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What's the biggest difference between Cottonwood Elementary and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
474
Elementary
DISTRICT 462 · STATE 380
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KENNEWICK SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530393003330
Cottonwood Elementary
16734 S. Cottonwood Creek Blvd, Kennewick, WA 99338 · (509) 222-6404 · Benton County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL474 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work
Student : Teacher
16.9:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.9:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
21%
100 students
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 51%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 76 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 64 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 75 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 62 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 102 | 22% |
| Grade 5 | 95 | 20% |
This year's kindergarten class (76) is 20% smaller than its 5th grade class (95).
Student demographics
40%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 68% · 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
Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2022-23 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
73.8%
WA avg 49.0% . -7.3pp since 2014
Math
73.8%
WA avg 39.2% . -6.4pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 74 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 74 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 49 and 39. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 6 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 73.8% | 73.8% |
| 2021-22 | 78.3% | 70.4% |
| 2018-19 | 81.3% | 72.6% |
| 2017-18 | 83.3% | 72.4% |
| 2016-17 | 81.9% | 74.1% |
| 2015-16 | 82.2% | 79.0% |
| 2014-15 | 81.1% | 80.2% |
% Met or Exceeded Standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like Cottonwood Elementary
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Elementary this school | 474 | 21.1% | N/A |
| Desert Sky Elementary West Richland | 441 | 20.2% | N/A |
| Sherman Elementary School Tacoma | 432 | 19.4% | 70.0% |
| Helen Baller Elem Camas | 487 | 21.8% | N/A |
| Purdy Elementary School Gig Harbor | 483 | 20.7% | 75.6% |
| Harbor Heights Elementary School Gig Harbor | 397 | 20.9% | 74.3% |
Matched among Washington 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 Washington | In Benton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 73.8% | #96 of 1,103 ▲ 30 | #1 of 33 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 73.8% | #110 of 1,102 ▼ 39 | #1 of 33 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 474 | #363 of 1,268 | #12 of 36 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.9:1 | #803 of 1,085 | #25 of 34 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 40.4% | #913 of 1,088 | #28 of 34 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 21.1% | #1,023 of 1,169 | #33 of 36 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -37.1% | #48 of 778 | #2 of 28 |
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
474
+34 (+8%) vs 2020
-10% since 2010-11, when it was 527
Student : Teacher
16.9:1
was 15.7:1
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 | 474 | 28 | 16.9:1 | 21% (100) |
| 2023-24 | 449 | 29.5 | 15.2:1 | 20% (92) |
| 2022-23 | 455 | 28.5 | 16.0:1 | 23% (105) |
| 2020-21 | 440 | 28 | 15.7:1 | 16% (70) |
| 2017-18 | 754 | 34 | 22.2:1 | 17% (128) |
| 2015-16 | 715 | 31 | 23.1:1 | 17% (123) |
| 2010-11 | 527 | 22 | 23.9:1 | 13% (70) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cottonwood Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 37% (754 to 474); teachers down 18% (34 to 28).
About Cottonwood Elementary
Cottonwood Elementary serves students in Kennewick, Washington, as a medium-sized elementary school. The grade span is kindergarten through 5, and enrollment is 474 students. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Washington is about 380, so this school runs 25% larger than that.
Cottonwood Elementary is part of Kennewick School District, where 31 schools serve 18,826 students.
A majority of students at Cottonwood Elementary, 75%, are White. The next largest groups are 18% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. The chance that two students picked at random at Cottonwood Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 40%.
Dividing enrollment by its 28 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 16.9:1. Elementary schools in Washington average about 17.3:1, a similar figure. Eligible students account for 21% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. For comparison, public schools in Benton County average 49%.
Within Benton County, median household income is about $89,874, about 33% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. Federal data list 69 public schools in Benton County, with a combined enrollment of about 38,191.
Desert Hills Middle School is located about 1.1 miles from Cottonwood Elementary. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools.
The federal government classifies Cottonwood Elementary's location as Suburb: Large.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, Cottonwood Elementary went from 440 students to 474. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 15.7:1 in 2020-21 to 16.9:1 in 2024-25.
Discussions about Cottonwood Elementary may include sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Benton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
212,905
Census ACS
Median income
$89,874
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
69
38,191 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Kennewick School District
- Kamiakin High SchoolHigh · 1,956 students
- Kennewick High SchoolHigh · 1,921 students
- Southridge High SchoolHigh · 1,612 students
- Chinook Middle SchoolMiddle · 950 students
- Desert Hills Middle SchoolMiddle · 906 students
- Amistad Elementary SchoolElementary · 878 students
Other schools in Kennewick
- Kamiakin High SchoolHigh · 1,956 students
- Kennewick High SchoolHigh · 1,921 students
- Southridge High SchoolHigh · 1,612 students
- Chinook Middle SchoolMiddle · 950 students
- Desert Hills Middle SchoolMiddle · 906 students
- Amistad Elementary SchoolElementary · 878 students
Other Cottonwood Elementary schools
20 other US public schools in 12 states are named Cottonwood Elementary. Cottonwood Elementary is the 11th largest of the 21.
- Cottonwood Elementary SchoolSILVERDALE, WA · 362 students
- Cottonwood Elementary SchoolYakima, WA · 362 students
- Cottonwood Elementary SchoolCLEVELAND, TX · 1,023 students
- Cottonwood ElementaryHesperia, CA · 868 students
- COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARYCARLSBAD, NM · 684 students
Nearby schools
- Desert Hills Middle School1.1 mi · 906
- Amon Creek Elementary1.6 mi · 594
- Sunset View Elementary School2.6 mi · 411
- Ridge View Elementary School2.7 mi · 471
- Badger Mountain Elementary2.9 mi · 605
- Orchard Elementary3.0 mi · 594
Frequently asked questions
About Cottonwood ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Cottonwood Elementary?
Cottonwood Elementary enrolls approximately 474 students in grades KG-05.
Is Cottonwood Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Cottonwood Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Cottonwood Elementary have?
Cottonwood Elementary employs 28 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.9:1.
How diverse is Cottonwood Elementary?
Cottonwood Elementary reports a student body of 75% White, 18% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Cottonwood Elementary in?
Cottonwood Elementary is part of Kennewick School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.