Enrollment
1,451
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Salt Lake City, UT
Cottonwood High
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 490036000207
👥 S:T ratio 13
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cottonwood High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Utah schools.
- #4 of 7
- high schools in Salt Lake City · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.7:1
- students per teacher
- 41.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Cottonwood High has class sizes near the Utah median. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood High ranks #4 of 7 high schools in Salt Lake City, UT.
School address
District: Granite District · Utah
NCES ID 490036000207 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.7:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.7%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
+49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood High compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cottonwood High
Cottonwood High is a large high school in Salt Lake City, Utah, enrolling 1,451 students.
At 21.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Utah median, within a few percentage points of the 21.4:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 41.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Utah, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,451 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 32 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #10.
Its student body is led by White (41%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 22 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 242 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Granite District also operates Granger High (3,267 students) and Cyprus High (2,762 students) alongside Cottonwood High.
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 High compares
Cottonwood High on the metrics families compare, against Utah and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.7% | ▲ 49% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,451 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.7:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,451
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% above the Utah average of 28.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 54% in Utah - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
43.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,325
per pupil, district-wide
- above Utah avg of $9,792
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 242 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 136 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.1 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 40.8%
Hispanic or Latino 38.9%
African American 6.5%
Asian 6.0%
Two or More 5.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
Largest group: White at 40.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.1, Cottonwood High is more mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 22
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Granite District, which includes Cottonwood High.
$10,325
Per student
+5%
vs Utah
Avg $9,792
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 45.7%
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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granger High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cyprus High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taylorsville High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hunter High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kearns High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cottonwood High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,267
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 2,762
- Students per teacher
- 27.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 2,685
- Students per teacher
- 25.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 2,480
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 2,313
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Utah, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,451 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cottonwood High's federal record.
- Compare Cottonwood High against another school. Compare schools
- Granite 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 High
How many students attend Cottonwood High?
Cottonwood High has 1,451 students enrolled. It is a high school in Salt Lake City, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood High?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood High is 21.7:1, which is 1% higher than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cottonwood High?
41.7% of students at Cottonwood High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood High?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood High is White at 40.8% of enrollment, in Salt Lake City, UT. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood High?
Cottonwood High has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cottonwood High rank among high schools in Salt Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood High ranks #4 of 7 high schools in Salt Lake City, UT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Salt Lake City on the city page.
Is Cottonwood High a good school?
Cottonwood High earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Utah 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 Granite District?
Besides Cottonwood High, Granite District also operates Granger High (3,267 students), Cyprus High (2,762 students), and Taylorsville High (2,685 students). See the Granite 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.