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What's something Cottonwood Elementary School does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
572
Elementary
DISTRICT 466 · STATE 480
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LYON·NCES 320030000387
Cottonwood Elementary School
925 Farm District Road, Fernley, NV 89408 · (775) 575-3414 · Lyon County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL572 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 32% of Nevada public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Nevada public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
20.4:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.5:1 · STATE 18.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
572 students
DISTRICT 100% · STATE 85%
Community
1
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 28 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 114 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 91 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 116 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 105 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 118 | 21% |
This year's kindergarten class (114) is about the same size as its 4th grade class (118).
Student demographics
58%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 70% · 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
Nevada SBAC 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
28.7%
NV avg 45.8% . -0.1pp since 2023
Math
26.6%
NV avg 35.6% . -0.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the Nevada SBAC, Nevada's statewide test, about 29 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Nevada schools, those numbers are about 46 and 36. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
Nevada SBAC results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 28.7% | 26.6% |
| 2023-24 | 28.8% | 27.5% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Nevada SBAC. 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
27.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
32.5%
based on NV schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.6pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 28% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 33% typical for Nevada 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 Nevada'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 Elementary School
Cottonwood Elementary School's state test result (27.9% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Elementary School this school | 572 | 100.0% | 27.9% |
| Edith W. Fritsch Elementary Carson City | 500 | 100.0% | 40.0% |
| Floyd Elementary School Pahrump | 578 | 100.0% | 34.4% |
| J G Johnson Elementary School Pahrump | 502 | 100.0% | 18.7% |
| Manse Elementary School Pahrump | 535 | 100.0% | 25.1% |
| Fernley Elementary School Fernley | 442 | 100.0% | 30.4% |
Matched among Nevada 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 Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Nevada | In Lyon County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 27.9% | #252 of 367 | #5 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.6% | #279 of 388 ▼ 37 | #5 of 8 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 28.7% | #323 of 390 ▼ 33 | #5 of 8 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 572 | #144 of 442 | #1 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.4:1 | #313 of 379 | #7 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 57.6% | #230 of 381 | #4 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 100% | #258 of 386 | #5 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.4% | #214 of 304 | #1 of 8 |
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
572
-11 (-2%) vs 2020
+229% since 1990-91, when it was 174
Student : Teacher
20.4:1
was 15.3:1
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 | 572 | 28 | 20.4:1 | 100% (572) |
| 2023-24 | 575 | 29 | 19.8:1 | 100% (573) |
| 2022-23 | 579 | 31 | 18.7:1 | 44% (252) |
| 2020-21 | 583 | 38 | 15.3:1 | 43% (248) |
| 2017-18 | 668 | 38 | 17.6:1 | 65% (436) |
| 2015-16 | 575 | 32 | 18.0:1 | 60% (347) |
| 2010-11 | 537 | 34 | 15.8:1 | 38% (206) |
| 2000-01 | 425 | 23 | 18.5:1 | 31% (132) |
| 1990-91 | 174 | 10 | 17.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cottonwood Elementary School.
About Cottonwood Elementary School
Cottonwood Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Fernley, Nevada, under Lyon. The school enrolls 572 students in pre-K through 4.
The 19 schools of Lyon, including Cottonwood Elementary School, enroll 9,169 students.
Of every 100 students at Cottonwood Elementary School, about 54 are White. The rest of enrollment is 37% Hispanic and 6% multiracial. Among all residents of Lyon County, the White share is about 74%. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 58%.
The school has 28 full-time-equivalent teachers and a ratio of 20.4 students per teacher. Elementary schools in Nevada have an average ratio of 18.1:1. The school reported 100% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. That is in line with the 100% average for public schools in Lyon County.
Cottonwood Elementary School earns a C on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 32% of Nevada public elementary schools.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Cottonwood Elementary School is 4.6 points below its prediction. Actual: 27.9%. Predicted: 32.5%.
Census data for Lyon County show the median household earns about $80,812 a year, 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Lyon County number 20, with about 9,169 students.
Fernley High School is about 1.0 miles from Cottonwood Elementary School, the shortest distance to any other public school. A five-mile radius around the school includes 6 other public schools. By average proficiency, Cottonwood Elementary School is 3rd among 7 schools close by.
Its NCES locale code is Town: Distant: the school is in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
There was little change in enrollment from 2020-21 (583) to 2024-25 (572). The ratio was 15.3:1 in 2020-21 and 20.4:1 in 2024-25.
This page is set up for the Cottonwood Elementary School community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Lyon County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
61,680
Census ACS
Median income
$80,812
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
17%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
9,169 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Lyon
- Fernley High SchoolHigh · 1,327 students
- Dayton High SchoolHigh · 748 students
- Silverland Middle SchoolMiddle · 677 students
- Fernley Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 658 students
- East Valley Elementary SchoolElementary · 518 students
- Yerington Elementary SchoolElementary · 465 students
Other schools in Fernley
- Fernley High SchoolHigh · 1,327 students
- Silverland Middle SchoolMiddle · 677 students
- Fernley Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 658 students
- East Valley Elementary SchoolElementary · 518 students
- Fernley Elementary SchoolElementary · 442 students
- Lyon County Adult EducationCombined
Other Cottonwood Elementary schools
20 other US public schools in 12 states are named Cottonwood Elementary. Cottonwood Elementary School is the 6th largest of the 21.
- Cottonwood Elementary SchoolCLEVELAND, TX · 1,023 students
- Cottonwood ElementaryHesperia, CA · 868 students
- COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARYCARLSBAD, NM · 684 students
- COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARYRIGBY, ID · 682 students
- Cottonwood ElementaryPalmdale, CA · 652 students
Nearby schools
- Fernley High School1.0 mi · 1,327
- Fernley Elementary School1.3 mi · 442
- Fernley Intermediate School1.3 mi · 658
- Silverland Middle School1.7 mi · 677
- Natchez Elementary4.4 mi · 121
- East Valley Elementary School4.9 mi · 518
Frequently asked questions
About Cottonwood Elementary SchoolHow large is Cottonwood Elementary School?
Cottonwood Elementary School enrolls approximately 572 students in grades PK-04.
What age range does Cottonwood Elementary School serve?
Cottonwood Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 04.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Cottonwood Elementary School is approximately 20.4:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Cottonwood Elementary School?
At Cottonwood Elementary School, the student body is approximately 54% White, 37% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Cottonwood Elementary School in?
Cottonwood Elementary School is part of Lyon.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.