Enrollment
394
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 080579001554
Cottonwood Elementary School — Montrose, CO
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 0
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: Montrose County School District Re-1j · Colorado
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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 16.9:1 Colorado avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.5%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood Elementary School compares with Colorado 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 School reports 394 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% above the Colorado state mean of 16.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% below the Colorado average and 43% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 372 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 49.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Montrose County School District Re-1j spends $12,038 per pupil district-wide, below the Colorado average of $20,949 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.8% from local sources (property taxes), 53.3% from the state, and 17.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F), 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 School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Colorado state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 16.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.5% | ▼ 23% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 394 | top 56% | — | — |
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
29.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 69% in Colorado — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
49.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,038
per pupil, district-wide
— below Colorado avg of $20,949
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 372 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 394 Top 56% in Colorado — larger than 44% of 1,923 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.5% -23% vs state
NCES ID 080579001554
Student demographics
White 71.3%
Hispanic or Latino 24.4%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 71.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.1
Students per counselor 372:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 49.5%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montrose County School District Re-1j, which includes Cottonwood Elementary School.
$12,038
Per student
-43%
vs Colorado
Avg $20,949
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.8%
State 53.3%
Federal 17.9%
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
- 1,279
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Enrollment
- 540
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 531
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 499
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Montrose
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 School
How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary School?
Cottonwood Elementary School has 394 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in MONTROSE, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary School is 17.5:1, which is 4% higher than the Colorado average of 16.9:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cottonwood Elementary School?
29.5% of students at Cottonwood Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood Elementary School is White at 71.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in MONTROSE, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood Elementary School?
Cottonwood Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F) 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.