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Cottonwood, California - 2 schools
An equity score of 51/100 ranks Cottonwood Union Elementary #735 of 1517 districts in California (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,816 per pupil, Cottonwood Union Elementary ranks #1252 of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending (California districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
892
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$13,816
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Cottonwood Union Elementary operates 2 public schools serving 892 students, placing it among the smallest districts in California. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Shasta County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,816 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 1862 California districts by per-pupil spending. See how California compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 22.5% local, 61.3% state, and 16.2% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 51/100, ranked #735 of 1517 in California against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 334:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 36.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 68.8% White, 19.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is North Cottonwood, enrolling 498 students (54% of the district's total enrollment).
North Cottonwood accounts for 54.3% of all Cottonwood Union Elementary student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Cottonwood Union Elementary a distant remainder — means Cottonwood Union Elementary-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Cottonwood Union Elementary student-counselor ratio is 334:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Cottonwood Union Elementary is typically wider than the Cottonwood Union Elementary-aggregate figure suggests.
Cottonwood Union Elementary chronic absenteeism rate is 36.0% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Cottonwood Union Elementary?
Cottonwood Union Elementary has 2 schools, including 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 892 students.
How much does Cottonwood Union Elementary spend per student?
Cottonwood Union Elementary spends $13,816 per student. The district has an equity score of 51/100, ranking #735 in California.
What is the demographic composition of Cottonwood Union Elementary?
Cottonwood Union Elementary students are 68.8% White, 19.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian, 0.6% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Cottonwood Union Elementary?
Cottonwood Union Elementary has an equity score of 51/100, ranking #735 out of 1517 districts in California.