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Cottonwood Elementary

Q: Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.6% of California elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 868 students attended Cottonwood Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary are 83% Hispanic, 9% White, 6% African American, 1% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Cedar Middle High : Oak Hills High

Public Grades K-6

5550^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of California elementary schools

Summary

Cottonwood Elementary is a K–6 school in Hesperia, California, serving 868 students in Hesperia Unified. Its 2025–26 proficiency rates were below the district and state in English language arts (ELA), math, and science. The most important finding is that the school’s academic results are low across all three tested subjects, rather than being limited to one area.

Compared with nine nearby Hesperia Unified K–6 schools with results for 2025–26, Cottonwood ranked third-lowest in ELA and math proficiency and fourth-lowest in science. Its rates were 21% in ELA, 13% in math, and 10% in science, versus nearby-school averages of 26%, 19%, and 14%. The gaps with the district were 10 points in ELA, 6 in math, and 11 in science; the gaps with the state were 29, 25, and 26 points. Fifth-grade math is a particular weak spot: 7% of students were proficient, and only two nearby schools had lower results. Attendance is also a challenge: chronic absenteeism was 35%, higher than the district’s 32% and all but two nearby schools.

Over four reported years, Cottonwood’s ELA and math rates changed little, while science fell from 12% in 2022–23 to 10% in 2025–26. Because state results rose, the school’s gap with the state widened by 2 points in ELA, 3 in math, and 8 in science. SchoolDigger ranks Cottonwood 5,538th of 5,804 statewide, in the 5th percentile with 0 stars; Hesperia Unified is in the 15th percentile with 1 star. Cottonwood’s 2024–25 student–teacher ratio was 22.8, the lowest among its nine district peers, and its reported free/reduced lunch eligible rate was 84% that year. Historical SchoolDigger rankings show a decline in how well the school served English Language Learner Students, from the 30th percentile in 2021–22 to the 12th in 2023–24; African American Students ranked in the 47th percentile in 2017–18, compared with 15th overall. These subgroup rankings are from earlier years and do not establish current standing.

868

Students ?

22.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$37,056

Per pupil spending ?

84.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

98%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

8850 Cottonwood Ave.
Hesperia, CA 92345-3702

(760) 949-1390

District: Hesperia Unified

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cedar Middle
High:	Oak Hills High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.7%

White:

8.5%

African American:

5.9%

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Compare Cottonwood Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 20th percentile in 2015 → 5th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (16% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 18% California)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg24%

California avg42%

5,550^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 11% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 15Elementary Schools in the Hesperia Unified

1344^th of 1,530Hesperia Unified among California 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	California percentile	Rating
2026	10.8	5550 of 5817	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.0	5349 of 5857	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	5582 of 5869	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	5433 of 5859	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	5237 of 5883	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.8	5177 of 5789	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.3	4827 of 5662	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.5	4989 of 5692	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.6	5005 of 5614	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.2	4507 of 5611	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	40.7	3272 of 5530	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	42.5	3114 of 5390	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	32.2	3817 of 5377	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.9	4471 of 5314	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	27.5	3882 of 5193	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	23.1	4111 of 5113	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	23.7	4024 of 5113	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	25.7	3613 of 4818	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	27.3	3459 of 4822	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	27.0	3420 of 4809	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	42.5	368 of 700	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	28.5	1560 of 2227	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.2	1849 of 2585	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.0	1263 of 2128	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	26.3	2777 of 3162	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.2	2797 of 3245	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.7	2305 of 3311	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.5	2095 of 3275	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.6	1419 of 3246	56.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	12.2	5263 of 5581	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.3	5149 of 5597	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	5226 of 5612	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	5109 of 5609	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	4971 of 5635	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.4	5134 of 5492	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.6	4938 of 5413	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	14.7	4754 of 5094	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	4615 of 5107	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.4	4860 of 5107	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	4779 of 5087	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.6	4468 of 5084	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	4455 of 4963	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	3982 of 4830	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	14.2	5073 of 5423	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.5	4898 of 5460	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	5333 of 5517	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	5093 of 5363	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.7	4736 of 5264	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.4	4601 of 5173	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	4415 of 5084	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	11.1	5356 of 5603	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.8	5141 of 5628	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	5451 of 5643	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	5294 of 5638	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	5065 of 5663	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.3	4635 of 5510	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	4271 of 5431	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	19.6	2697 of 2927	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.5	2448 of 2847	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.6	2363 of 2635	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	2156 of 2420	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	1.5	2524 of 2536	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.7	2498 of 2598	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	2523 of 2651	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	2500 of 2661	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.7	2629 of 2726	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.4	2705 of 2834	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.9	2624 of 2737	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2018)47th percentile+33 vs school

Disabled (2022)30th percentile+19 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)12th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)8th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)7th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile~ school

Female (2026)6th percentile~ school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

White (2026)<1st percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy21%-28 vs state

Mathematics13%-25 vs state

Science10%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		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	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	K-6	8850 Cottonwood Ave.	Hesperia	92345	San Bernardino County	Hesperia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 949-1390	868	38	22.8	84.2%	74 (8.5%)	51 (5.9%)	718 (82.7%)	11 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	12 (1.4%)	10.8	5550^th of 5817 public elementary schools	4.6%		14	5349^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.7%	201	9.6		9.6	22.5	18.9	19.1	22.4			20.8	17.0	16.7	6.7	10.5			12.9	98%	0%	$37,056	$1,566	$35,490
Mesquite Trails Elementary	Public	K-6	13884 Mesquite St.	Hesperia	92344	San Bernardino County	Hesperia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 949-3149	882	34	25.9	65.1%	164 (18.6%)	33 (3.7%)	659 (74.7%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.2%)	48.2	2711^th of 5817 public elementary schools	53.4%		47.9	2708^th of 5857 public elementary schools	53.8%	3	32.3		32.3	30.4	35.0	48.9	60.7			43.7	40.9	34.3	33.8	50.8			39.6	93%	0%	$36,474	$1,390	$35,084
Topaz Preparatory Academy	Public	K-6	14110 Beech St.	Hesperia	92345	San Bernardino County	Hesperia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 244-4622	722	29	25.3	77.7%	71 (9.8%)	41 (5.7%)	564 (78.1%)	20 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	22 (3.0%)	22.3	4603^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	20.9%		29.8	3979^th of 5857 public elementary schools	32.1%	624	14.1		14.1	26.2	33.3	27.3	37.1			30.9	32.1	28.4	11.1	22.5			23.0	96%	0%	$36,746	$1,470	$35,276
Mesa Grande Elementary	Public	K-6	9172 3rd Ave.	Hesperia	92345	San Bernardino County	Hesperia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 244-3709	715	31	23.4	83.5%	69 (9.7%)	28 (3.9%)	587 (82.1%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (3.8%)	14.6	5262^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	9.5%		13.7	5375^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.2%	113	8.3		8.3	29.8	22.3	22.5	23.7			24.5	28.7	17.0	10.3	13.4			17.3	94%	0%	$37,909	$1,456	$36,453
Joshua Circle Elementary	Public	K-6	10140 8th Ave.	Hesperia	92345	San Bernardino County	Hesperia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 244-6133	643	27	23.7	84.8%	35 (5.4%)	34 (5.3%)	558 (86.8%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.4%)	6.5	5747^th of 5817 public elementary schools	1.2%		8	5737^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.0%	10	5.1		5.1	8.9	23.1	9.2	14.1			13.4	8.9	11.5	2.1	6.5			7.0	94%	0%	$37,157	$1,813	$35,344
Cypress School of the Arts	Public	K-6	10365 Cypress Ave.	Hesperia	92345	San Bernardino County	Hesperia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 949-2596	713	30	24.1	63.0%	117 (16.4%)	26 (3.6%)	546 (76.6%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.1%)	23.7	4504^th of 5817 public elementary schools	22.6%		24.6	4441^st of 5857 public elementary schools	24.2%	63	16.7		16.7	35.7	26.9	32.5	27.6			30.2	41.7	21.9	19.1	19.7			24.9	97%	0%	$37,258	$1,395	$35,863
Maple Elementary	Public	K-6	10616 Maple St.	Hesperia	92345	San Bernardino County	Hesperia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 244-3096	988	40	25.0	84.0%	71 (7.2%)	42 (4.3%)	833 (84.3%)	7 (0.7%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (3.2%)	20	4817^th of 5817 public elementary schools	17.2%		25.7	4335^th of 5857 public elementary schools	26.0%	482	16.7		16.7	18.0	23.1	29.8	37.8			27.3	19.4	18.5	19.3	26.5			21.1	92%	0%	$35,849	$1,542	$34,307
Mission Crest Elementary	Public	K-6	13065 Muscatel St.	Hesperia	92344	San Bernardino County	Hesperia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 949-8265	989	37	26.7	63.8%	94 (9.5%)	110 (11.1%)	747 (75.5%)	13 (1.3%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	19 (1.9%)	12.3	5443^rd of 5817 public elementary schools	6.4%		13	5420^th of 5857 public elementary schools	7.5%	23	12.7		12.7	15.9	18.0	28.2	27.0			22.3	16.4	14.8	8.7	15.9			13.7	95%	0%	$35,965	$1,430	$34,535
Lime Street Elementary	Public	K-6	16852 Lime St.	Hesperia	92345	San Bernardino County	Hesperia Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 244-0512	887	36	24.6	86.6%	84 (9.5%)	134 (15.1%)	643 (72.5%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.3%)	9.4	5640^th of 5817 public elementary schools	3.0%		9.7	5651^st of 5857 public elementary schools	3.5%	11	9.4		9.4	21.1	13.9	17.8	25.4			19.8	16.5	2.8	5.6	10.2			9.0	97%	0%	$37,062	$1,574	$35,488
Pathways to College K8	Public, Charter	K-8	10127 3rd Ave	Hesperia	92340	San Bernardino County	Pathways to College K8 District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 949-8002	431	22	19.6	68.9%	29 (6.7%)	45 (10.4%)	354 (82.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	34.6	3609^th of 5817 public elementary schools	38.0%		31.2	3860^th of 5857 public elementary schools	34.1%	251	22.5	10.9	16.8	28.6	43.8	38.8	57.1	40.4	58.7	44.4	16.3	27.1	18.4	36.7	17.0	4.4	20.1	≥ 98%		$23,988	$1,185	$22,803

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood Elementary

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 868 students attended Cottonwood Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cedar Middle
High : Oak Hills High

Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.6% of California elementary schools.

What district is Cottonwood Elementary in?

Hesperia Unified

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary are 83% Hispanic, 9% White, 6% African American, 1% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Rate Cottonwood Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

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