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Cottonwood Elementary School

Q: Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary School ranks 153 rd of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

153^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 294 Nebraska Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of Nebraska elementary schools

Summary

Cottonwood Elementary School is a public elementary school in Omaha, Nebraska, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 323 students. The school is part of the Millard Public Schools district, which is ranked 37 out of 115 school districts in Nebraska and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cottonwood Elementary consistently performs above the state average in NSCAS (Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System) test scores across grades and subjects, often ranking in the top half or top third of Nebraska elementary schools. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's 5th-grade students scored 66.07% proficient or better in ELA and 75% in Math, compared to the state averages of 55.79% and 58.74%, respectively. However, the school has experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from 6.0% in 2020-2021 to 19.3% in 2024-2025, which is an area of concern that the school may need to address.

Compared to nearby schools, Cottonwood Elementary generally outperforms Montclair Elementary School but lags behind the higher-performing Ezra Millard Elementary, Willa Cather Elementary, Harvey Oaks Elementary, and Grace Abbott Elementary schools. The nearby Spring Ridge Elementary, which is part of the Elkhorn Public Schools district, is a particularly high-performing school, consistently ranking among the top 5 elementary schools in Nebraska.

303

Students ?

11.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,681

Per pupil spending ?

35.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

615 Piedmont Dr
Omaha, NE 68154-2731

(402) 715-1390

District: Millard Public Schools

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Kiewit Middle School
High:	Millard North High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.9%

Hispanic:

9.9%

Two or more races:

6.9%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 84th percentile in 2015 → 48th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Nebraska average (69% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 36 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school69%

District avg74%

Nebraska avg61%

153^rd of 294

Nebraska public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 36 pts since 2015

From top 16% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 25Elementary Schools in the Millard Public Schools

38^th of 118Millard Public Schools among Nebraska districts

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

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	51.4	153 of 294	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	78.4	83 of 428	80.6%	★★★★☆
2023	74.1	107 of 459	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	58.0	190 of 457	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.1	117 of 442	73.5%	★★★★☆
2019	71.1	109 of 452	75.9%	★★★★☆
2018	74.9	87 of 450	80.7%	★★★★☆
2017	89.7	13 of 459	97.2%	★★★★★
2016	80.2	64 of 480	86.7%	★★★★☆
2015	78.5	78 of 488	84.0%	★★★★☆
2014	83.1	48 of 483	90.1%	★★★★★
2013	73.8	83 of 485	82.9%	★★★★☆
2012	78.5	66 of 480	86.3%	★★★★☆
2011	80.5	65 of 473	86.3%	★★★★☆
2010	74.2	69 of 502	86.3%	★★★★☆
2009	65.0	149 of 471	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	64.7	167 of 478	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	45.8	279 of 430	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	60.5	176 of 418	57.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	59.3	90 of 203	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.9	75 of 349	78.5%	★★★★☆
2022	54.7	147 of 337	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.2	82 of 318	74.2%	★★★★☆
2019	73.0	80 of 349	77.1%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	61 of 341	82.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	60.7	43 of 112	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	69.6	75 of 312	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	67.2	77 of 259	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	60.0	104 of 264	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.5	72 of 298	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	48.9	149 of 281	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2024	73.6	47 of 203	76.8%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	99 of 366	73.0%	★★★★☆
2022	53.6	164 of 356	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.8	136 of 328	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.1	121 of 367	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.3	73 of 347	79.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2022	68.6	12 of 31	61.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	48.2	116 of 193	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	70.2	73 of 261	72.0%	★★★★☆
2023	64.8	119 of 385	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.0	196 of 388	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.3	128 of 368	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.3	99 of 391	74.7%	★★★★☆
2018	70.5	88 of 391	77.5%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Male (2024)77th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)62nd percentile-19 vs school

Special Education (2022)61st percentile+3 vs school

Female (2024)56th percentile-25 vs school

White (2025)40th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Science84%+4 vs state

Mathematics69%+11 vs state

English Language Arts63%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NSCAS English Language Arts (2025)				NSCAS Mathematics (2025)				NSCAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NSCAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts All Grades	NSCAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	NSCAS Science 5th Grade	NSCAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottonwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	615 Piedmont Dr	Omaha	68154	Douglas County	Millard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 715-1390	303	27	11.2	35.6%	233 (76.9%)	16 (5.3%)	30 (9.9%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.9%)	51.4	153^rd of 294 public elementary schools	48.0%		78.4	83^rd of 428 public elementary schools	80.6%	70	52.7	71.4	66.1	63.1	63.6	69.4	75.0	69.4	83.9	83.9	$15,681	$479	$14,065
Harvey Oaks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	15228 Shirley St	Omaha	68144	Douglas County	Millard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 715-1386	340	19	17.9	19.1%	275 (80.9%)	6 (1.8%)	27 (7.9%)	9 (2.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.5%)	73.3	74^th of 294 public elementary schools	74.8%		82.6	56^th of 428 public elementary schools	86.9%	18	79.6	75.7	70.8	74.8	75.5	70.3	75.4	74.2			$13,977	$1,597	$11,305
J Sterling Morton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1805 S 160th	Omaha	68130	Douglas County	Millard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 715-1290	392	28	14.0	29.8%	296 (75.5%)	17 (4.3%)	49 (12.5%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.4%)	64.9	104^th of 294 public elementary schools	64.6%		76.1	93^rd of 428 public elementary schools	78.3%	11	80.0	71.4	57.4	70.1	78.8	68.3	64.7	71.1	91.2	91.2	$11,630	$245	$10,409
Aldrich Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	506 N 162 Ave	Omaha	68118	Douglas County	Millard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 715-2020	462	27	17.4	8.4%	291 (63.0%)	10 (2.2%)	17 (3.7%)	115 (24.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (5.8%)	96.2	1^st of 294 public elementary schools	99.7%		96	3^rd of 428 public elementary schools	99.3%	2	89.2			94.8	89.2		93.9	93.0			$11,068	$154	$9,954
Grace Abbott Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1313 N 156th	Omaha	68118	Douglas County	Millard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 715-2900	454	26	17.5	17.4%	378 (83.3%)	12 (2.6%)	25 (5.5%)	12 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.7%)	92.4	9^th of 294 public elementary schools	96.9%		94	6^th of 428 public elementary schools	98.6%	3	81.2	87.2	85.0	84.8	81.2	87.2	93.8	87.7			$11,320	$155	$10,336
Montclair Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2405 S 138th	Omaha	68144	Douglas County	Millard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 715-1295	641	37	17.5	29.8%	446 (69.6%)	25 (3.9%)	78 (12.2%)	44 (6.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.2%)	38.7	204^th of 294 public elementary schools	30.6%		60.8	191^st of 428 public elementary schools	55.4%	13	63.5	64.7	62.8	63.6	50.0	55.3	62.8	56.0	85.1	85.1	$11,406	$155	$10,252
Ezra Millard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	14111 Blondo St	Omaha	68164	Douglas County	Millard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 715-2955	485	29	16.4	31.5%	341 (70.3%)	20 (4.1%)	51 (10.5%)	27 (5.6%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.1%)	82.8	34^th of 294 public elementary schools	88.4%		87.8	27^th of 428 public elementary schools	93.7%	7	80.5	83.5	69.0	78.2	85.1	84.7	71.8	81.1			$10,985	$155	$9,984
Willa Cather Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3030 S 139th Plaza	Omaha	68144	Douglas County	Millard Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 715-1315	286	22	13.0	26.9%	140 (49.0%)	10 (3.5%)	23 (8.0%)	93 (32.5%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.6%)	77.8	56^th of 294 public elementary schools	81.0%		83.8	46^th of 428 public elementary schools	89.3%	10	79.3	75.4	76.2	77.0	73.6	82.5	71.4	76.3			$13,861	$155	$12,482
Spring Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	17830 Shadow Ridge Dr	Omaha	68130	Douglas County	Elkhorn Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(402) 637-0204	474	30	15.6	5.1%	378 (79.7%)	9 (1.9%)	38 (8.0%)	30 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.0%)	93.1	5^th of 294 public elementary schools	98.3%		95.4	4^th of 428 public elementary schools	99.1%	1	86.2	90.8	81.2	85.9	94.7	89.5	83.5	89.4	94.1	94.1	$10,769	$110	$9,800
Picotte Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	14506 Ohio St	Omaha	68116	Douglas County	Omaha Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(531) 299-1920	369	22	16.6		207 (56.1%)	68 (18.4%)	50 (13.6%)	16 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.6%)	39.1	203^rd of 294 public elementary schools	31.0%		55.3	228^th of 428 public elementary schools	46.7%	25	68.8	60.8	55.0	62.6	65.6	54.9	57.5	60.0			$17,893	$2,678	$13,359

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Kiewit Middle School
High : Millard North High School

Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary School ranks 153^rd of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary School?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary School are 77% White, 10% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American.

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 303 students attended Cottonwood Elementary School.

What district is Cottonwood Elementary School in?

Millard Public Schools

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