Is Cottonwood Creek Elementary a good school?

Cottonwood Creek Elementary ranks 2845 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cottonwood Creek Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 613 students attended Cottonwood Creek Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Creek Elementary?

Students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary are 70% Hispanic, 17% White, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Creek Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood Creek Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : La Joya Middle High : El Diamante High

Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Summary:

Cottonwood Creek Elementary is a public elementary school in Visalia, California, serving 613 students in grades K-6. The school is part of the Visalia Unified School District, which is ranked 894 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cottonwood Creek Elementary faces several challenges, including lower academic performance compared to nearby schools. The school's proficiency rates on Smarter Balanced Assessments are generally below the Visalia Unified and California state averages across grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts ranged from 36.25% to 49.49%, compared to the district averages of 41.24% to 45.28% and the state averages of 42.8% to 47.37%. In Mathematics, Cottonwood Creek's proficiency rates ranged from 23.68% to 37.37%, compared to the district averages of 28.57% to 39.4% and the state averages of 34.31% to 45.64%. The school's performance on the CAST Science assessment is also below the district and state averages.

Another concern is the significant increase in chronic absenteeism at Cottonwood Creek Elementary, rising from 6.6% in 2018-2019 to 25.3% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the district and state averages. The school also has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 55.46% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023. However, the school's performance among specific subgroups, such as Hispanic and English Language Learner students, suggests that targeted interventions and support could help improve overall student outcomes. Nearby schools like Linwood Elementary and Charter Home School Academy have outperformed Cottonwood Creek in several subject areas and grade levels.

Detail:

Public K-6

4222 South Dans St.
Visalia, CA 93277-7964

(559) 735-3539

District: Visalia Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2845^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,704

Students who attend Cottonwood Creek Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	La Joya Middle
High:	El Diamante High

Student/teacher ratio: 23.5

Number of students: 613

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

69.8%

White:

17.5%

Two or more races:

6.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 55.5%

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Compare Cottonwood Creek Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Cottonwood Creek Elementary ranks better than 51.5% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 27 ranked elementary schools in the Visalia Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 45.18. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (69.8%), White (17.5%), two or more races (6.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 55.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cottonwood Creek Elementary is 23.5. 15 elementary schools in the Visalia Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Cottonwood Creek Elementary employs 26 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cottonwood Creek Elementary is $6,704. 25 elementary schools in the Visalia Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cottonwood Creek Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Cottonwood Creek Elementary 2845^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Cottonwood Creek Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Visalia Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Visalia Unified 894^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Cottonwood Creek Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2007	51.17	2254^th	5113	55.9%
2008	51.25	2307^th	5113	54.9%
2009	45.54	2727^th	5193	47.5%
2010	38.28	3282^nd	5314	38.2%
2011	43.64	2975^th	5377	44.7%
2012	42.13	3129^th	5390	41.9%
2013	45.27	2988^th	5530	46.0%
2015	55.92	2133^rd	5611	62.0%
2016	55.34	2215^th	5614	60.5%
2017	46.85	2717^th	5692	52.3%
2018	41.28	3068^th	5662	45.8%
2019	46.51	2792^nd	5789	51.8%
2022	42.09	2957^th	5883	49.7%
2023	39.10	3201^st	5874	45.5%
2024	45.18	2845^th	5862	51.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	48.98	1305^th	3275	60.2%
2023	29.63	2563^rd	3250	21.1%
2024	71.28	391^st	3160	87.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	38.59	1268^th	2420	47.6%
2024	37.33	1450^th	2634	45.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.72	2968^th	5084	41.6%
2019	48.04	2533^rd	5173	51.0%
2022	40.22	2994^th	5264	43.1%
2023	35.68	3412^th	5374	36.5%
2024	43.34	2870^th	5511	47.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	40.40	3057^th	5413	43.5%
2019	53.31	2313^th	5492	57.9%
2022	37.25	3179^th	5635	43.6%
2023	36.20	3280^th	5617	41.6%
2024	43.27	2835^th	5605	49.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	39.02	1113^th	2227	50.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	41.15	2968^th	5431	45.4%
2019	38.26	3163^rd	5510	42.6%
2022	48.18	2547^th	5663	55.0%
2023	41.91	2923^rd	5650	48.3%
2024	46.54	2659^th	5636	52.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	53.34	2011^th	4830	58.4%
2019	55.57	1938^th	4963	61.0%
2022	44.03	2591^st	5084	49.0%
2023	40.64	2863^rd	5098	43.8%
2024	50.80	2210^th	5102	56.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.27	2444^th	2737	10.7%
2019	26.41	2240^th	2834	21.0%
2022	47.51	1544^th	2726	43.4%
2023	48.88	1459^th	2662	45.2%
2024	51.08	1370^th	2647	48.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, January 14, 2011

our experience with the school's teaching standards and cirriculum caused us to look for a better educational atmosphere for our children. we especially were dissappointed with the general lack of education when it came to the autism spectrum or other IEP type situations. We left the district about a year and a half ago due to the adminstrators lack of communication and unwillingness to work with parents, etc. since then a new admin has been instated and I am hopeful they will fill the gap that many parents felt existed at the school. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Cottonwood Creek Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2007	170	16	41	173	9	n/a	n/a	409
2008	213	20	63	221	16	n/a	n/a	533
2009	245	9	52	272	16	5	3	602
2010	258	14	35	344	15	7	22	695
2011	254	13	50	369	14	7	22	729
2012	242	10	49	362	9	4	26	702
2013	248	7	49	374	9	4	24	715
2014	225	6	45	367	7	2	34	686
2015	219	6	46	377	5	4	32	689
2016	209	7	49	417	7	6	36	731
2017	192	5	41	443	5	6	38	730
2018	195	6	40	437	1	4	36	719
2019	165	6	35	467	1	2	33	709
2020	151	4	37	465	2	5	42	706
2021	127	7	29	449	2	5	42	661
2022	123	10	28	430	2	2	44	639
2023	107	7	26	428	2	2	41	613

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	409	18.0	22.7	40.1
2008	533	22.6	23.6	45.2
2009	602	23.6	23.4	43.7
2010	695	27.0	25.7	40.7
2011	729	n/a	n/a	48.7
2012	702	26.0	27.0	n/a
2013	715	24.0	29.7	51.6
2014	686	22.5	30.4	52.2
2015	689	24.0	28.7	48.6
2016	731	26.0	28.1	48.8
2017	730	27.0	27.0	48.1
2018	719	22.5	31.9	56.3
2019	709	26.3	26.8	60.2
2020	706	n/a	n/a	57.6
2021	661	26.9	24.5	58.9
2022	639	26.7	23.9	57.1
2023	613	26.0	23.5	55.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Cottonwood Creek Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	409	18.0	22.7	40.1
2008	533	22.6	23.6	45.2
2009	602	23.6	23.4	43.7
2010	695	27.0	25.7	40.7
2011	729	n/a	n/a	48.7
2012	702	26.0	27.0	n/a
2013	715	24.0	29.7	51.6
2014	686	22.5	30.4	52.2
2015	689	24.0	28.7	48.6
2016	731	26.0	28.1	48.8
2017	730	27.0	27.0	48.1
2018	719	22.5	31.9	56.3
2019	709	26.3	26.8	60.2
2020	706	n/a	n/a	57.6
2021	661	26.9	24.5	58.9
2022	639	26.7	23.9	57.1
2023	613	26.0	23.5	55.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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