Enrollment
502
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cottonwood, AL
Cottonwood Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 010177002508
👥 S:T ratio 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cottonwood Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median.
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.3:1
- students per teacher
- 68.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 502
- students enrolled
Cottonwood Elementary School has class sizes near the Alabama median. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Houston County · Alabama
NCES ID 010177002508 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.4%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood Elementary School compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cottonwood Elementary School
Cottonwood Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cottonwood, Alabama, enrolling 502 students.
At 17.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Alabama median, within a few percentage points of the 17.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 68.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 502 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alabama median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,365 scored Alabama schools.
Against 412 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #108.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and African American (12%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 502 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
13.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 16.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 16 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Cottonwood's public schools, it stands alongside Cottonwood High School (379 students): Cottonwood Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.3:1 vs 17.2:1).
Houston County also operates Rehobeth High School (786 students) and Ashford Elementary School (668 students) alongside Cottonwood Elementary School.
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 School compares
Cottonwood Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.3:1 | ▼ 2% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.4% | ▲ 16% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 502 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
502
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% above the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.3:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 49% in Alabama - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,538
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alabama avg of $12,491
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 502 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
54
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 16 expulsions.
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 77.3%
African American 12.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
Two or More 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 77.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.2, Cottonwood Elementary School is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Houston County, which includes Cottonwood Elementary School.
$10,538
Per student
-16%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 24.8%
State 58.7%
Federal 16.5%
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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rehobeth High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ashford Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wicksburg Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rehobeth Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wicksburg High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cottonwood Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 786
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 636
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 590
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 461
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other schools in Cottonwood
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alabama, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~502 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cottonwood Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cottonwood Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Houston County'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 School
How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary School?
Cottonwood Elementary School has 502 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cottonwood, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary School is 17.3:1, which is 2% lower than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cottonwood Elementary School?
68.4% of students at Cottonwood Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood Elementary School is White at 77.3% of enrollment, in Cottonwood, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood Elementary School?
Cottonwood Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?
Cottonwood Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alabama median. 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 Houston County?
Besides Cottonwood Elementary School, Houston County also operates Rehobeth High School (786 students), Ashford Elementary School (668 students), and Wicksburg Elementary School (636 students). See the Houston County 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.