Cottonwood School

Set in Bozeman, Montana, Cottonwood School is an one-room-style primary school, run under Cottonwood Elem. It educates 16 students across grades pre-K through 8. By comparison, Montana's public schools average about 167 students each, so Cottonwood School sits 90% leaner than that benchmark.

Cottonwood Elem comprises 2 schools with combined enrollment of 36 students; Cottonwood School is among them.

On demographics, Cottonwood School logs that the student body is overwhelmingly White (94%); the rest comes out to 6% multiracial.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 2 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 7.8:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 11.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Gallatin County) records that the typical household earns roughly $93,528 per year, 54% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Gallatin County's 48 public schools (combined enrollment of about 14,170 students), Cottonwood School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Anderson 7-8, roughly 2.4 miles away. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cottonwood School has fell 6%, going from 17 students in 2018 to 16 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share ticked down from 24% to 0%.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.