Enrollment
294
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060181112647 Charter school
Cottonwood Creek Charter — Cottonwood, CA
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood Creek Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 18/100.
👥 Class size 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Cottonwood Creek Charter District · California
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.6%
vs 55.5% California avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood Creek Charter compares with California and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Cottonwood Creek Charter reports 294 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 49% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 27.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% below the California average and 47% below the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cottonwood Creek Charter District spends $9,798 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.1% from local sources (property taxes), 70.2% from the state, and 1.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (F), calculated from 2 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cottonwood Creek Charter compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.6% | ▼ 50% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 294 | top 26% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
27.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.7:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 69% in California — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$9,798
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Enrollment 294 Top 26% in California — larger than 74% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 23.7:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 27.6% -50% vs state
NCES ID 060181112647
Student demographics
White 85.7%
Two or More 7.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 85.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cottonwood Creek Charter District, which includes Cottonwood Creek Charter.
$9,798
Per student
-46%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-50%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.1%
State 70.2%
Federal 1.7%
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 elementary schools in Cottonwood
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Evergreen Elementary
Standard public school
541 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
North Cottonwood
Standard public school
498 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
West Cottonwood Junior High
Standard public school
419 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Evergreen Middle
Standard public school
399 students 20:1 students per teacher
Evergreen Community Day School (5-8)
Alternative education program
3 students
Evergreen Community Day School (K-5)
Alternative education program
2 students
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Cottonwood Creek Charter
How many students attend Cottonwood Creek Charter?
Cottonwood Creek Charter has 294 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Cottonwood, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Creek Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Creek Charter is 23.7:1, which is 10% higher than the California average of 21.6:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cottonwood Creek Charter?
27.6% of students at Cottonwood Creek Charter are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood Creek Charter?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood Creek Charter is White at 85.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cottonwood, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood Creek Charter?
Cottonwood Creek Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (F) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.