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Cottonwood Elementary

Q: Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary ranks 1219 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

1219^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of California elementary schools

Summary

Cottonwood Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 652 students in Palmdale, California, and stands out as a school that has achieved remarkable academic success while serving a community with significant economic need.

The school's performance is exceptional when compared to others in the area. For the 2024-2025 school year, Cottonwood earned a 4-star rating, placing it in the 79th percentile statewide, a dramatic improvement from just a few years ago. Its students significantly outperform both the Westside Union Elementary district and state averages in English, math, and science. This is particularly notable because nearby schools with similar student populations, like Esperanza Elementary and Yucca Elementary, have much lower proficiency rates and higher chronic absenteeism. In fact, all schools in the neighboring Palmdale Elementary district rank in the bottom 15% in the state.

Cottonwood achieves these strong results efficiently, spending less per student than most comparison schools. The data shows a consistent upward trajectory, with the school making impressive gains with all student groups. While challenges like higher student-teacher ratios exist, Cottonwood's story is one of a sustained and successful turnaround, offering a high-quality educational option in the region that outperforms many schools with more resources.

652

Students ?

27.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,546

Per pupil spending ?

55.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2740 West Ave. P-8
Palmdale, CA 93551-1543

(661) 267-2825

District: Westside Union Elementary

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hillview Middle
High:	Highland High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.4%

White:

16.1%

African American:

11.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Cottonwood Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 54th percentile in 2013 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (59% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 27 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg38%

California avg41%

1,219^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▲ up 31 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 10Elementary Schools in the Westside Union Elementary

782^nd of 1,543Westside 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.5	1219 of 5857	79.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	1506 of 5869	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	1902 of 5859	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.4	2060 of 5883	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.6	2897 of 5789	50.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.1	3811 of 5662	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	30.8	3776 of 5692	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	40.0	3072 of 5614	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	41.8	2912 of 5611	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.6	2531 of 5530	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.5	2076 of 5390	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	61.5	1936 of 5377	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	38.0	3298 of 5314	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.7	2896 of 5193	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.9	2667 of 5113	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	44.6	2640 of 5113	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.2	2186 of 4818	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	58.0	1831 of 4822	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	55.3	1909 of 4809	60.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	98.1	7 of 569	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	85.5	49 of 593	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	38.4	443 of 747	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	30.8	1753 of 2585	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.8	1502 of 2128	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	50.8	1151 of 3245	64.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.6	1214 of 5597	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	71.6	1424 of 5612	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	57.5	2064 of 5609	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.9	2268 of 5635	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.6	2636 of 5492	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.5	3317 of 5413	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.6	363 of 5107	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	83.3	612 of 5107	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	76.6	896 of 5087	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	72.0	1064 of 5084	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	62.3	1561 of 4963	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.0	2994 of 4830	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.4	515 of 5460	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	73.7	1110 of 5517	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	70.3	1217 of 5363	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	71.1	1123 of 5264	78.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.4	1932 of 5173	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.8	3414 of 5084	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.0	1242 of 5628	77.9%	★★★★☆
2024	68.9	1567 of 5643	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	65.3	1714 of 5638	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.2	1814 of 5663	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.4	2952 of 5510	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.7	4039 of 5431	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	40.0	461 of 669	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	1552 of 2598	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.2	1344 of 2651	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.7	1806 of 2661	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	1912 of 2726	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.3	1848 of 2834	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.3	2092 of 2737	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)99th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2025)93rd percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)78th percentile~ school

Male (2025)78th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2023)65th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)40th percentile-39 vs school

Disabled (2019)32nd percentile-18 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)31st percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy66%+17 vs state

Mathematics56%+19 vs state

Science42%+9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)							CSA Spanish Listening (2025)							CSA Spanish Writing (2025)							CSA Spanish Reading (2025)							CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 8th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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 Elementary	Public	K-6	2740 West Ave. P-8	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Westside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 267-2825	652	24	27.1	55.1%	105 (16.1%)	72 (11.0%)	381 (58.4%)	35 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (8.9%)	78.5	1219^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.2%		71.8	1506^th of 5869 public elementary schools	74.3%	287																													42.1		42.1	72.4	64.9	63.2	62.8			65.8	79.1	54.3	36.8	57.1			56.3							$13,546	$1,152	$12,394
Summerwind Elementary	Public	K-5	39360 Summerwind Dr.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-3863	569	22	26.4	81.5%	26 (4.6%)	129 (22.7%)	376 (66.1%)	17 (3.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.2%)	13.8	5361^st of 5857 public elementary schools	8.5%		11.7	5569^th of 5869 public elementary schools	5.1%	208																													15.5		15.5	13.4	20.3	28.1				20.6	11.5	17.1	18.8				15.9	94.9	96.2	97.5	96.2	94.9	96.2	$19,611	$2,900	$16,711
Palmdale Discovery Center	Public	K-8	39174 Palm Tree Way	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-0181	246	22	11.1	77.6%	9 (3.7%)	39 (15.9%)	182 (74.0%)	10 (4.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)								(n/a)																																																				$23,516	$2,374	$21,142
Dos Caminos Dual Immersion	Public	K-8	39066 Palm Tree Way	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-1849	945	38	24.5	74.5%	27 (2.9%)	38 (4.0%)	861 (91.1%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.2%)	23.8	4523^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	22.8%		31.3	3823^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	34.9%	700	3.8	4.1	0.0	1.1	4.6	8.9	4.0	31.4	11.3	15.2	9.0	15.6	15.2	16.6	10.5	16.5	1.1	7.9	16.5	11.6	10.9	1.9	4.1	0.0	1.1	2.8	12.5	4.0	12.0	16.3	14.4	33.3	30.9	37.0	34.3	33.9	40.7	35.2	33.3	21.7	15.2	14.7	22.1	10.6	19.5							$17,236	$2,520	$14,716
Ocotillo Elementary	Public	K-5	38737 Ocotillo School Dr.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 947-9987	588	22	26.8	79.1%	37 (6.3%)	98 (16.7%)	417 (70.9%)	11 (1.9%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	19 (3.2%)	26.9	4234^th of 5857 public elementary schools	27.7%		32.9	3694^th of 5869 public elementary schools	37.1%	540																													14.3		14.3	36.6	33.9	26.5				32.3	32.3	37.8	12.2				27.8	95.7			95.7		95.7	$19,156	$2,794	$16,362
Esperanza Elementary	Public	K-6	40521 35th St. West	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Westside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 575-0420	962	38	25.3	61.9%	160 (16.6%)	86 (8.9%)	597 (62.1%)	45 (4.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	71 (7.4%)	33.1	3720^th of 5857 public elementary schools	36.5%		37.9	3311^th of 5869 public elementary schools	43.6%	409																													25.5		25.5	33.9	36.2	43.0	40.8			38.8	33.6	29.2	18.8	24.2			26.0	97.4				97.4		$14,825	$1,282	$13,543
Anaverde Hills	Public	K-6	2902 Greenbrier St.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Westside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 575-9923	517	22	23.4	54.9%	51 (9.9%)	73 (14.1%)	322 (62.3%)	38 (7.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.2%)	38.5	3310^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.5%		31.4	3819^th of 5869 public elementary schools	34.9%	509																													33.3		33.3	39.1	45.2	56.9	32.8			43.9	11.6	39.7	26.4	12.3			22.9	96.4				96.4		$14,961	$1,283	$13,678
Rancho Vista Elementary	Public	K-6	40641 Peonza Ln.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Westside Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 722-0148	886	33	26.8	55.0%	183 (20.7%)	114 (12.9%)	501 (56.5%)	33 (3.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	52 (5.9%)	39.6	3250^th of 5857 public elementary schools	44.5%		47.2	2720^th of 5869 public elementary schools	53.7%	530																													30.7		30.7	38.2	42.9	45.3	33.9			40.1	37.2	33.7	33.3	22.5			31.8	97.8						$14,357	$1,154	$13,203
Yucca Elementary	Public	K-5	38440 Second St. East	Palmdale	93550	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 273-5052	495	19	25.7	96.2%	18 (3.6%)	117 (23.6%)	332 (67.1%)	4 (0.8%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.4%)	9.6	5654^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.5%		7.4	5798^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.2%	144																													11.7		11.7	10.7	18.0	21.6				16.7	13.0	12.7	9.1				11.6							$19,824	$2,845	$16,979
Palmdale Learning Plaza	Public	K-8	38043 Division St.	Palmdale	93551	Los Angeles County	Palmdale Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(661) 538-9034	800	36	22.2	72.3%	56 (7.0%)	96 (12.0%)	593 (74.1%)	12 (1.5%)	6 (0.8%)	4 (0.5%)	33 (4.1%)	44.9	2895^th of 5857 public elementary schools	50.6%		41.6	3094^th of 5869 public elementary schools	47.3%	199																													32.2	23.5	28.0	37.9	35.8	56.7	51.7	67.8	55.3	50.7	44.8	34.7	35.6	12.1	37.9	28.2	32.2							$18,910	$2,600	$16,310

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary are 58% Hispanic, 16% White, 11% African American, 9% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 652 students attended Cottonwood Elementary.

What district is Cottonwood Elementary in?

Westside Union Elementary

Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary ranks 1219^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hillview Middle
High : Highland High

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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.