Enrollment
682
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Rigby, ID
Cottonwood Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 160157001128
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cottonwood Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Idaho schools.
- #6 of 8
- public schools in Rigby · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.5:1
- large classes for Idaho
- 23.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Cottonwood Elementary has class sizes larger than 93% of Idaho schools. Computed live against every Idaho school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood Elementary ranks #6 of 8 public schools in Rigby, ID.
School address
District: Jefferson County Joint District · Idaho
NCES ID 160157001128 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.5:1
vs 17.1:1 Idaho avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.3%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood Elementary compares with Idaho and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cottonwood Elementary
Cottonwood Elementary is a large elementary school in Rigby, Idaho, enrolling 682 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.5:1 is larger than about 93% of Idaho schools and 37% above the 17.1:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 23.3% lands close to the Idaho typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 682 puts it in the larger third of Idaho schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 775 scored Idaho schools.
Among 164 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Idaho schools statewide, it ranks #140, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 682 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
The surrounding Jefferson County Joint District spends $7,665 per pupil, 36% below the Idaho average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Jefferson County Joint District also operates Rigby High School (2,040 students) and Rigby Middle School (938 students) alongside Cottonwood Elementary.
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 Elementary compares
Cottonwood Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Idaho and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.5:1 | ▲ 37% | 17.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.3% | ▼ 20% | 29.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 682 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.5:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
682
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% below the Idaho average of 29.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.5:1
students per teacher
- 37% above state mean
Top 93% in Idaho - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$7,665
per pupil, district-wide
- below Idaho avg of $11,939
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 682 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 82.8%
Hispanic or Latino 14.2%
Two or More 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
African American 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 82.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.4, Cottonwood Elementary is less mixed than the Idaho school average of 36.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jefferson County Joint District, which includes Cottonwood Elementary.
$7,665
Per student
-36%
vs Idaho
Avg $11,939
-54%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.1%
State 66.5%
Federal 15.4%
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.
How Cottonwood Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigby High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rigby Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Fork Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Farnsworth Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cottonwood Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,040
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 938
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 654
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 611
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Idaho, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~682 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cottonwood Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cottonwood Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Jefferson County Joint 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 Elementary
How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary?
Cottonwood Elementary has 682 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Rigby, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary is 23.5:1, which is 37% higher than the Idaho average of 17.1:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cottonwood Elementary?
23.3% of students at Cottonwood Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood Elementary is White at 82.8% of enrollment, in Rigby, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood Elementary?
Cottonwood Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cottonwood Elementary rank among public schools in Rigby?
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood Elementary ranks #6 of 8 public schools in Rigby, ID. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Rigby on the city page.
Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?
Cottonwood Elementary earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Idaho schools. 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 Jefferson County Joint District?
Besides Cottonwood Elementary, Jefferson County Joint District also operates Rigby High School (2,040 students), Rigby Middle School (938 students), and South Fork Elementary School (654 students). See the Jefferson County Joint District district page for the complete list.
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.