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Cottondale Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

574^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 680 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Cottondale Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Cottondale, Alabama, with an enrollment of 447 students. The school is part of the Tuscaloosa County School District, which is ranked 84 out of 135 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cottondale Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the Tuscaloosa County and Alabama state averages on standardized tests. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 14.1% of 3rd graders were proficient in math, compared to 33.12% in Tuscaloosa County and 45.47% statewide. The school also struggles with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 12.1% to 18% over the past few years, which is higher than the state average. Additionally, Cottondale Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Alabama elementary schools, with a ranking between 448 and 574 out of 680-692 schools over the past 10 years.

Interestingly, Cottondale Elementary's academic performance lags behind many of the nearby schools in the Tuscaloosa City and Tuscaloosa County districts. For instance, Verner Elementary and Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary, both in the Tuscaloosa City district, significantly outperform Cottondale on test scores and school rankings.

438

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,707

Per pupil spending ?

70.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2301 Cottondale Ln
Cottondale, AL 35453

(205) 342-2642

District: Tuscaloosa County

Students who attend Cottondale Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	DavisEmerson Middle School
High:	Holt High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

35.6%

Hispanic:

30.6%

African American:

28.3%

See top rated Alabama elementary schools

Compare Cottondale Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 33rd percentile in 2015 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (29% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg46%

Alabama avg52%

574^th of 680

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 33% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 17Elementary Schools in the Tuscaloosa County

84^th of 135Tuscaloosa 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
2025	16.4	574 of 680	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	542 of 684	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	501 of 680	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.8	477 of 687	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.9	448 of 692	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.5	514 of 681	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.5	533 of 680	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.8	456 of 688	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	25.8	526 of 691	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	35.1	464 of 691	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.6	447 of 695	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.3	534 of 696	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.3	645 of 696	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	35.5	545 of 709	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.3	661 of 704	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	34.7	534 of 696	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	27.4	589 of 698	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.1	562 of 698	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	36.0	510 of 689	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	43.4	439 of 688	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	41.8	394 of 623	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	19.6	392 of 427	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	383 of 420	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	50.3	182 of 427	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.6	242 of 426	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.4	214 of 426	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.4	354 of 426	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.3	311 of 423	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	33.9	223 of 336	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	76 of 142	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.8	97 of 131	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.1	103 of 123	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.3	72 of 110	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.0	54 of 100	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	559 of 649	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	492 of 650	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	482 of 645	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.7	423 of 656	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.6	315 of 656	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	17.9	550 of 646	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	551 of 640	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	32.5	463 of 639	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	33.2	145 of 206	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.8	97 of 196	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.1	127 of 184	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.6	103 of 175	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.8	59 of 164	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.6	112 of 152	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	60.3	42 of 140	70.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	26.8	505 of 660	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	510 of 670	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.4	408 of 623	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.5	392 of 651	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.8	318 of 653	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.2	385 of 649	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.5	494 of 651	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	46.5	318 of 567	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	18.1	539 of 651	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	537 of 655	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.0	488 of 649	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.6	509 of 669	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	516 of 669	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.8	409 of 650	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	476 of 650	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	38.7	411 of 639	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	42.8	27 of 53	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	28 of 59	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.1	38 of 57	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.9	30 of 65	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.9	20 of 63	68.3%	★★★★☆
2019	37.3	41 of 58	29.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	47.4	185 of 403	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.0	143 of 395	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.1	197 of 373	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.9	85 of 398	78.6%	★★★★☆
2019	45.2	202 of 392	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.9	138 of 344	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	16.2	256 of 280	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alabama percentile	Rating
2025	12.1	501 of 532	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	494 of 535	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	487 of 528	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	443 of 540	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.4	411 of 539	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	399 of 529	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	490 of 508	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	25.3	308 of 369	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)54th percentile+39 vs school

Native American (2025)49th percentile+33 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)46th percentile+31 vs school

Hispanic (2025)30th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)17th percentile~ school

Female (2025)14th percentile~ school

African American (2025)8th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)6th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2024-2025) ?

English43%-21 vs state

Mathematics19%-23 vs state

Science18%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cottondale Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Summative Assessment Mathematics (2025)						Summative Assessment Science (2025)		Summative Assessment English (2025)						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 (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	Summative Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Summative Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 4th Grade	Summative Assessment Science 8th Grade	Summative Assessment English 3rd Grade	Summative Assessment English 4th Grade	Summative Assessment English 5th Grade	Summative Assessment English 6th Grade	Summative Assessment English 7th Grade	Summative Assessment English 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottondale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2301 Cottondale Ln	Cottondale	35453	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2642	438	25	17.5	70.5%	156 (35.6%)	124 (28.3%)	134 (30.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.0%)	16.4	574^th of 680 public elementary schools	15.6%		21	542^nd of 684 public elementary schools	20.8%	32	14.1	19.4	24.0				17.9		37.2	38.8	54.0				$9,707	$1,529	$8,155
Arcadia Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3740 Arcadia Drive	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3567	418	26	16.0	60.5%	46 (11.0%)	295 (70.6%)	60 (14.4%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.6%)	38.5	438^th of 680 public elementary schools	35.6%		48.4	362^nd of 684 public elementary schools	47.1%	76	32.8	38.9	45.1				26.4		52.5	51.9	58.8				$11,471	$1,696	$9,755
Woodland Forrest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6001 E Hargrove Rd E	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3675	544	30	18.1	55.1%	63 (11.6%)	417 (76.7%)	36 (6.6%)	9 (1.7%)	8 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.8%)	23.3	521^st of 680 public elementary schools	23.4%		33.9	470^th of 684 public elementary schools	31.3%	51	32.6	19.7	29.1				13.6		49.4	38.5	58.2				$10,071	$1,690	$8,362
The Alberta School of Performing Arts	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-8	2700 University Blvd E	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	Yes	No	Yes	(205) 759-3564	632	47	13.5	71.2%	40 (6.3%)	529 (83.7%)	40 (6.3%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	12 (1.9%)	39	432^nd of 680 public elementary schools	36.5%		33.2	475^th of 684 public elementary schools	30.6%	43	33.7	31.1	33.3	73.3	22.5	20.0	12.2	60.0	45.6	37.0	51.9	73.3	75.5	73.3	$11,242	$1,995	$9,228
Holt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 Crescent Ridge Road	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2650	448	26	17.3	82.4%	51 (11.4%)	265 (59.2%)	117 (26.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.7%)	11	629^th of 680 public elementary schools	7.5%		11.2	628^th of 684 public elementary schools	8.2%	1	14.5	14.5	14.0				23.2		40.6	29.0	38.6				$10,575	$2,644	$7,907
Southview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2601 Southview Drive	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 345-1325	644	36	17.7	66.5%	11 (1.7%)	597 (92.7%)	19 (3.0%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.7%)	24	513^th of 680 public elementary schools	24.6%		25.6	509^th of 684 public elementary schools	25.6%	4	27.7	18.3	36.1				16.9		48.9	40.0	57.0				$11,621	$2,079	$9,524
Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary	Public, Magnet	1-5	315 Mcfarland Blvd E	Tuscaloosa	35404	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	Yes	No	No	(205) 759-3655	324	22	15.0	27.8%	132 (40.7%)	145 (44.8%)	18 (5.6%)	20 (6.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.5%)	94.1	20^th of 680 public elementary schools	97.1%		95.5	18^th of 684 public elementary schools	97.4%	2	67.2	88.3	82.0				65.0		87.9	96.7	96.7				$11,429	$974	$10,435
Skyland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	408 Skyland Boulevard East	Tuscaloosa	35405	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3638	459	28	16.5	76.5%	7 (1.5%)	364 (79.3%)	73 (15.9%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	22	529^th of 680 public elementary schools	22.2%		23.8	521^st of 684 public elementary schools	23.8%	8	32.8	21.2	27.7				13.6		50.0	43.9	48.4				$11,558	$2,241	$9,145
University Place Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2000 First Avenue	Tuscaloosa	35401	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa City	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 759-3664	570	38	15.0	69.3%	24 (4.2%)	448 (78.6%)	63 (11.1%)	22 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.1%)	42.6	405^th of 680 public elementary schools	40.4%		22.6	527^th of 684 public elementary schools	23.0%	122	51.1	38.9	59.3				15.3		54.0	43.7	59.3				$11,854	$1,683	$10,153
Maxwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11370 Monticello Dr	Duncanville	35456	Tuscaloosa County	Tuscaloosa County	No	No	No	Yes	(205) 342-2656	511	32	15.7	61.6%	279 (54.6%)	138 (27.0%)	65 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.7%)	52.7	336^th of 680 public elementary schools	50.6%		63.4	236^th of 684 public elementary schools	65.5%	100	22.3	43.5	52.3				44.9		59.6	58.0	73.3				$8,661	$1,340	$7,298

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottondale Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Cottondale Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : DavisEmerson Middle School
High : Holt High School

How many students attend Cottondale Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 438 students attended Cottondale Elementary School.

What district is Cottondale Elementary School in?

Tuscaloosa County

Is Cottondale Elementary School a good school?

Cottondale Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.6% of Alabama elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Cottondale Elementary School?

Students at Cottondale Elementary School are 36% White, 31% Hispanic, 28% African American, 5% Two or more races.

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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.