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West Cottonwood Junior High

Public Grades 5-8
1072nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 2,740 California Middle Schools
Better than 61% of California middle schools
Summary

West Cottonwood Junior High in Cottonwood, California, serves grades 5–8 and enrolls 419 students. Its 2025–26 results show a sharp contrast between stronger upper-grade math and much weaker science. Science is the clearest concern: just 23% of students were proficient, the lowest result among the 10 nearby schools.

West Cottonwood is relatively strong in English language arts and math compared with nearby schools: its all-grade results were 49% in ELA and 39% in math, versus nearby averages of 43% and 31%. Both subjects ranked third among the 10 schools. Math is just above the state average overall, but the grade-level pattern is uneven: eighth-grade math reached 58%, compared with 36% statewide, and seventh grade was 9 points above the state. Fifth- and sixth-grade math were 10 and 12 points below the state. Science, by contrast, was 13 points below the state’s 36% and matched the Cottonwood Union Elementary district result of 23%; the nearby-school average was 35%.

Over time, math rose 4 points from 2022–23 to 2025–26, while ELA ended at the same level, about 49%. Science fell 13 points, from 36% to 23%, as the state rose from 30% to 36%; the school shifted from 6 points above the state to 13 points below. SchoolDigger rates the school at the 61st statewide percentile with 3 stars, third among nearby schools. Its 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 19.5, close to the nearby average of 19.3; 51% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, the lowest rate among nearby schools with the same measure and year. SchoolDigger’s ranking for Special Education Students was at the 34th percentile in 2025–26, down from the 71st percentile in 2023–24 and below the school’s overall percentile. Its Hispanic Students ranking also declined, from the 90th percentile to the 69th, though it remained above the overall ranking.

419
Students ?
19.5
Student/teacher ratio ?
$11,782
Per pupil spending ?
50.6%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
All students in California receive free school meals.
 20512 West First St.
       Cottonwood, CA  96022-8808

(530) 347-3123

District: Cottonwood Union Elementary


Students who attend West Cottonwood Junior High usually attend:

High:    West Valley Early College High

Feeder schools for West Cottonwood Junior High:

Elementary:    North Cottonwood
Racial breakdown:

White:
65.2%
Hispanic:
20.5%
Two or more races:
6.9%
more
 See top rated California middle schools

 Compare West Cottonwood Junior High to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 63rd percentile in 2016 → 61st in 2026
Strengths
✓Above the California median (61st percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Science scores 13 pts below the California average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school40%
District avg37%
California avg42%
1,072nd of 2,740
California public middle schools ?
Top 39%▼ down 2 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
881st of 1,530Cottonwood Union Elementary 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202654.41072 of 274060.9%★★★☆☆
202556.6984 of 276164.4%★★★☆☆
202458.3927 of 278366.7%★★★☆☆
202359.6916 of 278167.1%★★★☆☆
202265.0777 of 274071.6%★★★★☆
202167.9240 of 89473.2%★★★★☆
201954.91031 of 271562.0%★★★☆☆
201860.5835 of 248066.3%★★★☆☆
201754.9985 of 250860.7%★★★☆☆
201657.3928 of 249762.8%★★★☆☆
201554.31004 of 247759.5%★★★☆☆
201351.41119 of 237953.0%★★★☆☆
201248.71125 of 225950.2%★★★☆☆
201160.5809 of 223663.8%★★★☆☆
201061.6749 of 217965.6%★★★☆☆
200968.8545 of 206373.6%★★★★☆
200879.4302 of 200584.9%★★★★☆
200769.2504 of 199974.8%★★★★☆
200660.5626 of 180465.3%★★★☆☆
200564.7533 of 177770.0%★★★★☆
200475.6345 of 176980.5%★★★★☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202280.4175 of 153188.6%★★★★☆
201971.1269 of 149182.0%★★★★☆
201851.2475 of 136965.3%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202656.3926 of 251663.2%★★★☆☆
202563.7745 of 253370.6%★★★★☆
202460.1822 of 255167.8%★★★☆☆
202365.7713 of 253171.8%★★★★☆
202269.4620 of 250975.3%★★★★☆
202173.6161 of 73878.2%★★★★☆
201948.41096 of 238053.9%★★★☆☆
201859.5803 of 226264.5%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202661.0731 of 235769.0%★★★☆☆
202568.9555 of 239576.8%★★★★☆
202484.0235 of 238890.2%★★★★★
202381.5284 of 237488.0%★★★★☆
202275.5388 of 235983.6%★★★★☆
201943.31155 of 221347.8%★★☆☆☆
201851.9855 of 207258.7%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202650.91062 of 252958.0%★★★☆☆
202552.2998 of 254260.7%★★★☆☆
202460.8740 of 257971.3%★★★★☆
202367.5579 of 253177.1%★★★★☆
202262.1689 of 245872.0%★★★★☆
202175.5116 of 72183.9%★★★★☆
201946.71118 of 236952.8%★★★☆☆
201851.7920 of 223058.7%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202649.51106 of 251456.0%★★★☆☆
202548.21138 of 253455.1%★★★☆☆
202454.5939 of 255263.2%★★★☆☆
202353.0980 of 253861.4%★★★☆☆
202260.0810 of 252767.9%★★★☆☆
202160.1272 of 76364.4%★★★☆☆
201958.9827 of 240765.6%★★★☆☆
201859.0803 of 227364.7%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202632.41056 of 160534.2%★★☆☆☆
202533.41000 of 156636.1%★★☆☆☆
202457.2444 of 155271.4%★★★★☆
202357.4433 of 153171.7%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202637.1931 of 149037.5%★★☆☆☆
202537.2960 of 152036.8%★★☆☆☆
202434.4990 of 153735.6%★★☆☆☆
202335.7979 of 154336.6%★★☆☆☆
202242.1882 of 155543.3%★★☆☆☆
201935.61047 of 160234.6%★★☆☆☆
201841.4878 of 149641.3%★★☆☆☆
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)
Disabled (2022)89th percentile+17 vs school
Hispanic (2026)69th percentile+8 vs school
Female (2026)63rd percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)58th percentile-3 vs school
Male (2026)56th percentile-5 vs school
White (2026)38th percentile-23 vs school
Special Education (2026)34th percentile-27 vs school
By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy49%~ state avg
Mathematics39%~ state avg
Science23%-13 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about West Cottonwood Junior High

Students at West Cottonwood Junior High are 65% White, 21% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 6% American Indian, 1% Asian.

Students who attend West Cottonwood Junior High usually go on to attend West Valley Early College High

In the 2024-25 school year, 419 students attended West Cottonwood Junior High.

West Cottonwood Junior High ranks 1072nd of 2740 California middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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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.

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