Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary School ranks in the bottom 9.5% of Kansas elementary schools.

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 514 students attended Cottonwood Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary School?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary School are 85% Hispanic, 10% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Eisenhower Middle School High : Liberal Senior High

Cottonwood Elementary School

Summary:

Cottonwood Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Liberal, Kansas, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 498 students. The school is part of the Liberal school district, which is ranked 266 out of 266 districts in Kansas and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Cottonwood Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Kansas elementary schools over the past several years, with a ranking of 591 out of 653 schools in the 2023-2024 school year.

Cottonwood Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the state and district averages in standardized test scores, with only 17.38% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 16.52% proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to state averages of 33.55% and 31.6%, respectively. The school also has a very high percentage of students from low-income families, with 87.15% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. While Cottonwood Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 15 students per teacher, its higher per-student spending of $10,431 does not appear to translate into improved academic outcomes.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Prairie View Elementary and MacArthur Elementary, Cottonwood Elementary's performance is particularly concerning, with the school's Hispanic students and students with disabilities ranking in the bottom 25% of their respective subgroups in the state. The persistent underperformance and the high percentage of students from low-income families suggest that a multifaceted approach, addressing both academic and socioeconomic factors, may be necessary to improve outcomes for the students at Cottonwood Elementary.

Detail:

Public K-5

1100 W. 11th
Liberal, KS 67901

(620) 604-2700

District: Liberal

SchoolDigger Rank:
591^st of 653 Kansas Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,431

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Eisenhower Middle School
High:	Liberal Senior High

Student/teacher ratio: 16.0

Number of students: 514

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.4%

White:

9.9%

Two or more races:

1.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 87.7%

See top rated Kansas elementary schools

Compare Cottonwood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Cottonwood Elementary School ranks worse than 90.5% of elementary schools in Kansas. It also ranks 4^th among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Liberal School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 12.52. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (85.4%), White (9.9%), two or more races (1.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 87.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary School is 16. 3 elementary schools in the Liberal School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Cottonwood Elementary School employs 32 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cottonwood Elementary School is $10,431. 2 elementary schools in the Liberal School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cottonwood Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Cottonwood Elementary School 591^st of 653 Kansas public elementary schools. (See Cottonwood Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Hispanic students:

Liberal:

SchoolDigger ranks Liberal 266^th of 266 Kansas school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Cottonwood Elementary School?

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Rank History for Cottonwood Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2006	19.74	511^th	585	12.6%
2007	26.88	501^st	600	16.5%
2008	18.31	552^nd	614	10.1%
2009	16.58	564^th	621	9.2%
2010	10.99	586^th	630	7.0%
2011	32.70	513^th	631	18.7%
2012	47.94	445^th	660	32.6%
2013	41.16	489^th	668	26.8%
2015	24.74	566^th	678	16.5%
2016	20.63	551^st	656	16.0%
2017	19.66	567^th	659	14.0%
2018	14.34	581^st	656	11.4%
2019	5.82	654^th	667	1.9%
2021	6.92	644^th	670	3.9%
2022	6.13	656^th	668	1.8%
2023	5.72	645^th	660	2.3%
2024	12.52	591^st	653	9.5%

See the entire list of Kansas Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2018	32.32	92^nd	129	28.7%
2019	26.76	104^th	122	14.8%
2021	25.14	97^th	108	10.2%
2022	23.06	105^th	117	10.3%
2023	37.42	74^th	117	36.8%
2024	45.87	58^th	124	53.2%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	52.98	62^nd	140	55.7%
2019	18.28	179^th	193	7.3%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2018	22.61	441^st	512	13.9%
2019	9.86	502^nd	509	1.4%
2021	13.64	473^rd	494	4.3%
2022	12.33	500^th	512	2.3%
2023	10.39	528^th	541	2.4%
2024	21.38	478^th	546	12.5%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2018	17.91	501^st	574	12.7%
2019	7.21	581^st	591	1.7%
2021	7.27	576^th	591	2.5%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	52.98	62^nd	140	55.7%
2019	18.28	179^th	193	7.3%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2018	15.11	512^th	575	11.0%
2019	7.55	570^th	586	2.7%
2021	10.26	563^rd	605	6.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile
2018	30.99	154^th	207	25.6%
2019	16.46	225^th	235	4.3%
2021	20.26	208^th	229	9.2%
2022	18.47	238^th	254	6.3%
2023	19.58	227^th	245	7.3%
2024	33.57	192^nd	260	26.2%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	KS State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	35.26	408^th	574	28.9%
2019	11.63	558^th	592	5.7%

See the entire list of Best Kansas Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Kansas State 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: Kansas State Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Cottonwood Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2002	230	34	17	266	0	n/a	n/a	0	547
2003	230	34	17	266	0	n/a	n/a	0	547
2004	220	38	17	288	2	n/a	n/a	6	571
2005	195	35	17	274	3	n/a	n/a	7	531
2006	183	37	18	263	3	n/a	n/a	20	524
2007	175	33	22	262	0	n/a	n/a	1	493
2008	182	25	16	273	1	n/a	n/a	1	498
2009	172	27	13	282	1	n/a	n/a	0	495
2010	168	15	15	312	8	0	8	0	526
2011	157	11	13	321	8	0	11	0	521
2012	138	11	21	371	5	0	12	0	558
2013	140	22	26	377	6	0	10	0	581
2014	145	16	29	397	5	0	14	0	606
2015	134	16	22	419	5	0	16	0	612
2016	123	11	17	435	5	0	15	0	606
2017	66	9	13	289	3	0	8	0	388
2018	69	7	15	414	0	0	14	0	519
2019	57	2	8	432	2	0	14	0	515
2020	42	3	15	425	3	1	12	0	501
2021	44	13	10	407	1	1	9	0	485
2022	56	9	9	409	1	1	10	0	495
2023	40	6	11	429	1	1	10	0	498
2024	51	6	8	439	1	0	9	0	514

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 School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	547	33.1	16.5	56.1
2003	547	33.1	16.5	56.1
2004	571	33.6	17.0	60
2005	531	35.0	15.2	35.7
2006	524	34.0	15.4	60.1
2007	493	37.7	13.1	59.8
2008	498	33.5	14.9	56.7
2009	495	34.0	14.6	64
2010	526	35.0	15.0	66.2
2011	521	35.8	14.5	69.3
2012	558	36.2	15.3	70.8
2013	581	35.7	16.2	72.5
2014	606	38.0	15.9	72.8
2015	612	38.0	16.1	73
2016	606	36.0	16.8	74.4
2017	388	22.5	17.2	80.4
2018	519	37.0	14.0	84.8
2019	515	37.0	13.9	85.8
2020	501	36.0	13.9	85.8
2021	485	34.0	14.2	87.4
2022	495	38.0	13.0	76.2
2023	498	33.0	15.0	87.1
2024	514	32.0	16.0	87.7

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 School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	547	33.1	16.5	56.1
2003	547	33.1	16.5	56.1
2004	571	33.6	17.0	60
2005	531	35.0	15.2	35.7
2006	524	34.0	15.4	60.1
2007	493	37.7	13.1	59.8
2008	498	33.5	14.9	56.7
2009	495	34.0	14.6	64
2010	526	35.0	15.0	66.2
2011	521	35.8	14.5	69.3
2012	558	36.2	15.3	70.8
2013	581	35.7	16.2	72.5
2014	606	38.0	15.9	72.8
2015	612	38.0	16.1	73
2016	606	36.0	16.8	74.4
2017	388	22.5	17.2	80.4
2018	519	37.0	14.0	84.8
2019	515	37.0	13.9	85.8
2020	501	36.0	13.9	85.8
2021	485	34.0	14.2	87.4
2022	495	38.0	13.0	76.2
2023	498	33.0	15.0	87.1
2024	514	32.0	16.0	87.7

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cottonwood Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$676 (6.5%)	$9,755 (93.5%)	$10,431

Data source: Kansas Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Cottonwood Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 654^th of 667 Elementary schools	Ranks 645^th of 660 Elementary schools	0.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Cottonwood Elementary School)	10.3	8	2.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Liberal)	14.3	10.9	3.4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Kansas)	40.6	38.1	2.5%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Cottonwood Elementary School)	13.6	11.5	2.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Liberal)	23	23.4	0.4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Kansas)	50.3	50.4	0.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Cottonwood Elementary School)	17.8	11.1	6.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Liberal)	22.7	14.9	7.8%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Kansas)	47.6	42.8	4.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Cottonwood Elementary School)	6.9	4.8	2.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Liberal)	11	12.9	1.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Kansas)	36.1	37.6	1.5%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Cottonwood Elementary School)	18.3	12.9	5.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Liberal)	19.2	16.8	2.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Kansas)	43.5	39.6	4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Cottonwood Elementary School)	11.6	6.7	5%
5th Grade Mathematics (Liberal)	7.2	9.2	2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Kansas)	31.9	31.3	0.6%
5th Grade Science (Cottonwood Elementary School)	16.3	17.8	1.5%
5th Grade Science (Liberal)	20.4	18.6	1.8%
5th Grade Science (Kansas)	43.1	42.1	1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	515	498	3.3%
African American	2	6	200%
American Indian	2	1	50%
Asian	8	11	37.5%
Hispanic	432	429	0.7%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	57	40	29.8%
Two or More Races	14	10	28.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	85.8%	87.1%	1.3%

Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				KAP English Language Arts (2024)				KAP Mathematics (2024)				KAP Science (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	KAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	KAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	KAP English Language Arts All Grades	KAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	KAP Mathematics 4th Grade	KAP Mathematics 5th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 5th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottonwood Elementary School	Public	K-5	1100 W. 11th	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-2700	514	32	16.0	87.7%	51 (9.9%)	6 (1.2%)	439 (85.4%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.8%)	12.5	591^st of 653 public elementary schools	9.5%		5.7	645^th of 660 public elementary schools	2.3%	54	14.7	17.7	19.1	17.4	24.2	15.3	12.2	16.5	28.6	28.6	$10,431	$676	$9,755
MacArthur Elementary School	Public	K-5	925 South Holly	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-1700	377	25	15.0	78.8%	65 (17.2%)	10 (2.7%)	284 (75.3%)	9 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.1%)	20.7	542^nd of 653 public elementary schools	17.0%		20.3	551^st of 660 public elementary schools	16.5%	9	25.0	18.2	33.9	25.7	35.3	18.2	15.8	23.9	24.6	24.6	$10,371	$711	$9,660
Meadowlark Elementary School	Public	K-5	1200 N Calvert	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-2100	358	26	13.7	95.5%	18 (5.0%)	6 (1.7%)	324 (90.5%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.7%)	5.8	646^th of 653 public elementary schools	1.1%		4.6	656^th of 660 public elementary schools	0.6%	10	1.7	8.3	18.7	9.0	13.8	9.5	4.1	9.4	14.0	14.0	$11,650	$766	$10,884
Sunflower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	310 W. Pine	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-2800	560	22	25.4	89.6%	39 (7.0%)	3 (0.5%)	508 (90.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.4%)	18.2	561^st of 653 public elementary schools	14.1%		8.8	625^th of 660 public elementary schools	5.3%	64	12.7	10.4	37.2	19.2	30.9	16.7	13.6	21.1	29.5	29.5	$8,887	$642	$8,245
Prairie View Elementary School	Public	K-5	615 Warren Avenue	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-1800	416	30	13.8	87.5%	23 (5.5%)	4 (1.0%)	382 (91.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)	20.2	548^th of 653 public elementary schools	16.1%		15.3	579^th of 660 public elementary schools	12.3%	31	25.0	21.7	27.7	24.7	45.8	11.3	11.4	21.5	25.4	25.4	$10,842	$748	$10,093
Kismet Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	505 Kansas Avenue	Kismet	67859	Seward County	Kismet-Plains	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 563-7248	147	13	11.3	70.7%	55 (37.4%)	1 (0.7%)	91 (61.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$14,233	$1,309	$12,924

Cottonwood Elementary School

Cottonwood Elementary School:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Liberal:

What do you think?

Rank History for Cottonwood Elementary School

Rank History for all students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Rank History for Special Education students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Rank History for Female students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Rank History for Disabled students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Rank History for Male students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Rank History for White students at Cottonwood Elementary School

Enrollment information for Cottonwood Elementary School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cottonwood Elementary School

Student/Teacher Ratio Cottonwood Elementary School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cottonwood Elementary School

Impact of COVID-19 on Cottonwood Elementary School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary School