out of 166 Idaho elementary schools in 2020-2021 to 159 out of 301 in 2023-2024, suggesting the school is struggling to keep pace with others in the state. The school's female and male students have consistently ranked in the bottom half of Idaho elementary schools in terms of performance. While Cottonwood's performance is generally lower than the district and state averages, some nearby schools, such as Harwood Elementary and South Fork Elementary, also face challenges with low test scores and high chronic absenteeism rates.

Detail:

Public K-5

3955 East 200 North
Rigby, ID 83442

(208) 332-6800

District: Jefferson County Joint District

SchoolDigger Rank:
159^th of 301 Idaho Elementary Schools

Student/teacher ratio: 20.7

Number of students: 654

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.0%

Hispanic:

13.8%

Two or more races:

2.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 33.3%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Cottonwood Elementary ranks worse than 52.8% of elementary schools in Idaho. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 48.03. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cottonwood Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Cottonwood Elementary 159^th of 301 Idaho public elementary schools. (See Cottonwood Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Female students:

Male students:

Jefferson County Joint District:

SchoolDigger ranks Jefferson County Joint District 35^th of 77 Idaho school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Cottonwood Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Cottonwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	ID State Percentile
2021	23.10	131^st	166	21.1%
2022	35.59	125^th	188	33.5%
2023	36.00	167^th	252	33.7%
2024	48.03	159^th	301	47.2%

See the entire list of Idaho Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Female students at Cottonwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	ID State Percentile
2021	12.85	18^th	19	5.3%
2022	29.66	22^nd	23	4.3%
2024	45.10	42^nd	69	39.1%

See the entire list of Best Idaho Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cottonwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	ID State Percentile
2021	14.77	18^th	19	5.3%
2022	23.88	21^st	23	8.7%
2024	50.58	39^th	69	43.5%

See the entire list of Best Idaho Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Data source: test scores: Idaho Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Idaho Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Cottonwood Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2021	518	4	1	86	0	1	9	619
2022	543	3	1	98	0	1	12	658
2023	514	2	1	98	2	2	7	626
2024	543	1	2	90	2	2	14	654

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cottonwood Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2021	619	27.7	22.3	25.7
2022	658	28.4	23.1	12.8
2023	626	29.6	21.1	32.1
2024	654	31.5	20.7	33.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Cottonwood Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2021	619	27.7	22.3	25.7
2022	658	28.4	23.1	12.8
2023	626	29.6	21.1	32.1
2024	654	31.5	20.7	33.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ISAT Math (2024)					ISAT Science (2024)	ISAT English Language Arts (2024)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISAT Math 3rd Grade	ISAT Math 4th Grade	ISAT Math 5th Grade	ISAT Math 6th Grade	ISAT Math All Grades	ISAT Science All Grades	ISAT English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISAT English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISAT English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISAT English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISAT English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	K-5	3955 East 200 North	Rigby	83442	Jefferson County	Jefferson County Joint District	No	No	No	No	(208) 332-6800	654	32	20.7	33.3%	543 (83.0%)	1 (0.2%)	90 (13.8%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	14 (2.1%)	48	159^th of 301 public elementary schools	47.2%		36	167^th of 252 public elementary schools	33.7%	8	58.5	43.4	52.1		52.0	42.9	42.7	37.7	57.9		46.4
Jefferson School District 251 Early Childhood Center	Public	PK	125 North 1st West	Rigby	83442	Jefferson County	Jefferson County Joint District	No	No	No	No	(208) 745-6693	96	4	24.0		84 (87.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (11.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)								(n/a)
Rigby Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	K-8	3850 East 300 North	Rigby	83442	Jefferson County	Jefferson County Joint District	No	No	Yes	No	(208) 745-6693	0	0	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Harwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	200 West 3rd North	Rigby	83442	Jefferson County	Jefferson County Joint District	No	No	No	Yes	(208) 745-7613	421	24	17.1	52.3%	311 (73.9%)	2 (0.5%)	89 (21.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.0%)	24.8	223^rd of 301 public elementary schools	25.9%		29.8	176^th of 252 public elementary schools	30.2%	47					45.0		26.1	41.0	41.7		35.8	$6,633	$927	$5,706
South Fork Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	327 N 4100 E	Rigby	83442	Jefferson County	Jefferson County Joint District	No	No	No	Yes	(208) 745-7085	695	33	21.3	34.0%	614 (88.3%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (6.9%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	29 (4.2%)	58	120^th of 301 public elementary schools	60.1%		53.8	113^th of 252 public elementary schools	55.2%	7	50.4	59.5	48.1		52.7	46.6	52.5	53.5	56.5		54.2	$5,832	$658	$5,175
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	K-5	306 N 3700 E	Rigby	83442	Jefferson County	Jefferson County Joint District	No	No	No	No	(208) 745-0758	526	30	17.7	33.5%	474 (90.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.5%)	49.1	155^th of 301 public elementary schools	48.5%		69.9	73^rd of 252 public elementary schools	71.0%	82			40.0		51.5	39.4	50.0	43.6	59.8		51.3	$5,730	$653	$5,077
Ucon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	10841 N 41 E	Idaho Falls	83401	Bonneville County	Bonneville Joint District	No	No	No	Yes	(208) 525-4430	436	24	17.8	40.8%	372 (85.3%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (12.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	37.2	190^th of 301 public elementary schools	36.9%		39	159^th of 252 public elementary schools	36.9%	31	49.3	54.8	41.4	16.7	40.0		40.8	48.0	56.9	42.1	46.4	$6,550	$892	$5,659
Midway Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	623 N 3500 E	Menan	83434	Jefferson County	Jefferson County Joint District	No	No	No	Yes	(208) 754-8604	411	20	20.1	46.0%	360 (87.6%)	1 (0.2%)	42 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.9%)	24.8	224^th of 301 public elementary schools	25.6%		36.9	165^th of 252 public elementary schools	34.5%	59					41.0	21.5			39.2		42.8	$5,997	$857	$5,140
South Fork Elementary	Public	K-4	7133 South 2000 West	Rexburg	83440	Madison County	Madison District	No	No	No	Yes	(208) 359-3369	268	15	17.7	42.2%	235 (87.7%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	19.1	243^rd of 301 public elementary schools	19.3%		30.8	174^th of 252 public elementary schools	31.0%	69					36.0		40.9	20.3			31.2	$6,746	$1,169	$5,578
Ririe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	260 1st West Street	Ririe	83443	Jefferson County	Ririe Joint District	No	No	No	Yes	(208) 538-5175	379	20	18.9	35.6%	349 (92.1%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	67.1	95^th of 301 public elementary schools	68.4%					(n/a)					50.7	54.4					54.1	$7,842	$1,454	$6,388

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood Elementary

What district is Cottonwood Elementary in?

Jefferson County Joint District

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary are 83% White, 14% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 654 students attended Cottonwood Elementary.

Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary ranks 159^th of 301 Idaho elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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