Enrollment
222
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cottonwood, ID
Prairie Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Prairie Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 160081000160
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Idaho median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Idaho schools.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 17.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 222
- students enrolled
Prairie Elementary School has class sizes near the Idaho median. Computed live against every Idaho school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Cottonwood Joint District · Idaho
NCES ID 160081000160 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 17.1:1 Idaho avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.1%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie Elementary School compares with Idaho and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie Elementary School
Prairie Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cottonwood, Idaho, enrolling 222 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Idaho schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 17.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 222 puts it in the smaller third of Idaho schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 775 scored Idaho schools.
Against 116 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #54.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 167 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 22.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Cottonwood Joint District, also runs Prairie Jr/Sr High School (204 students).
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 Prairie Elementary School compares
Prairie Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Idaho and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▼ 13% | 17.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.1% | ▼ 42% | 29.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 222 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
222
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% below the Idaho average of 29.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 31% in Idaho - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Funding equity
$10,716
per pupil, district-wide
- below Idaho avg of $11,939
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.3 FTE
Per 167 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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 95.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Two or More 0.9%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 95.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.9, Prairie Elementary School is less mixed than the Idaho school average of 36.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cottonwood Joint District, which includes Prairie Elementary School.
$10,716
Per student
-10%
vs Idaho
Avg $11,939
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.6%
State 67.0%
Federal 22.3%
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.
How Prairie Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Jr/Sr High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 204
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Idaho, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~222 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Prairie Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Cottonwood Joint 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 Prairie Elementary School
How many students attend Prairie Elementary School?
Prairie Elementary School has 222 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cottonwood, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie Elementary School is 14.8:1, which is 13% lower than the Idaho average of 17.1:1 and 6% lower 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 Prairie Elementary School?
17.1% of students at Prairie Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Prairie Elementary School is White at 95.9% of enrollment, in Cottonwood, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie Elementary School?
Prairie Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Prairie Elementary School a good school?
Prairie Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Idaho median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Idaho 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 Cottonwood Joint District?
Besides Prairie Elementary School, Cottonwood Joint District also operates Prairie Jr/Sr High School (204 students). See the Cottonwood Joint 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.