Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?

Yes. Cottonwood Elementary ranks in the top 9.5% of Washington elementary schools.

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 449 students attended Cottonwood Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary are 74% White, 17% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Desert Hills Middle School High : Kamiakin High School

Cottonwood Elementary

Summary:

Cottonwood Elementary is a public elementary school in Kennewick, Washington, serving 455 students in grades K-5. The school consistently ranks among the top 10-15% of elementary schools in the state, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and strong academic performance that exceeds the Kennewick School District and the state of Washington.

Cottonwood Elementary's academic excellence is evident in its high standardized test scores, with 75.31% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 48.97% for the district and 52.63% for the state. The school also consistently ranks among the top in Washington for the performance of specific student subgroups, such as female students, male students, white students, and students with special needs. This suggests that Cottonwood has effective teaching practices and support systems in place to ensure student success.

While Cottonwood Elementary's academic performance is impressive, the school's student population is relatively homogeneous, with 80% of students identifying as white and only 23.08% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This raises questions about the school's ability to serve a diverse student population and address the unique needs of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. When compared to other elementary schools in the Richland School District, Cottonwood stands out as a top performer, but some nearby schools, such as Edison Elementary and Fuerza Elementary, have significantly lower academic performance and higher percentages of students from low-income backgrounds.

Detail:

Public K-5

16734 S. Cottonwood Creek Blvd
Kennewick, WA 99338

(509) 222-6404

District: Kennewick School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
111^th of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,806

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Desert Hills Middle School
High:	Kamiakin High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.2

Number of students: 449

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.9%

Hispanic:

16.7%

Two or more races:

6.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 20.5%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Cottonwood Elementary ranks better than 90.5% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks first among 17 ranked elementary schools in the Kennewick School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 90.05. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (73.9%), Hispanic (16.7%), two or more races (6.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 20.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary is 15.2. 11 elementary schools in the Kennewick School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Cottonwood Elementary employs 29.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cottonwood Elementary is $16,806, which is the 8^th highest among 17 elementary schools in the Kennewick School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cottonwood Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Cottonwood Elementary 111^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Cottonwood Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Kennewick School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Kennewick School District 135^th of 247 Washington 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	WA State Percentile
2013	89.72	56^th	1106	94.9%
2015	93.24	49^th	1067	95.4%
2016	91.86	57^th	1053	94.6%
2017	90.67	78^th	1056	92.6%
2018	88.81	97^th	1054	90.8%
2019	89.13	101^st	1130	91.1%
2021	85.57	151^st	1107	86.4%
2022	91.88	81^st	1169	93.1%
2023	91.24	102^nd	1169	91.3%
2024	90.05	111^th	1168	90.5%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Cottonwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	87.15	50^th	637	92.2%
2019	72.94	98^th	566	82.7%
2022	92.59	21^st	478	95.6%
2024	84.49	29^th	339	91.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cottonwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	84.02	55^th	835	93.4%
2021	73.92	133^rd	854	84.4%
2022	95.92	7^th	1019	99.3%
2023	97.19	6^th	1013	99.4%
2024	80.37	108^th	1024	89.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Cottonwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	86.87	100^th	1004	90.0%
2019	85.87	118^th	1068	89.0%
2021	82.44	157^th	1008	84.4%
2022	90.73	85^th	1100	92.3%
2023	87.33	118^th	1094	89.2%
2024	87.21	121^st	1093	88.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Cottonwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	89.18	86^th	999	91.4%
2019	89.07	96^th	1075	91.1%
2021	86.61	133^rd	1025	87.0%
2022	91.67	76^th	1113	93.2%
2023	93.45	60^th	1099	94.5%
2024	87.70	116^th	1099	89.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cottonwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	80.54	81^st	651	87.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Cottonwood Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	83.90	94^th	833	88.7%
2019	83.39	132^nd	1027	87.1%
2021	81.31	145^th	943	84.6%
2022	88.94	74^th	1031	92.8%
2023	89.73	73^rd	1011	92.8%
2024	86.11	101^st	1009	90.0%

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

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, 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: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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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
2011	455	10	9	43	10	0	0	527
2012	491	15	11	29	9	0	2	557
2013	503	16	7	35	6	0	9	576
2014	568	12	6	26	5	0	10	627
2015	599	10	7	26	5	0	13	660
2016	607	12	12	57	2	1	24	715
2017	616	6	7	54	0	2	26	711
2018	644	12	6	64	0	1	27	754
2019	384	14	4	42	0	1	25	470
2020	413	4	7	42	0	1	26	493
2021	362	4	7	44	0	1	22	440
2022	354	3	5	48	0	0	28	438
2023	364	6	5	47	1	0	32	455
2024	332	3	10	75	1	0	28	449

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
2011	527	22.5	23.4	13.3
2012	557	24.9	22.2	11.8
2013	576	24.6	23.3	14.4
2014	627	n/a	n/a	12.1
2015	660	32.0	20.6	16.7
2016	715	31.0	23.0	17.2
2017	711	34.0	20.8	0
2018	754	34.0	22.1	17
2019	470	28.4	16.5	14.9
2020	493	29.5	16.7	16.6
2021	440	28.5	15.4	15.9
2022	438	30.0	14.6	16.7
2023	455	28.5	15.9	23.1
2024	449	29.4	15.2	20.5

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
2011	527	22.5	23.4	13.3
2012	557	24.9	22.2	11.8
2013	576	24.6	23.3	14.4
2014	627	n/a	n/a	12.1
2015	660	32.0	20.6	16.7
2016	715	31.0	23.0	17.2
2017	711	34.0	20.8	0
2018	754	34.0	22.1	17
2019	470	28.4	16.5	14.9
2020	493	29.5	16.7	16.6
2021	440	28.5	15.4	15.9
2022	438	30.0	14.6	16.7
2023	455	28.5	15.9	23.1
2024	449	29.4	15.2	20.5

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.

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