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What's the biggest difference between Cottonwood Creek Elementary and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
627
Elementary
DISTRICT 551 · STATE 465
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·VISALIA UNIFIED·NCES 064116011824
Cottonwood Creek Elementary
4222 South Dans St., Visalia, CA 93277 · (559) 735-3539 · Tulare County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL627 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 38% of California public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- BThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded California public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
23.3:1
27 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.7:1 · STATE 22.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
60%
375 students
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 65%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 129 | 21% |
| Grade 1 | 72 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 75 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 89 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 81 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 100 | 16% |
| Grade 6 | 81 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (129) is 59% larger than its 6th grade class (81).
Student demographics
48%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CAASPP 2024-25 . % met or exceeded standardEnglish Language Arts
44.8%
CA avg 49.1% . +3.8pp since 2014
Math
33.4%
CA avg 37.7% . -3.6pp since 2014
What this means: On the CAASPP, California's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 33 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all California schools, those numbers are about 49 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 4 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 4 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Standard Exceeded | Standard Met | Standard Nearly Met | Standard Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 18.7% | 26.1% | 27.8% | 27.5% |
| Math | 13.3% | 20.1% | 30.3% | 36.3% |
Share of tested students at each CAASPP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
CAASPP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 44.8% | 33.4% |
| 2023-24 | 43.4% | 32.8% |
| 2022-23 | 38.7% | 30.3% |
| 2021-22 | 41.5% | 30.4% |
| 2020-21 | 77.8% | 39.3% |
| 2018-19 | 46.6% | 41.8% |
| 2017-18 | 45.3% | 32.4% |
| 2016-17 | 44.2% | 34.8% |
| 2015-16 | 46.0% | 40.0% |
| 2014-15 | 41.0% | 37.0% |
% met or exceeded standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CAASPP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
38.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.5%
based on CA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 45% typical for California schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among California's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Cottonwood Creek Elementary
Cottonwood Creek Elementary's state test result (38.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Creek Elementary this school | 627 | 59.8% | 38.3% |
| Manuel F. Hernandez Visalia | 707 | 59.0% | 48.3% |
| Terrace View Elementary Grand Terrace | 625 | 58.9% | 40.9% |
| Raymond Elementary Fullerton | 598 | 57.2% | 55.6% |
| Pleasant Valley School of Engineering and Arts Camarillo | 540 | 60.9% | 37.1% |
| Imperial Beach Charter Imperial Beach | 724 | 62.8% | 28.1% |
Matched among California elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Cottonwood Creek Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In California | In Tulare County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 38.3% | #2,636 of 5,151 | #33 of 102 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 33.4% | #2,881 of 5,172 ▼ 77 | #38 of 102 ▼ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.8% | #2,477 of 5,172 ▼ 76 | #29 of 102 ▼ 3 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +3.2pp | #2,231 of 5,116 | #73 of 102 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 627 | #1,176 of 5,915 | #18 of 110 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.3:1 | #3,198 of 5,352 | #69 of 100 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.1% | #2,909 of 5,354 | #16 of 100 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 59.8% | #3,486 of 5,625 | #90 of 106 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.8% | #2,324 of 3,837 | #32 of 77 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
627
-34 (-5%) vs 2020
-14% since 2010-11, when it was 729
Student : Teacher
23.3:1
was 25.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 627 | 27 | 23.3:1 | 60% (375) |
| 2023-24 | 639 | 26.5 | 24.1:1 | 60% (384) |
| 2022-23 | 613 | 26.1 | 23.5:1 | 55% (340) |
| 2020-21 | 661 | 26 | 25.4:1 | 59% (389) |
| 2017-18 | 719 | 22.5 | 32.0:1 | 56% (405) |
| 2015-16 | 731 | 26 | 28.1:1 | 49% (357) |
| 2010-11 | 729 | N/A | N/A | 49% (355) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cottonwood Creek Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (719 to 627); teachers up 20% (22.5 to 27).
About Cottonwood Creek Elementary
Cottonwood Creek Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Visalia, California, administered by Visalia Unified. Enrollment stands at 627 students, covering kindergarten through 6. It has 35% more students than the average for elementary schools in California (about 465).
Visalia Unified, which runs Cottonwood Creek Elementary, has 41 schools and 28,725 students.
About 70% of the student body at Cottonwood Creek Elementary is Hispanic. Other groups make up 16% White, 6% Asian, and 6% multiracial. Tulare County residents are about 67% Hispanic, a similar share. A diversity index of 48% means there is a 48% chance two randomly chosen students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary are from different groups.
For every teacher at Cottonwood Creek Elementary, there are about 23.3 students; the school has 27 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for elementary schools in California is 22.3:1, so this school has more students per teacher. There are 375 students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 60% of enrollment. It compares with 77% for public schools in Tulare County.
On the allk12 Grade, Cottonwood Creek Elementary lands at C+, ahead of 38% of California public elementary schools.
Cottonwood Creek Elementary is 6.2 points below its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results (38.3% versus 44.5%), which places it in neither the top nor the bottom 10% in California.
The county, Tulare County, is where the school is located. The median household earns about $71,300 a year, 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Cottonwood Creek Elementary, Tulare County has 196 public schools.
The closest school to Cottonwood Creek Elementary is Crestwood Elementary, located about 0.9 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Nearby schools average 38.5% on proficiency, and Cottonwood Creek Elementary is below that at 38.3%.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as City: Mid-size, meaning it is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
In 2020-21, Cottonwood Creek Elementary enrolled 661 students. By 2024-25, that number had fallen to 627. Federal data show the ratio falling from 25.4:1 to 23.3:1.
This page is set up for the Cottonwood Creek Elementary community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Tulare County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
478,693
Census ACS
Median income
$71,300
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
17%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
196
101,494 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Visalia Unified
- Redwood HighHigh · 2,490 students
- Golden West HighHigh · 2,059 students
- El Diamante HighHigh · 1,890 students
- Mt. Whitney HighHigh · 1,637 students
- Ridgeview MiddleMiddle · 975 students
- Valley Oak MiddleMiddle · 952 students
Other schools in Visalia
- Redwood HighHigh · 2,490 students
- Golden West HighHigh · 2,059 students
- El Diamante HighHigh · 1,890 students
- Mt. Whitney HighHigh · 1,637 students
- Special EducationCombined · 1,141 students
- Ridgeview MiddleMiddle · 975 students
Other Cottonwood Creek Elementary schools
4 other US public schools in 4 states are named Cottonwood Creek Elementary. Cottonwood Creek Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 5.
- Cottonwood Creek Elementary SchoolHUTTO, TX · 925 students
- Cottonwood Creek Elementary SchoolENGLEWOOD, CO · 533 students
- Cottonwood Creek ElementaryWasilla, AK · 422 students
- Cottonwood Creek Elementary SchoolCOPPELL, TX · 408 students
Nearby schools
- Crestwood Elementary0.9 mi · 594
- Linwood Elementary1.1 mi · 537
- La Joya Middle1.3 mi · 727
- Special Education1.4 mi · 1,141
- Valley Life Charter1.5 mi · 688
- El Diamante High1.6 mi · 1,890
Frequently asked questions
About Cottonwood Creek ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Cottonwood Creek Elementary?
Cottonwood Creek Elementary enrolls approximately 627 students in grades KG-06.
Is Cottonwood Creek Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Cottonwood Creek Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many students per teacher at Cottonwood Creek Elementary?
Approximately 23.3:1 students per teacher at Cottonwood Creek Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Cottonwood Creek Elementary?
Student demographics at Cottonwood Creek Elementary are roughly 16% White, 70% Hispanic, 2% Black, 6% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Cottonwood Creek Elementary in?
Cottonwood Creek Elementary is part of Visalia Unified.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.