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Cottondale Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

639^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 686 Alabama Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of Alabama elementary schools

Summary

Cottondale Elementary School serves approximately 438 students in grades PK-5 in the Tuscaloosa County district, located in Cottondale, AL, a community where about 70% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

Parents should know that Cottondale Elementary is currently facing significant academic challenges. The school's statewide ranking has dropped sharply in recent years, falling to the bottom 7% of Alabama elementary schools with a 0-star rating. In the most recent school year, math proficiency rates ranged from just 6% to 14% across grade levels—meaning fewer than 1 in 16 fifth graders met grade-level math expectations. English scores are stronger, ranging from 37% to 47%, with fifth grade English approaching the district average. This pattern of performing better in reading than math has been consistent over several years. When compared to nearby schools, the gap is stark: Verner Elementary and Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary, just a few miles away in the Tuscaloosa City district, rank in the 87th and 94th percentiles with math proficiency rates of 65-78%. Even University Place Elementary, which serves a similar percentage of low-income students, achieves math scores roughly 3-4 times higher than Cottondale's.

There is one bright spot worth noting: chronic absenteeism has improved dramatically, dropping from 20.8% to 9.7% over three years—now better than both district and state averages. This shows the school can implement effective interventions when focused on a specific challenge. However, this improvement in attendance has not yet translated into better academic outcomes. The school spends about $9,707 per student, which is lower than most nearby schools, and its student-teacher ratio of 17.5:1 is slightly higher than comparable schools. For parents considering this school, it's important to understand that while the school community has shown it can address attendance issues, significant work remains in raising academic achievement across all grade levels and subjects.

438

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,006

Per pupil spending ?

70.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

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 — 24th percentile in 2016 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alabama average (25% vs 53% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg45%

Alabama avg53%

639^th of 686

Alabama public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Alabama Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 17Elementary Schools in the Tuscaloosa County

90^th of 140Tuscaloosa 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	10.4	639 of 686	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	15.2	411 of 428	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	33.3	102 of 143	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	12.1	598 of 651	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	24.8	76 of 90	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	14.5	614 of 667	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	11.0	611 of 659	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	23.0	346 of 403	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	4.2	493 of 501	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
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)

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

English Language Learner (2026)29th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)16th percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2026)14th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)8th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)8th percentile~ school

Male (2026)7th percentile~ school

African American (2026)4th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)2nd percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Alabama (2025-2026) ?

English40%-24 vs state

Science24%-26 vs state

Mathematics10%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cottondale 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 (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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 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%)	10.4	639^th of 686 public elementary schools	6.9%		16.4	574^th of 680 public elementary schools	15.6%	65	11.0	13.9	6.2				24.1		36.6	38.0	46.9				$12,006	$2,049	$9,946
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%)	30.4	485^th of 686 public elementary schools	29.3%		38.5	438^th of 680 public elementary schools	35.6%	47	43.8	36.0	26.2				36.0		43.8	38.0	57.1				$14,409	$2,395	$11,952
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%)	38.8	439^th of 686 public elementary schools	36.0%		23.3	521^st of 680 public elementary schools	23.4%	82	44.4	38.0	32.8				27.9		58.8	49.4	62.1				$12,159	$1,918	$10,178
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%)	50.7	351^st of 686 public elementary schools	48.8%		39	432^nd of 680 public elementary schools	36.5%	81	52.8	40.2	33.3	76.9	19.4	19.5	25.0	53.7	63.9	46.2	48.7	76.9	58.3	78.1	$15,418	$2,318	$13,033
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%)	9.8	643^rd of 686 public elementary schools	6.3%		11	629^th of 680 public elementary schools	7.5%	14	7.5	18.8	7.4				29.9		35.8	31.9	37.7				$12,427	$2,733	$9,682
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%)	25.1	519^th of 686 public elementary schools	24.3%		24	513^th of 680 public elementary schools	24.6%	6	25.0	21.5	28.9				23.7		61.1	46.2	50.0				$13,523	$2,805	$10,655
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%)	91.6	41^st of 686 public elementary schools	94.0%		94.1	20^th of 680 public elementary schools	97.1%	21	55.7	78.3	78.7				71.7		93.4	90.0	98.4				$13,143	$1,330	$11,747
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%)	29.4	491^st of 686 public elementary schools	28.4%		22	529^th of 680 public elementary schools	22.2%	38	28.0	29.8	33.3				28.1		55.4	36.8	63.6				$14,600	$2,686	$11,848
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%)	42.2	412^th of 686 public elementary schools	39.9%		42.6	405^th of 680 public elementary schools	40.4%	7	49.2	35.4	38.8				25.3		61.5	54.4	59.7				$14,386	$2,717	$11,605
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%)	36.8	452^nd of 686 public elementary schools	34.1%		52.7	336^th of 680 public elementary schools	50.6%	116	30.7	23.9	30.3				38.6		59.7	50.0	71.1				$11,076	$1,926	$9,138

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

What district is Cottondale Elementary School in?

Tuscaloosa County

Is Cottondale Elementary School a good school?

Cottondale Elementary School ranks in the bottom 6.9% 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.

How many students attend Cottondale Elementary School?

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

Rate Cottondale Elementary School!

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Latest Alabama data All new data »

2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewNov 12, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNewNov 9, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataNewNov 8, 2026

2019–20 through 2022–23 school spending dataOct 6, 2026

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.