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Cottonwood Elementary School

Q: Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary School ranks 170 th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

170^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 75% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Cottonwood Elementary School in Cottonwood, AL, is a mid-sized school serving 502 students in Pre-K through 6th grade within the Houston County district, and it has earned a 4-star rating by ranking in the 75th percentile statewide.

One of the most impressive things about Cottonwood Elementary is how well its students perform despite economic challenges. With about 61% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school ranks in the 84th percentile statewide for supporting students from low-income backgrounds—a remarkable achievement that has stayed consistent for three years. The school also boasts exceptionally low chronic absenteeism, with only 4.9% of students chronically absent in 2024-2025 compared to 12% statewide. This strong attendance culture likely supports the school's dramatic improvement in early literacy: 3rd grade English proficiency jumped from 44% to nearly 86% in just three years, far exceeding both district and state averages. When compared to nearby schools, Cottonwood significantly outperforms Heard Elementary, Girard Elementary, and Faine Elementary in the Dothan City district, though it trails Webb Elementary, which ranks in the 89th percentile.

While the school excels in reading, math remains an area for growth. In 2025-2026, math proficiency declined by grade level, with only 38% of 5th graders proficient—a 23-point gap from the district average. This "5th grade dip" appears in both subjects and may signal a transition challenge. Additionally, the school has seen a decline in performance for special education students (from the 87th to 67th percentile over three years) and for White students, whose ranking dropped from the 61st to 48th percentile. Despite these challenges, Cottonwood's overall trajectory is positive, improving from the 66th to 75th percentile over four years. With a student-teacher ratio of 16.7:1 and no selective admissions, the school demonstrates that consistent attendance and targeted literacy interventions can yield strong results for all students.

502

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

61%

Free/discounted lunch ?

663 Houston St
Cottonwood, AL 36320

(334) 691-2587

District: Houston County

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.3%

African American:

12.2%

Hispanic:

6.0%

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Compare Cottonwood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 66th percentile in 2023 → 75th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alabama average (62% vs 51% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of Alabama elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2023

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg68%

Alabama avg51%

170^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Top 25%▲ up 9 pts since 2023

From top 34% (2023) to top 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^th of 140Houston County among Alabama 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	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	73.1	170 of 686	75.2%	★★★★☆
2025	70.4	192 of 680	71.8%	★★★★☆
2024	70.6	181 of 684	73.5%	★★★★☆
2023	65.2	229 of 680	66.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2022	60.1	134 of 426	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	69.1	189 of 651	71.0%	★★★★☆
2025	59.1	262 of 649	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.0	228 of 650	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.1	229 of 645	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.3	286 of 656	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	76.1	110 of 667	83.5%	★★★★☆
2025	75.0	121 of 660	81.7%	★★★★☆
2024	76.0	119 of 670	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	69.1	158 of 623	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.7	152 of 651	76.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	73.7	158 of 659	76.0%	★★★★☆
2025	75.4	143 of 651	78.0%	★★★★☆
2024	74.8	146 of 655	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	64.7	215 of 649	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.2	240 of 669	64.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	58.3	132 of 403	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.2	100 of 403	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	77.6	50 of 395	87.3%	★★★★☆
2023	61.2	95 of 373	74.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2026	47.4	262 of 501	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.1	212 of 532	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.5	209 of 535	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.7	234 of 528	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.6	303 of 540	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)84th percentile+8 vs school

Male (2026)76th percentile~ school

Female (2026)71st percentile-4 vs school

African American (2022)69th percentile

Special Education (2026)67th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)48th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English74%+11 vs state

Science56%+5 vs state

Mathematics52%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary 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)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2026)				Summative Assessment Science (2026)	Summative Assessment English (2026)				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 (2025)	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	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottonwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	663 Houston St	Cottonwood	36320	Houston County	Houston County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 691-2587	502	30	16.7	61.0%	388 (77.3%)	61 (12.2%)	30 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.0%)	73.1	170^th of 686 public elementary schools	75.2%		70.4	192^nd of 680 public elementary schools	71.8%	22	64.9	54.4	38.3	50.0	55.7	85.7	73.4	71.7	63.5
Ashford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Barfield St	Ashford	36312	Houston County	Houston County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 726-5960	668	37	18.2	65.6%	424 (63.5%)	156 (23.4%)	34 (5.1%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (6.7%)	74.1	161^st of 686 public elementary schools	76.5%		75.2	151^st of 680 public elementary schools	77.8%	10	71.3	58.8	60.6		52.6	73.0	64.3	73.7		$9,417	$2,014	$7,389
Rehobeth Primary School	Public	PK, KG-3	5525 County Road 203	Dothan	36301	Houston County	Houston County	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(334) 677-5153	761	48	15.8	52.4%	516 (67.8%)	70 (9.2%)	110 (14.5%)	9 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (7.1%)								(n/a)	69.8					77.5
Hidden Lake Primary School	Public	K-2	1475 Prevatt Rd	Dothan	36301	Houston County	Dothan City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 794-1491	476	28	17.0	83.4%	83 (17.4%)	313 (65.8%)	37 (7.8%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.6%)								(n/a)										$9,711	$1,309	$8,164
Beverlye Intermediate School	Public	3-5	1025 S Beverlye Rd	Dothan	36301	Houston County	Dothan City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 794-1432	338	16	21.1	84.0%	38 (11.2%)	247 (73.1%)	29 (8.6%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.3%)	5.5	676^th of 686 public elementary schools	1.5%		7.8	659^th of 680 public elementary schools	3.1%	17	2.3	2.8	3.0		22.6	30.6	32.7	27.0		$8,529	$728	$7,564
Carver School of Mathematics Science and Technology	Public	3-6	303 Rollins Avenue	Dothan	36301	Houston County	Dothan City	No	No	No	No	(334) 794-1440	429	21	20.4	55.2%	193 (45.0%)	158 (36.8%)	37 (8.6%)	22 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.4%)	92.9	32^nd of 686 public elementary schools	95.3%		94	22^nd of 680 public elementary schools	96.8%	10	85.1	70.6	45.9	72.8	84.3	100.0	89.2	91.8	93.0	$10,963	$756	$9,970
Selma Street Elementary School	Public	K-5	1501 W Selma St	Dothan	36301	Houston County	Dothan City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 740-4371	421	21	20.0	85.0%	42 (10.0%)	291 (69.1%)	58 (13.8%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.2%)	25.8	515^th of 686 public elementary schools	24.9%		33	462^nd of 680 public elementary schools	32.1%	53	17.1	14.8	25.0		44.4	46.5	44.4	63.5		$11,300	$2,679	$8,383
Faine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1901 Stringer St	Dothan	36303	Houston County	Dothan City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 794-1455	326	22	14.8	84.4%	9 (2.8%)	296 (90.8%)	12 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.5%)	7.7	666^th of 686 public elementary schools	2.9%		5.7	670^th of 680 public elementary schools	1.5%	4	4.2	5.9	7.1		17.7	26.0	20.6	55.2		$10,275	$2,211	$7,834
Heard Elementary School	Public	K-5	201 Daniel Cir	Dothan	36301	Houston County	Dothan City	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 794-1471	389	21	18.5	65.8%	115 (29.6%)	209 (53.7%)	37 (9.5%)	10 (2.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.4%)	32.4	476^th of 686 public elementary schools	30.6%		29.8	474^th of 680 public elementary schools	30.3%	2	30.6	19.6	16.0		33.3	67.4	56.9	60.0		$8,142	$635	$7,269
Webb Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	178 DePot St	Webb	36376	Houston County	Houston County	No	No	No	Yes	(334) 792-5744	419	29	14.5	72.8%	216 (51.6%)	161 (38.4%)	19 (4.5%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.3%)	86.5	77^th of 686 public elementary schools	88.8%		83.2	95^th of 680 public elementary schools	86.0%	18	66.7	70.7	72.6	65.3	74.1	72.3	79.3	84.0	70.0	$10,445	$2,504	$7,926

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood Elementary School

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 502 students attended Cottonwood Elementary School.

What district is Cottonwood Elementary School in?

Houston County

Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary School ranks 170^th of 686 Alabama elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary School?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary School are 77% White, 12% African American, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

Rate Cottonwood Elementary School!

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2026

2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 27, 2025

2024–25 Summative Assessment scoresAug 14, 2025

2021–22 through 2023–24 attendance data & graduation ratesDec 2, 2024

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