Enrollment
684
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 350030001156
Cottonwood Elementary — Carlsbad, NM
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 65
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: Carlsbad Municipal Schools · New Mexico
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)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.4%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood Elementary compares with New Mexico 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 Elementary reports 684 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 20% above the New Mexico state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the New Mexico average and 18% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 684 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 14.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Carlsbad Municipal Schools spends $15,882 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.9% from local sources (property taxes), 41.9% from the state, and 7.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New Mexico state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New Mexico | New Mexico avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.3:1 | ▲ 20% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.4% | ▼ 48% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 684 | top 90% | — | — |
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
42.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% below the New Mexico average of 80.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 20% above state mean
Top 83% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,882
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Mexico avg of $19,045
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 684 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 684 Top 90% in New Mexico — larger than 10% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 +20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.4% -48% vs state
NCES ID 350030001156
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 81.6%
White 14.5%
Two or More 1.2%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 684:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 14.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carlsbad Municipal Schools, which includes Cottonwood Elementary.
$15,882
Per student
-17%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.9%
State 41.9%
Federal 7.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,685
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Enrollment
- 908
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 740
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Carlsbad
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Desert Willow Elementary
Standard public school
667 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Ocotillo Elementary
Standard public school
621 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Sunset Elementary
Standard public school
438 students 17:1 students per teacher
Monterrey Elementary
Standard public school
366 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
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 Elementary
How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary?
Cottonwood Elementary has 684 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in CARLSBAD, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary is 17.3:1, which is 20% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cottonwood Elementary?
42.4% of students at Cottonwood Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 81.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in CARLSBAD, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood Elementary?
Cottonwood Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.