Cottonwood Elementary School

Cottonwood Elementary School is one of the mid-tier elementary schools in Yakima, Washington, overseen by West Valley School District (Yakima), with 362 students on its rolls from grades K through 5.

Within West Valley School District (Yakima), which oversees 15 schools and 5,480 students, Cottonwood Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Cottonwood Elementary School lists that the largest single group is White at 54%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 39% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 3% multiracial.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Cottonwood Elementary School has 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 16.2:1. The state averages around 17.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 39% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Yakima County runs at roughly 77%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Cottonwood Elementary School is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 53.9%; this one delivers 65.1%, a residual of +11.2 points.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Yakima County put median household earnings sit near $70,656, about 19% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Cottonwood Elementary School is one of 119 public schools in Yakima County (combined enrollment of about 52,145 students).

The closest other public school is WEST VALLEY VIRTUAL ACADEMY 9-12, roughly 0.9 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 4 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Cottonwood Elementary School ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 50.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Over the past 7-year window. Cottonwood Elementary School's enrollment has shrank 20% since 2018, when it stood at 450 (now 362). Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged up from 27% to 39%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 17.9:1 in 2018 to 16.2:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Cottonwood Elementary School community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.