Enrollment
3,563
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · El Dorado Hills, CA
Cottonwood
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 060252414444Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 100
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cottonwood earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California.
- #3 of 5
- schools in El Dorado Hills · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 36.7:1
- large classes for California
- 44.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Cottonwood has class sizes larger than 99% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood ranks #3 of 5 schools in El Dorado Hills, CA.
School address
District: Cottonwood District · California
NCES ID 060252414444 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
97.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
36.7:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+71% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.1%
vs 55.5% California avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cottonwood
Cottonwood is a large charter combined-grade school in El Dorado Hills, California, enrolling 3,563 students.
Class loads run heavy: 36.7:1 is larger than about 99% of California schools and 71% above the 21.5:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 44.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in California, bigger than 99% of state schools at 3,563 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 97 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #44.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 3563 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 0.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Cottonwood District spends $11,465 per pupil, 31% below the California average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among El Dorado Hills's public schools, it stands alongside Clarksville Charter (2,347 students): Cottonwood is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (36.7:1 vs 37.3:1).
Cottonwood District is a single-school charter district, so Cottonwood operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 3,563 students, it is also among the largest single-school districts in California, well beyond the enrollment of a typical standalone charter.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cottonwood compares
Cottonwood on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 36.7:1 | ▲ 71% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.1% | ▼ 21% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 3,563 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
36.7:1
Leaner classes than 1% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
3,563
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
36.7:1
students per teacher
- 71% above state mean
Top 99% in California - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
0.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$11,465
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 3563 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 69.8%
Hispanic or Latino 15.6%
Two or More 9.7%
Asian 3.1%
African American 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 69.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.8, Cottonwood is about as mixed as the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cottonwood District, which includes Cottonwood.
$11,465
Per student
-31%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.2%
State 67.5%
Federal 9.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar other schools in El Dorado Hills
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Clarksville Charter
Standard public school
2,347 students 37.3:1 students per teacher
Oak Ridge High
Standard public school
2,346 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills
Standard public school
1,580 students 29.8:1 students per teacher
Buckeye Union Mandarin Immersion Charter
Standard public school
180 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~3,563 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~36.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cottonwood's federal record.
- Compare Cottonwood against another school. Compare schools
- Cottonwood District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Cottonwood
How many students attend Cottonwood?
Cottonwood has 3,563 students enrolled. It is a public school in El Dorado Hills, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood is 36.7:1, which is 71% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 134% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cottonwood?
44.1% of students at Cottonwood are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood is White at 69.8% of enrollment, in El Dorado Hills, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood?
Cottonwood has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cottonwood rank among schools in El Dorado Hills?
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood ranks #3 of 5 schools in El Dorado Hills, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in El Dorado Hills on the city page.
Is Cottonwood a good school?
Cottonwood earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of California schools. It is also one of the largest schools in California. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Cottonwood District?
None; Cottonwood District is a single-school charter district, and Cottonwood is its only campus.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.