Cottondale Elementary School

Cottondale Elementary School is a small, rural school in Cottondale, Florida, serving 471 students in grades PK-5 as part of the Jackson district.

Cottondale Elementary has experienced a significant decline in recent years, dropping from a 4-star rating to a 1-star rating for the 2025-2026 school year. The most pressing issue is a crisis-level chronic absenteeism rate of 40.3% in 2023-2024, which is much higher than the state average and consistently above 36% for the last four years. This absenteeism is a primary driver of the school's academic struggles. Interestingly, the school shows a "3rd grade peak," where students perform relatively well in early grades (56% in ELA and 63% in Math), but proficiency plummets by 5th grade (44% in ELA and 38% in Math). This "grade-level slide" is more dramatic than at nearby schools like Marianna K-8 School, which serves a similar demographic but maintains more stable performance across grades. On a positive note, Cottondale's 5th-grade Science scores jumped from 28% to 59% proficiency in one year, showing that targeted instruction can yield rapid results.

The school spends $10,273 per student, which is higher than Bonifay K-8 School ($9,661) and Kate M. Smith Elementary School ($9,439), yet it achieves the lowest academic outcomes among its peers. This suggests the challenge is not a lack of resources but how they are used, with high absenteeism likely negating the benefits of spending. For parents, the key takeaway is that Cottondale has a strong foundation in early elementary education but struggles to sustain growth in upper grades, making attendance and support for 4th and 5th graders critical areas for improvement.