Enrollment
419
California · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 060999001086
West Cottonwood Junior High — Cottonwood, CA
Federal NCES profile for West Cottonwood Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 21
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: Cottonwood Union Elementary · California
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
16.7:1
vs 21.6:1 California avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
-19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How West Cottonwood Junior High compares with California 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
West Cottonwood Junior High reports 419 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 23% below the California state mean of 21.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 19% below the California average and 14% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 419 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cottonwood Union Elementary spends $14,033 per pupil district-wide, below the California average of $18,039 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.5% from local sources (property taxes), 61.3% from the state, and 16.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 West Cottonwood Junior High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against California state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.7:1 | ▼ 23% | 21.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.8% | ▼ 19% | 55.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 419 | top 42% | — | — |
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
44.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 19% below the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 23% below state mean
Top 12% in California — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.5%
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
$14,033
per pupil, district-wide
— below California avg of $18,039
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 419 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 419 Top 42% in California — larger than 58% of 10,006 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 -23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.8% -19% vs state
NCES ID 060999001086
Student demographics
White 65.2%
Hispanic or Latino 20.5%
Two or More 6.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.7%
Asian 1.2%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 65.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 419:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.5%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 34
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cottonwood Union Elementary, which includes West Cottonwood Junior High.
$14,033
Per student
-22%
vs California
Avg $18,039
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.5%
State 61.3%
Federal 16.2%
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
- 498
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Cottonwood
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Evergreen Elementary
Standard public school
541 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
North Cottonwood
Standard public school
498 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Evergreen Middle
Standard public school
399 students 20:1 students per teacher
Cottonwood Creek Charter
Standard public school
294 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Evergreen Community Day School (5-8)
Alternative education program
3 students
Evergreen Community Day School (K-5)
Alternative education program
2 students
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 West Cottonwood Junior High
How many students attend West Cottonwood Junior High?
West Cottonwood Junior High has 419 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Cottonwood, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at West Cottonwood Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at West Cottonwood Junior High is 16.7:1, which is 23% lower than the California average of 21.6:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at West Cottonwood Junior High?
44.8% of students at West Cottonwood Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of West Cottonwood Junior High?
The largest demographic group at West Cottonwood Junior High is White at 65.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Cottonwood, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for West Cottonwood Junior High?
West Cottonwood Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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.