Is Cottonwood High a good school?

Cottonwood High ranks in the bottom 3.6% of Utah high schools.

How many students attend Cottonwood High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,585 students attended Cottonwood High.

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood High?

Students at Cottonwood High are 43% White, 37% Hispanic, 8% African American, 6% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander.

What schools feed into Cottonwood High?

Cottonwood High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : James E. Moss School Elementary : Lincoln School Elementary : Oakwood School Elementary : Olene Walker Elementary Elementary : Woodrow Wilson School Elementary : Woodstock School Middle : Bonneville Junior High Middle : Granite Park Junior High

Cottonwood High

Summary:

Cottonwood High is a public high school located in Salt Lake City, Utah, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,585 students. The school is part of the Granite School District, which is ranked 72 out of 98 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cottonwood High consistently performs below the state and district averages in proficiency rates for the Utah Aspire Plus assessments in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Cottonwood High's 10th-grade proficiency rates were 21% in ELA, 8% in Math, and 14% in Science, compared to the state averages of 44.6%, 27.5%, and 33.8%, respectively. The school's performance has been declining over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 104 out of 123 high schools in 2016-2017 to 133 out of 138 high schools in 2023-2024.

Cottonwood High's academic performance lags significantly behind nearby high-performing schools like Skyline High and Olympus High, which consistently rank among the top schools in the state. Skyline High, for example, had proficiency rates of 70.8% in ELA, 44.5% in Math, and 64.7% in Science for 10th-grade students in the 2023-2024 school year.

Detail:

Public 9-12

5715 S 1300 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84121

(385) 646-5264

District: Granite District

SchoolDigger Rank:
133^rd of 138 Utah High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,505

Student/teacher ratio: 23.4

Number of students: 1,585

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.2%

Hispanic:

36.7%

African American:

7.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 49.4%

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Compare Cottonwood High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Cottonwood High ranks worse than 96.4% of high schools in Utah. It also ranks 7^th among 8 ranked high schools in the Granite District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 5.81. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Cottonwood High freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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 Cottonwood High has the largest high school student body size in the Granite District. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cottonwood High is $10,505, which is the 2^nd highest among 8 high schools in the Granite District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cottonwood High:

SchoolDigger ranks Cottonwood High 133^rd of 138 Utah public high schools. (See Cottonwood High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Granite District:

SchoolDigger ranks Granite District 72^nd of 98 Utah school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Cottonwood High.

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Your rating for Cottonwood High?

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Rank History for Cottonwood High

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Rank History for all students at Cottonwood High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile
2008	31.07	111^th	142	21.8%
2009	26.17	118^th	148	20.3%
2010	28.74	117^th	153	23.5%
2011	22.98	134^th	164	18.3%
2012	19.59	143^rd	166	13.9%
2013	16.31	148^th	167	11.4%
2014	15.06	106^th	120	11.7%
2015	17.14	111^th	131	15.3%
2016	12.20	115^th	129	10.9%
2017	16.96	109^th	125	12.8%
2018	17.65	104^th	123	15.4%
2019	8.49	127^th	136	6.6%
2021	13.54	121^st	129	6.2%
2022	9.46	124^th	131	5.3%
2023	5.89	133^rd	139	4.3%
2024	5.81	133^rd	138	3.6%

See the entire list of Utah High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cottonwood High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile
2022	57.02	5^th	14	64.3%
2023	35.27	12^th	20	40.0%
2024	8.78	25^th	25	0.0%

See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cottonwood High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile
2022	13.47	78^th	84	7.1%
2023	6.61	92^nd	93	1.1%
2024	9.48	91^st	93	2.2%

See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cottonwood High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile
2022	21.98	54^th	62	12.9%
2023	13.36	63^rd	66	4.5%
2024	11.36	72^nd	72	0.0%

See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Cottonwood High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile
2022	22.08	104^th	123	15.4%
2023	16.62	104^th	122	14.8%
2024	9.25	114^th	123	7.3%

See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Utah State Board 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: Utah State Board of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, April 21, 2022

Cottonwood is a wonderful, real world education. Cottonwood has all of the AP classes, academy of finance, state championship teams, and teacher of the year recipients. We also welcome a huge refugee community who are teaching our students real world perspective and work so hard to achieve greatness. Cottonwood is a hidden gem. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Cottonwood High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1573	3	27	34	10	n/a	n/a	0	1647
1989	1740	4	28	28	3	n/a	n/a	0	1803
1990	1959	4	19	23	1	n/a	n/a	0	2006
1991	1972	6	17	25	3	n/a	n/a	0	2023
1992	1891	12	32	43	4	n/a	n/a	0	1982
1993	1807	13	44	46	7	n/a	n/a	0	1917
1994	1830	14	44	48	6	n/a	n/a	0	1942
1995	1903	16	60	56	6	n/a	n/a	0	2041
1996	1903	16	60	56	6	n/a	n/a	0	2041
1997	1875	23	66	64	7	n/a	n/a	0	2035
1998	1732	13	63	73	5	n/a	n/a	0	1886
1999	1633	19	69	94	6	n/a	n/a	0	1821
2000	1584	13	78	104	6	n/a	n/a	0	1785
2001	1499	21	82	114	10	n/a	n/a	0	1726
2002	1360	27	84	123	10	n/a	n/a	0	1604
2003	1360	27	84	123	10	n/a	n/a	0	1604
2004	1237	25	94	141	8	n/a	n/a	0	1505
2005	1221	29	102	148	12	n/a	n/a	0	1512
2006	1086	21	102	124	14	n/a	n/a	0	1347
2007	1144	51	96	209	11	n/a	n/a	0	1511
2008	1206	48	119	286	23	n/a	n/a	3	1685
2009	1090	38	98	255	22	n/a	n/a	4	1507
2010	1046	57	125	338	32	n/a	n/a	61	1659
2011	1026	76	98	368	21	48	2	0	1639
2012	1020	80	117	380	22	43	8	0	1670
2013	919	86	145	342	25	46	15	0	1578
2014	854	75	161	370	24	39	21	0	1544
2015	765	94	140	367	20	33	28	0	1447
2016	681	99	108	339	15	33	24	0	1299
2017	885	139	137	497	30	39	41	0	1768
2018	854	143	123	509	40	33	40	0	1742
2019	830	131	121	478	42	35	46	0	1683
2020	849	131	117	474	40	53	46	0	1710
2021	783	128	111	495	47	39	39	0	1642
2022	759	126	107	537	30	20	45	0	1624
2023	685	124	97	581	33	25	40	0	1585

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 High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1647	79.3	20.7	n/a
1989	1803	86.8	20.7	n/a
1990	2006	88.4	22.6	4
1991	2023	83.7	24.1	2
1992	1982	69.9	28.3	4.7
1993	1917	70.4	27.2	5.1
1994	1942	78.8	24.6	5.4
1995	2041	91.4	22.3	5.9
1996	2041	91.4	22.3	5.9
1997	2035	85.2	23.9	5.7
1998	1886	81.5	23.1	5.4
1999	1821	91.0	20.0	10.2
2000	1785	87.2	20.5	9.1
2001	1726	76.3	22.6	12.6
2002	1604	68.6	23.4	13.8
2003	1604	68.6	23.4	13.8
2004	1505	62.7	24.0	20.7
2005	1512	58.9	25.7	26.2
2006	1347	65.0	20.7	26.5
2007	1511	66.6	22.7	1.7
2008	1685	64.3	26.2	26.3
2009	1507	110.6	21.7	13.5
2010	1659	71.6	23.1	43.4
2011	1639	71.2	23.0	42.7
2012	1670	72.8	22.9	53.3
2013	1578	68.4	23.0	81.5
2014	1544	70.5	21.9	28.2
2015	1447	n/a	n/a	60.8
2016	1299	n/a	n/a	61.4
2017	1768	70.5	25.0	62.5
2018	1742	n/a	n/a	62.8
2019	1683	74.2	22.6	60.8
2020	1710	73.9	23.1	62.5
2021	1642	n/a	n/a	56
2022	1624	80.7	20.1	46.4
2023	1585	67.5	23.4	49.4

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 High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1647	79.3	20.7	n/a
1989	1803	86.8	20.7	n/a
1990	2006	88.4	22.6	4
1991	2023	83.7	24.1	2
1992	1982	69.9	28.3	4.7
1993	1917	70.4	27.2	5.1
1994	1942	78.8	24.6	5.4
1995	2041	91.4	22.3	5.9
1996	2041	91.4	22.3	5.9
1997	2035	85.2	23.9	5.7
1998	1886	81.5	23.1	5.4
1999	1821	91.0	20.0	10.2
2000	1785	87.2	20.5	9.1
2001	1726	76.3	22.6	12.6
2002	1604	68.6	23.4	13.8
2003	1604	68.6	23.4	13.8
2004	1505	62.7	24.0	20.7
2005	1512	58.9	25.7	26.2
2006	1347	65.0	20.7	26.5
2007	1511	66.6	22.7	1.7
2008	1685	64.3	26.2	26.3
2009	1507	110.6	21.7	13.5
2010	1659	71.6	23.1	43.4
2011	1639	71.2	23.0	42.7
2012	1670	72.8	22.9	53.3
2013	1578	68.4	23.0	81.5
2014	1544	70.5	21.9	28.2
2015	1447	n/a	n/a	60.8
2016	1299	n/a	n/a	61.4
2017	1768	70.5	25.0	62.5
2018	1742	n/a	n/a	62.8
2019	1683	74.2	22.6	60.8
2020	1710	73.9	23.1	62.5
2021	1642	n/a	n/a	56
2022	1624	80.7	20.1	46.4
2023	1585	67.5	23.4	49.4

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cottonwood High

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,063 (10.1%)	$9,442 (89.9%)	$10,505

Data source: Utah Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Cottonwood High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 127^th of 136 High schools	Ranks 133^rd of 139 High schools	2.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
9th Grade English Language Arts (Cottonwood High)	28.5	24.7	3.8%
9th Grade English Language Arts (Granite District)	36.5	31.3	5.2%
9th Grade English Language Arts (Utah)	48.2	44	4.2%
9th Grade Mathematics (Cottonwood High)	23.1	10.4	12.7%
9th Grade Mathematics (Granite District)	28.9	17.7	11.2%
9th Grade Mathematics (Utah)	43.6	32.8	10.8%
9th Grade Science (Cottonwood High)	18	15.7	2.3%
9th Grade Science (Granite District)	21.6	24.9	3.3%
9th Grade Science (Utah)	36.2	38.1	1.9%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Cottonwood High)	30.4	21.8	8.6%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Granite District)	36.3	31.8	4.5%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Utah)	49.5	45.3	4.2%
10th Grade Mathematics (Cottonwood High)	20.5	7.5	13%
10th Grade Mathematics (Granite District)	24.4	15.9	8.5%
10th Grade Mathematics (Utah)	36.3	27.7	8.6%
10th Grade Science (Cottonwood High)	13.5	11.9	1.6%
10th Grade Science (Granite District)	19.2	22.8	3.6%
10th Grade Science (Utah)	33	32.2	0.8%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1683	1585	5.8%
African American	131	124	5.3%
American Indian	42	33	21.4%
Asian	121	97	19.8%
Hispanic	478	581	21.5%
Pacific Islander	35	25	28.6%
White	830	685	17.5%
Two or More Races	46	40	13%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	60.8%	49.4%	11.4%

Schools Near Cottonwood High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Utah Aspire Plus English Language Arts (2024)		Utah Aspire Plus Mathematics (2024)		Utah Aspire Plus Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Utah Aspire Plus English Language Arts 9th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus English Language Arts 10th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus Mathematics 9th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus Mathematics 10th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus Science 9th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus Science 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Academy for Math Engineering & Science	Public, Magnet, Charter	9-12	5715 S 1300 E	Salt Lake City	84121	Salt Lake County	Academy for Math Engineering & Science	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(801) 278-9460	454	23	19.4	14.1%	256 (56.4%)	16 (3.5%)	78 (17.2%)	51 (11.2%)	4 (0.9%)	31 (6.8%)	17 (3.7%)	92.2	7^th of 138 public high schools	94.9%		96	5^th of 139 public high schools	96.4%	2	53.1	72.1	51.4	48.1	66.4	56.3	$8,828	$269	$8,559
Cottonwood High	Public	9-12	5715 S 1300 E	Salt Lake City	84121	Salt Lake County	Granite District	No	No	No	Yes	(385) 646-5264	1,585	68	23.4	49.4%	685 (43.2%)	124 (7.8%)	581 (36.7%)	97 (6.1%)	33 (2.1%)	25 (1.6%)	40 (2.5%)	5.8	133^rd of 138 public high schools	3.6%		5.9	133^rd of 139 public high schools	4.3%		22.4	21.0	14.2	8.0	16.5	14.0	$10,505	$1,063	$9,442
Murray High	Public	10-12	5440 S State	Murray	84107	Salt Lake County	Murray District	No	No	No	No	(801) 264-7460	1,400	64	21.9	24.3%	918 (65.6%)	57 (4.1%)	311 (22.2%)	30 (2.1%)	13 (0.9%)	13 (0.9%)	55 (3.9%)	38.9	86^th of 138 public high schools	37.7%		64.1	36^th of 139 public high schools	74.1%	50		40.8		25.3		30.2	$10,200	$450	$9,750
Murray Adult Transition	Public	9-12	147 E 5065 S	Murray	84107	Salt Lake County	Murray District	No	No	No	No	(801) 957-4693	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Hillcrest High	Public	8-12	7350 S 900 E	Midvale	84047	Salt Lake County	Canyons District	No	No	No	No	(801) 826-6000	2,296	97	23.7	36.9%	1,194 (52.0%)	72 (3.1%)	650 (28.3%)	204 (8.9%)	19 (0.8%)	25 (1.1%)	132 (5.7%)	59	49^th of 138 public high schools	64.5%		51.6	63^rd of 139 public high schools	54.7%	14	39.3	51.7	39.4	36.3	37.8	40.4	$10,113	$529	$9,584
Brighton High	Public	8-12	2220 E 7695 S	Salt Lake City	84121	Salt Lake County	Canyons District	No	No	No	No	(801) 826-5800	2,360	91	25.9	14.5%	1,871 (79.3%)	31 (1.3%)	243 (10.3%)	31 (1.3%)	2 (0.1%)	30 (1.3%)	152 (6.4%)	69.8	29^th of 138 public high schools	79.0%		71.5	25^th of 139 public high schools	82.0%	4	48.5	49.7	52.0	43.1	44.5	35.0	$9,268	$358	$8,910
Olympus High	Public	9-12	4055 S 2300 E	Salt Lake City	84124	Salt Lake County	Granite District	No	No	No	No	(385) 646-5400	2,123	88	24.1	15.6%	1,764 (83.1%)	44 (2.1%)	206 (9.7%)	56 (2.6%)	11 (0.5%)	15 (0.7%)	27 (1.3%)	53.3	59^th of 138 public high schools	57.2%		76.9	23^rd of 139 public high schools	83.5%	36	41.2	55.2	38.5	36.8	23.1	34.2	$9,882	$729	$9,153
Utah International Charter School	Public, Charter	6-12	350 E Baird Circle (3605 South	Salt Lake City	84115	Salt Lake County	Utah International Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(385) 290-1306	236	19	12.4	1.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				0.0			$9,469	$1,355	$8,114
Skyline High	Public	7-12	3251 E 3760 S	Salt Lake City	84109	Salt Lake County	Granite District	No	No	No	No	(385) 646-5420	2,124	80	26.7	8.3%	1,697 (79.9%)	23 (1.1%)	147 (6.9%)	177 (8.3%)	3 (0.1%)	21 (1.0%)	56 (2.6%)	95.1	6^th of 138 public high schools	95.7%		93.8	6^th of 139 public high schools	95.7%		64.4	70.8	54.9	44.5	69.5	64.7	$8,716	$500	$8,215
Canyons Technical Education Center	Public	7-12	825 E 9085 S	Sandy	84094	Salt Lake County	Canyons District	No	No	No	No	(801) 826-6600	0	15	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Cottonwood High

Cottonwood High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Granite District:

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Cottonwood High

Rank History for all students at Cottonwood High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cottonwood High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cottonwood High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cottonwood High

Rank History for White students at Cottonwood High

Review counts

Enrollment information for Cottonwood High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cottonwood High

Student/Teacher Ratio Cottonwood High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cottonwood High

Impact of COVID-19 on Cottonwood High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Cottonwood High

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood High

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