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What do students at COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
684
Elementary
DISTRICT 471 · STATE 287
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CARLSBAD·NCES 350030001156
COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY
1609 W LEA STREET, CARLSBAD, NM 88220 · (575) 234-3304 · Eddy County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL684 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 41% of New Mexico public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats 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 New Mexico public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
44 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
28%
192 students
DISTRICT 25% · STATE 90%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 130 | 19% |
| Grade 2 | 113 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 135 | 20% |
| Grade 4 | 152 | 22% |
| Grade 5 | 154 | 23% |
This year's 1st grade class (130) is 16% smaller than its 5th grade class (154).
Student demographics
31%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 55% · 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
NM-MSSA + NM-ASR 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
45.9%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
38.5%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Mexico schools, those numbers are about 44 and 27.
Source: NM-MSSA + NM-ASR. 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
38.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.7%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 39% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% typical for New Mexico 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 New Mexico'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
COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY's state test result (38.9% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY this school | 684 | 28.1% | 38.9% |
| DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY CARLSBAD | 667 | 22.0% | 43.2% |
| SUNSET ELEMENTARY CARLSBAD | 438 | 28.3% | 34.3% |
| OCOTILLO ELEMENTARY CARLSBAD | 621 | 20.1% | 35.3% |
| MONTERREY ELEMENTARY CARLSBAD | 366 | 28.1% | 41.4% |
| ALICE KING COMMUNITY SCHOOL ALBUQUERQUE | 384 | 31.0% | 42.7% |
Matched among New Mexico 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 ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Mexico | In Eddy County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 38.9% | #109 of 329 | #7 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.5% | #78 of 354 | #6 of 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.9% | #140 of 366 | #8 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 684 | #10 of 490 | #1 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.4:1 | #257 of 318 | #4 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 31.3% | #222 of 334 | #11 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 28.1% | #381 of 393 | #8 of 11 |
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
684
+9 (+1%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
was 17.8:1
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 | 684 | 44.4 | 15.4:1 | 28% (192) |
| 2023-24 | 671 | 42 | 16.0:1 | 50% (335) |
| 2022-23 | 760 | 44.6 | 17.0:1 | 44% (338) |
| 2020-21 | 675 | 38 | 17.8:1 | 63% (424) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY.
About COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY
COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY operates as a large elementary school in CARLSBAD, New Mexico. School enrollment was 684 students in 2024-25, in kindergarten through 5. For comparison, elementary schools in New Mexico average about 287 students.
The district for COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY is CARLSBAD, with 13 schools and 7,217 students.
COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY's enrollment is 82% Hispanic. The next largest groups are 14% White. The school's Hispanic share is 30 points above the 52% share among Eddy County residents. The school's diversity index is 31%, meaning two students picked at random have a 31% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Teachers at the school number 44.4 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 15.4:1. This ratio sits 2.5 above the 12.9:1 average for elementary schools in New Mexico. Roughly 28% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. That rate is below the 46% average among public schools in Eddy County.
allk12 grades COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY a C+. The grade compares the school only with New Mexico public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY falls in the middle 80% of New Mexico schools: 38.9% actual against 50.7% predicted.
COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY is located in Eddy County, where the median household income is $78,426, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 11% of people live in poverty. COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY is one of 26 public schools in the county.
Nearest public school: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTER, about 0.1 miles away. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY places 2nd out of 5 schools in its immediate area.
In the federal locale system, COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY is coded Town: Remote, for schools in a town far from an urbanized area.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment held near 684, starting from 675. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 17.8:1 in 2020-21 to 15.4:1 in 2024-25.
Topics for discussion here include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Eddy County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
61,105
Census ACS
Median income
$78,426
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
26
11,661 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in CARLSBAD
- CARLSBAD HIGHHigh · 1,685 students
- CARLSBAD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL - PR LEYVA CAMPUSMiddle · 908 students
- CARLSBAD SIXTH GRADE ACADEMY - ALTA VISTA CAMPUSMiddle · 740 students
- DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARYElementary · 667 students
- OCOTILLO ELEMENTARYElementary · 621 students
- SUNSET ELEMENTARYElementary · 438 students
Other schools in CARLSBAD
- CARLSBAD HIGHHigh · 1,685 students
- CARLSBAD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL - PR LEYVA CAMPUSMiddle · 908 students
- CARLSBAD SIXTH GRADE ACADEMY - ALTA VISTA CAMPUSMiddle · 740 students
- DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARYElementary · 667 students
- OCOTILLO ELEMENTARYElementary · 621 students
- SUNSET ELEMENTARYElementary · 438 students
Other Cottonwood Elementary schools
20 other US public schools in 12 states are named Cottonwood Elementary. COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY is the 3rd largest of the 21.
- Cottonwood Elementary SchoolCLEVELAND, TX · 1,023 students
- Cottonwood ElementaryHesperia, CA · 868 students
- COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARYRIGBY, ID · 682 students
- Cottonwood ElementaryPalmdale, CA · 652 students
- Cottonwood Elementary SchoolFernley, NV · 572 students
Nearby schools
- EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTER0.1 mi · 207
- HILLCREST PRESCHOOL0.1 mi · 316
- CARLSBAD SIXTH GRADE ACADEMY - ALTA VISTA CAMPUS0.3 mi · 740
- CARLSBAD ENRICHMENT CENTER1.2 mi · 170
- SUNSET ELEMENTARY1.3 mi · 438
- CARLSBAD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL - PR LEYVA CAMPUS1.3 mi · 908
Frequently asked questions
About COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARYHow many students attend COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY?
COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 684 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY serve?
COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY serves grades KG-05.
How many students per teacher at COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY?
Approximately 15.4:1 students per teacher at COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY.
What is the student diversity at COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY?
Student demographics at COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY are roughly 14% White, 82% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY in?
COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY is part of CARLSBAD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.