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Cottonwood

Q: Is Cottonwood a good school?

Cottonwood ranks 3961 st of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

3961^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,804 California Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of California elementary schools

Summary

Cottonwood is a K–8 school with 197 students in Aguanga, part of Hemet Unified. In 2025–2026, its all-grades results were 44% in English, 27% in math and 31% in science, compared with nearby-school averages of 68%, 61% and 56%, respectively. Its clearest concern is that it had the lowest all-grades result among the 11 schools compared in all three subjects.

English is Cottonwood’s strongest subject relative to the state and district, while math is its weakest overall: Cottonwood was 5 points below the state in English and 12 points below in math, but 8 and 6 points above the district, respectively. Its science result was 5 points below the state and 11 above the district. Results vary by grade: grades 3–5 were especially weak against nearby schools, while upper-grade English stood out. Cottonwood scored 65% in grade 7 and 62% in grade 8, above state results by 14 and 12 points, respectively; the one nearby school with results for those grades, Home INstead INnovation Academy, scored 76% and 71%.

Scores have rebounded since 2023–2024, rising 7 points in English, 12 in math and 16 in science, though all three remain below their 2022–2023 levels. SchoolDigger ranks Cottonwood at the 32nd statewide percentile with 2 stars in 2025–2026, below nearby schools, which range from the 68th to 91st percentile and have 3–5 stars. Context includes a student-teacher ratio of 15.4 in 2024–2025—the lowest among nearby schools—and 74% of students free/reduced lunch eligible that year, the highest nearby rate. SchoolDigger’s ranking for Low Socio Economic Status Students rose to the 44th percentile in 2025–2026 from the 17th the year before, compared with the school’s overall 32nd percentile. For White Students, its latest supplied ranking was the 4th percentile in 2024–2025, compared with the school’s overall 26th percentile that year.

197

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$45,542

Per pupil spending ?

73.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

44260 Sage Rd.
Aguanga, CA 92536-9696

(951) 767-3870

District: Hemet Unified

Students who attend Cottonwood usually attend:

High:

Hamilton

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.4%

White:

37.1%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Cottonwood to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 72nd percentile in 2015 → 32nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Hemet Unified

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 40 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg27%

California avg42%

Elementary school

3,961^st of 5,804

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 38 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to bottom 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,263^rd of 2,703

California public middle schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 16Elementary Schools in the Hemet Unified

704^th of 968Hemet 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	3961 of 5804	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.6	4348 of 5857	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	4303 of 5869	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	54.0	2328 of 5859	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.3	3275 of 5883	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.3	1685 of 5789	70.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.1	1715 of 5662	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	66.2	1741 of 5692	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	66.7	1680 of 5614	70.1%	★★★★☆
2015	68.6	1551 of 5611	72.4%	★★★★☆
2013	60.3	2094 of 5530	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	78.9	1088 of 5390	79.8%	★★★★☆
2011	77.5	1127 of 5377	79.0%	★★★★☆
2010	78.7	1056 of 5314	80.1%	★★★★☆
2009	66.2	1629 of 5193	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.0	1404 of 5113	72.5%	★★★★☆
2007	65.7	1561 of 5113	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	68.0	1432 of 4818	70.3%	★★★★☆
2005	60.3	1723 of 4822	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	59.4	1739 of 4809	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	21.2	4566 of 5569	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.8	4100 of 5597	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	4057 of 5612	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	51.8	2310 of 5609	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.3	1695 of 5413	68.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.1	2937 of 5085	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.6	3783 of 5107	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.2	3253 of 5107	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.9	2460 of 5084	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.0	1411 of 4963	71.6%	★★★★☆
2018	85.4	478 of 4830	90.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.7	3057 of 5412	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.5	4549 of 5460	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	4474 of 5517	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	61.7	1654 of 5363	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.3	2578 of 5264	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	83.7	554 of 5173	89.3%	★★★★☆
2018	76.8	831 of 5084	83.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	33.1	3608 of 5590	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	18.8	4800 of 5628	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	3991 of 5643	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.7	2410 of 5638	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.8	3297 of 5663	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.7	2523 of 5510	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.7	1779 of 5431	67.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.0	2492 of 2598	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	2267 of 2651	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.7	1843 of 2661	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	1263 of 2703	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.6	1479 of 2761	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.2	2024 of 2783	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	1584 of 2781	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.4	1449 of 2740	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.8	1763 of 2715	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.7	1018 of 2480	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	36.1	1506 of 2508	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.3	1130 of 2497	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.0	1056 of 2477	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.4	818 of 2379	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.8	673 of 2259	70.2%	★★★★☆
2011	69.4	569 of 2236	74.6%	★★★★☆
2010	74.0	452 of 2179	79.3%	★★★★☆
2009	58.1	796 of 2063	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	65.2	595 of 2005	70.3%	★★★★☆
2007	59.8	680 of 1999	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	50.1	816 of 1804	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	31.5	1188 of 1777	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	42.0	939 of 1769	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	41.0	1342 of 2483	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	27.3	1787 of 2533	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.1	1478 of 2380	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.4	1053 of 2262	53.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	39.9	1342 of 2395	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.5	1516 of 2388	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.6	987 of 2213	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	76.5	336 of 2072	83.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	44.9	1214 of 2493	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.6	1190 of 2542	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.2	1854 of 2579	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	53.0	924 of 2531	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.5	790 of 2458	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.4	1411 of 2369	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.0	631 of 2230	71.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	42.4	1266 of 2552	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.0	1798 of 2407	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.7	928 of 2273	59.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	5.1	1561 of 1602	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)44th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)42nd percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)35th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)18th percentile-14 vs school

White (2025)4th percentile-22 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)51st percentile~ school

Male (2024)50th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2026)46th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)44th percentile~ school

White (2019)3rd percentile-33 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy44%-5 vs state

Science31%-5 vs state

Mathematics27%-12 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

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1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, September 25, 2012

I have had nothing but bad experiences with staff at Cottonwood. My kids are unhappy @ this school and I will now be driving them 40 miles away to go to a better school. The staff is rude and unhelpful.Not to mention all of the elementary kids are in split classes... 1 teacher literally running back and forth between 2 rooms!! This school is a joke. Close Quote

Schools Near Cottonwood

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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 Immunizations 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)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	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	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottonwood	Public	K-8	44260 Sage Rd.	Aguanga	92536	Riverside County	Hemet Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 767-3870	197	13	15.4	73.6%	73 (37.1%)	0 (0.0%)	113 (57.4%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	30.4	3961^st of 5804 public elementary schools	31.8%		25.6	4348^th of 5857 public elementary schools	25.8%	387	23.8	38.1	31.0	25.0	36.4	45.0	37.9	64.7	61.9	44.3	33.3	27.3	28.6	20.7	22.2	28.6	26.6							$45,542	$42,940	$2,602
Tony Tobin Elementary	Public	K-5	45200 Morgan Hill Dr.	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 294-6355	718	31	23.1	23.1%	317 (44.2%)	24 (3.3%)	197 (27.4%)	83 (11.6%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	92 (12.8%)	86.8	811^th of 5804 public elementary schools	86.0%		78.5	1218^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.2%	407	56.2		56.2	72.6	69.2	68.6				70.1	70.8	64.9	53.7				62.6	95.6						$19,730	$18,868	$862
Crowne Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	33535 Old Kent Rd.	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 294-6370	519	24	21.1	32.8%	236 (45.5%)	4 (0.8%)	200 (38.5%)	30 (5.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (8.7%)	83	1015^th of 5804 public elementary schools	82.5%		74.9	1372^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	76.6%	357	53.8		53.8	72.7	58.7	68.4				67.1	72.7	51.6	53.8				59.8							$23,185	$22,126	$1,059
Pauba Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	33125 Regina Dr.	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 302-5140	510	22	23.1	47.8%	178 (34.9%)	15 (2.9%)	202 (39.6%)	72 (14.1%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	39 (7.6%)	85.1	909^th of 5804 public elementary schools	84.3%		73.7	1434^th of 5857 public elementary schools	75.5%	525	49.4		49.4	69.5	66.7	69.7				68.7	67.1	64.2	57.3				62.7	96.0		97.0		98.0		$22,217	$20,810	$1,407
Abby Reinke Elementary	Public	K-5	43799 Sunny Meadows Dr.	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 302-6610	559	25	22.3	25.9%	257 (46.0%)	8 (1.4%)	178 (31.8%)	45 (8.1%)	6 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (11.4%)	92.3	517^th of 5804 public elementary schools	91.1%		92.7	492^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	91.6%	25	68.0		68.0	69.4	75.0	82.0				75.8	69.4	74.0	62.0				68.3	94.9			97.5	97.5		$21,782	$20,876	$906
Helen Hunt Jackson Elementary	Public	K-5	32400 Camino San Dimas	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 302-5199	438	19	23.0	22.8%	152 (34.7%)	9 (2.1%)	149 (34.0%)	83 (18.9%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.9%)	90.4	622^nd of 5804 public elementary schools	89.3%		85.6	899^th of 5857 public elementary schools	84.7%	277	64.8		64.8	71.0	68.3	77.5				72.4	72.5	58.7	71.8				68.0	97.0				97.0		$20,916	$19,992	$924
Red Hawk Elementary	Public	K-5	32045 Camino San Jose	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 302-5125	496	21	23.6	44.2%	134 (27.0%)	12 (2.4%)	218 (44.0%)	79 (15.9%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.9%)	86.8	805^th of 5804 public elementary schools	86.1%		87.7	793^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	86.5%	12	72.4		72.4	59.8	60.2	85.1				68.2	62.0	60.2	78.2				66.7	92.9	95.3	92.9	92.9	94.1	92.9	$21,661	$20,184	$1,477
Vintage Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	42240 Camino Romo	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 695-4260	512	22	23.2	36.5%	236 (46.1%)	5 (1.0%)	197 (38.5%)	30 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (8.4%)	73.2	1435^th of 5804 public elementary schools	75.3%		75.9	1338^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.2%	97	51.0		51.0	79.7	46.3	69.5				64.3	66.2	35.4	51.0				49.8	94.7	97.3		96.0	96.0	96.0	$20,523	$19,646	$877
Home INstead INnovation Academy	Public, Virtual	K-8	42240 Camino Romo	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(951) 294-6150	254	14	17.7	45.7%	75 (29.5%)	13 (5.1%)	101 (39.8%)	21 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	40 (15.7%)	64	1876^th of 5804 public elementary schools	67.7%		63.1	1919^th of 5857 public elementary schools	67.2%	43	36.7	55.6	48.0	40.0	62.1	56.7	50.0	75.7	71.1	61.3	55.0	48.3	36.7	52.6	64.9	68.9	55.8							$24,245	$23,418	$827
Paloma Elementary	Public	K-5	42940 Via Rami	Temecula	92592	Riverside County	Temecula Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(951) 302-5165	547	25	21.8	36.2%	222 (40.6%)	14 (2.6%)	215 (39.3%)	34 (6.2%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	55 (10.1%)	81.7	1056^th of 5804 public elementary schools	81.8%		83.9	971^st of 5857 public elementary schools	83.4%	85	50.6		50.6	63.0	67.0	65.2				65.2	66.3	60.6	49.4				59.0							$22,481	$21,570	$911

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood

What district is Cottonwood in?

Hemet Unified

Is Cottonwood a good school?

Cottonwood ranks 3961^st of 5804 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cottonwood?

In the 2024-25 school year, 197 students attended Cottonwood.

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood?

Students at Cottonwood are 57% Hispanic, 37% White, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood usually go on to attend:

High : Hamilton

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Latest California data All new data »

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

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

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 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.