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Cottondale High School

Q: Is Cottondale High School a good school?

Cottondale High School ranks 372 nd of 838 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-12

372^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 838 Florida High Schools

Better than 56% of Florida high schools

Summary

Cottondale High School is a small, rural school in Cottondale, FL, serving 419 students in grades 6 through 12 within the Jackson County School District.

Cottondale stands out for its exceptional performance in math and English Language Arts (ELA), often outperforming nearby schools like Marianna High School, Chipley High School, and Holmes County High School. For example, Cottondale's Algebra 1 proficiency rate of 78% is nearly double that of Marianna (39%) and well above the state average of 63%. Similarly, 10th-grade ELA proficiency is 75%, significantly higher than Chipley's 48% and Holmes County's 55%. However, the school faces challenges in history and science, with U.S. History proficiency at 50% and Civics at 56%, both well below state averages. Biology scores have been volatile but are improving, reaching 69% in 2024-2025.

The most notable issue is chronic absenteeism, which was 61% in 2023-2024—the highest among its peers and nearly double the state average. Despite this, the school has shown a strong upward trend in graduation rates, rising from 73.1% in 2022-2023 to 87.7% in 2024-2025. Serving grades 6-12 gives Cottondale a unique advantage, allowing it to build a consistent academic culture from middle school through high school. This is reflected in strong 6th-grade scores (77% ELA, 74% Math), which create a solid foundation for later success. With spending per student ($11,223) in the middle of the pack, Cottondale appears to use its resources effectively to produce strong results in core subjects, making it a compelling choice for families prioritizing math and reading achievement.

419

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,223

Per pupil spending ?

47%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2680 Levy St
Cottondale, FL 32431

(850) 482-9821

District: Jackson

Feeder schools for Cottondale High School:

Elementary:

Cottondale Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.7%

African American:

18.1%

Two or more races:

6.7%

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Compare Cottondale High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 57th percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Florida median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (61% vs 31% Florida)

!US History scores 24 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg56%

Florida avg63%

Middle school

498^th of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Top 41%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 35% (2016) to top 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

372^nd of 838

Florida public high schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the Jackson

48^th of 70Jackson among Florida districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	58.1	498 of 1216	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	69.4	336 of 1205	72.1%	★★★★☆
2024	71.4	313 of 1196	73.8%	★★★★☆
2023	69.2	334 of 1177	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	56.4	468 of 1148	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.4	371 of 1136	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.8	562 of 1099	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.1	567 of 1035	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	57.7	419 of 1031	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	61.2	353 of 997	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	51.0	487 of 999	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	48.7	505 of 956	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	42.3	541 of 897	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.4	550 of 891	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.1	491 of 839	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	38.8	518 of 780	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.1	462 of 740	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	40.7	476 of 736	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	43.8	403 of 675	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	29.5	457 of 602	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	64.8	207 of 593	65.1%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	372 of 838	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.6	341 of 844	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.9	353 of 807	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.2	296 of 792	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.2	348 of 774	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.9	247 of 746	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.5	361 of 734	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.2	363 of 716	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.4	336 of 714	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	47.6	301 of 693	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	59.1	236 of 687	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	46.5	317 of 648	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.0	177 of 606	70.8%	★★★★☆
2011	54.7	307 of 622	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	54.9	311 of 620	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.8	382 of 587	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.8	309 of 577	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.9	306 of 563	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	39.0	321 of 477	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	50.5	264 of 487	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	72.4	125 of 484	74.2%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Algebra 178%+15 vs state

English Language Arts70%+9 vs state

Biology 169%-5 vs state

Math59%~ state avg

Civics56%-21 vs state

Geometry52%-4 vs state

US History50%-24 vs state

Science47%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cottondale High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)					FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (2026)	EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC US History (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 9th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 10th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC US History End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottondale High School	Public	6-12	2680 Levy St	Cottondale	32431	Jackson County	Jackson	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 482-9821	419	26	16.1	47.0%	292 (69.7%)	76 (18.1%)	20 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.7%)	47.7	372^nd of 838 public high schools	55.6%		49.6	341^st of 844 public high schools	59.6%	31	77.0	51.0	77.0	65.0	75.0	74.0	43.0	33.0	47.0	78.0	52.0	69.0	50.0	56.0	$11,223	$1,268	$9,955
Jackson County Jail Instruction	Public	9-12	2903 Jefferson St	Marianna	32446	Jackson County	Jackson	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(850) 482-1200	1	0			0 (0.0%)	1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Jackson County Teen Parenting Program	Public	6-12	2903 Jefferson St	Marianna	32446	Jackson County	Jackson	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(850) 482-1200	6	0			1 (16.7%)	5 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Washington Institute For Specialized Education	Public	6-12	680 2nd St	Chipley	32428	Washington County	Washington	No	No	No	No	(850) 638-6020	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Marianna High School	Public	9-12	3546 Caverns Rd	Marianna	32446	Jackson County	Jackson	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 482-9605	652	36	18.1	39.7%	332 (50.9%)	217 (33.3%)	52 (8.0%)	7 (1.1%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (6.1%)	43.1	429^th of 838 public high schools	48.8%		48.4	354^th of 844 public high schools	58.1%	75				62.0	56.0					39.0	34.0	86.0	63.0		$10,752	$1,360	$9,393
Chipley High School	Public	9-12	1545 Brickyard Rd	Chipley	32428	Washington County	Washington	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 638-6100	563	28	20.1	29.3%	412 (73.2%)	84 (14.9%)	22 (3.9%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (6.4%)	38.8	485^th of 838 public high schools	42.1%		43	422^nd of 844 public high schools	50.0%	63				52.0	48.0					19.0	43.0	73.0	72.0		$11,112	$1,032	$10,079
Graduation Assistance Program	Public	6-12	307 W North Ave	Bonifay	32425	Holmes County	Holmes	No	No	No	No	(850) 547-0470	45	4	12.8	86.7%	33 (73.3%)	4 (8.9%)	4 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (8.9%)								(n/a)			10.0						17.0				27.0		$10,743	$461	$10,282
Holmes County High School	Public	9-12	105 Blue Devil Dr	Bonifay	32425	Holmes County	Holmes	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 547-9000	464	29	16.0	59.5%	405 (87.3%)	10 (2.2%)	12 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.5%)	35.2	531^st of 838 public high schools	36.6%		39.8	468^th of 844 public high schools	44.5%	63				54.0	55.0					16.0	30.0	60.0	72.0		$10,870	$958	$9,913

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottondale High School

What schools feed into Cottondale High School?

Cottondale High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cottondale Elementary School

What district is Cottondale High School in?

Jackson

How many students attend Cottondale High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 419 students attended Cottondale High School.

What is the racial makeup of Cottondale High School?

Students at Cottondale High School are 70% White, 18% African American, 7% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

Is Cottondale High School a good school?

Cottondale High School ranks 372^nd of 838 Florida high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Cottondale High School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.