Enrollment
340
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Salt Lake City, UT
Cottonwood School
Federal NCES profile for Cottonwood School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 490036000208
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cottonwood School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median.
- #6 of 57
- schools in Salt Lake City · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 20:1
- students per teacher
- 7.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Cottonwood School has class sizes near the Utah median. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood School ranks #6 of 57 schools in Salt Lake City, UT.
School address
District: Granite District · Utah
NCES ID 490036000208 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
7.5%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cottonwood School compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cottonwood School
Cottonwood School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Salt Lake City, Utah, enrolling 340 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20:1 puts it in the smaller third of Utah schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 7.5% free-meal eligibility runs 73% below the Utah average.
Enrollment of 340 puts it in the smaller third of Utah schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 1,065 Utah schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 102 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Utah schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
15.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Salt Lake City's public schools, it stands alongside Brighton High (2,435 students): Cottonwood School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20:1 vs 27.1:1).
Granite District also operates Granger High (3,267 students) and Cyprus High (2,762 students) alongside Cottonwood 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 School compares
Cottonwood School on the metrics families compare, against Utah and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.5% | ▼ 73% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 340 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
340
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
7.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 73% below the Utah average of 28.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
20:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 38% in Utah - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 86.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Two or More 5.0%
Asian 1.2%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 86.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.5, Cottonwood School is less mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Granite District, which includes Cottonwood School.
$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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granger High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cyprus High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taylorsville High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hunter High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kearns High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cottonwood School'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 other schools in Salt Lake City
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 Utah, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~340 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cottonwood School's federal record.
- Compare Cottonwood School 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 School
How many students attend Cottonwood School?
Cottonwood School has 340 students enrolled. It is a public school in Salt Lake City, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood School is 20:1, which is 7% lower than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 27% 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 School?
7.5% of students at Cottonwood School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cottonwood School?
The largest demographic group at Cottonwood School is White at 86.5% of enrollment, in Salt Lake City, UT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cottonwood School?
Cottonwood School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cottonwood School rank among schools in Salt Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Cottonwood School ranks #6 of 57 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 schools in Salt Lake City on the city page.
Is Cottonwood School a good school?
Cottonwood School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah 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 Granite District?
Besides Cottonwood School, 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.