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Cottonwood Elementary School

Q: Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary School ranks 393 rd of 656 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

393^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 656 Kansas Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Kansas elementary schools

Summary

Cottonwood Elementary School is a public elementary school in Salina, Kansas, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 317 students. The school is part of the Salina School District, which is ranked 195 out of 264 districts in Kansas and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Cottonwood Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Kansas elementary schools, with a ranking between 314 and 555 over the past 10 years and a 1- or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cottonwood Elementary faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, lower-than-average test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, and a high percentage of students from low-income families. The school's performance on state assessments varies significantly across different student subgroups, with relatively strong performance for Hispanic students but struggles for other subgroups, such as White students, Special Education students, and Disabled students. While the school's resources and student-teacher ratio suggest a focus on smaller class sizes, these efforts have not yet translated into significant improvements in student outcomes.

When comparing Cottonwood Elementary to other schools in the Salina district, it generally performs worse than the higher-ranked schools, such as Meadowlark Ridge Elementary and Stewart Elementary, in terms of test scores and overall school rankings. However, it performs better than some of the lower-ranked schools, such as Schilling Elementary, Oakdale Elementary, and Sunset Elementary.

326

Students ?

10.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,806

Per pupil spending ?

85.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

215 S Phillips
Salina, KS 67401

(785) 309-4600

District: Salina

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Lakewood Middle School
High:	Salina High Central

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.2%

Hispanic:

30.1%

Two or more races:

19.0%

See top rated Kansas elementary schools

Compare Cottonwood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg37%

Kansas avg42%

393^rd of 656

Kansas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 8Elementary Schools in the Salina

195^th of 264Salina among Kansas 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	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	393 of 656	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.8	340 of 653	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.5	481 of 660	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.0	551 of 668	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.4	548 of 670	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	555 of 667	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.5	537 of 656	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	37.9	433 of 659	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	52.4	314 of 656	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	38.7	463 of 678	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	24.0	565 of 668	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	14.3	607 of 660	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	35.1	502 of 631	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.4	535 of 630	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	15.0	570 of 621	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	36.5	461 of 614	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	45.4	411 of 600	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	40.6	402 of 585	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	22.8	181 of 214	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	155 of 193	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	132 of 140	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	24.2	482 of 591	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	503 of 591	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	481 of 574	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	63.5	65 of 262	75.2%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	52 of 260	80.0%	★★★★☆
2023	45.2	123 of 245	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.6	161 of 254	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.4	128 of 229	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.1	126 of 235	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.8	87 of 207	58.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	61.9	168 of 533	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.3	122 of 546	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	50.6	251 of 541	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.7	336 of 512	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.8	298 of 494	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.8	328 of 509	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.1	360 of 512	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	26.2	477 of 605	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.8	450 of 586	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	455 of 575	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	49.0	142 of 313	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.8	219 of 306	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	233 of 296	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.8	247 of 305	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	181 of 214	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	155 of 193	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.7	132 of 140	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	38.2	385 of 576	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.1	334 of 579	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.6	458 of 584	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	500 of 596	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.9	537 of 587	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	540 of 592	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	520 of 574	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)75th percentile+35 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile+28 vs school

Special Education (2025)55th percentile+15 vs school

White (2025)33rd percentile-7 vs school

Male (2021)21st percentile+3 vs school

Female (2021)18th percentile~ school

Disabled (2021)15th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Kansas (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts45%~ state avg

Mathematics40%~ state avg

Science33%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KAP English Language Arts (2025)					KAP Mathematics (2025)					KAP Science (2025)		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	KAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	KAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	KAP English Language Arts All Grades	KAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	KAP Mathematics 4th Grade	KAP Mathematics 5th Grade	KAP Mathematics 6th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 5th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottonwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	215 S Phillips	Salina	67401	Saline County	Salina	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 309-4600	326	31	10.5	85.3%	154 (47.2%)	11 (3.4%)	98 (30.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (19.0%)	42.1	393^rd of 656 public elementary schools	40.1%		48.8	340^th of 653 public elementary schools	47.9%	53	40.7	50.0	46.7		45.4	31.5	42.9	48.9		40.4	33.3	33.3	$19,806	$5,961	$13,845
Oakdale Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	811 E Iron	Salina	67401	Saline County	Salina	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 309-4310	282	27	10.5	85.8%	147 (52.1%)	8 (2.8%)	64 (22.7%)	7 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (19.9%)	18	559^th of 656 public elementary schools	14.8%		18.9	554^th of 653 public elementary schools	15.2%	5	42.5	41.3	16.3		33.3	26.8	29.8	11.6		22.9	9.3	9.3	$20,187	$5,806	$14,381
Sunset Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1510 W Republic	Salina	67401	Saline County	Salina	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 309-4520	380	33	11.4	76.8%	181 (47.6%)	13 (3.4%)	122 (32.1%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (15.3%)	15.4	577^th of 656 public elementary schools	12.0%		16.3	572^nd of 653 public elementary schools	12.4%	5	36.7	31.9	26.9		32.0	22.9	21.7	18.9		21.3	26.4	26.4	$17,665	$5,804	$11,861
Heusner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 Norton	Salina	67401	Saline County	Salina	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 309-4200	392	30	13.0	69.4%	238 (60.7%)	15 (3.8%)	92 (23.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (11.5%)	33.4	462^nd of 656 public elementary schools	29.6%		41.8	401^st of 653 public elementary schools	38.6%	61	40.6	47.0	37.3		41.8	34.4	40.9	33.9		36.5	28.8	28.8	$16,852	$5,241	$11,611
Meadowlark Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2200 Glen Ave	Salina	67401	Saline County	Salina	No	No	No	No	(785) 309-4300	431	30	14.5	36.7%	301 (69.8%)	13 (3.0%)	63 (14.6%)	8 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (10.7%)	77	125^th of 656 public elementary schools	80.9%		74.1	127^th of 653 public elementary schools	80.6%	2	60.3	74.1	64.1		67.1	48.3	60.0	68.8		59.4	51.6	51.6	$15,458	$3,992	$11,466
Stewart Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2123 Roach	Salina	67401	Saline County	Salina	No	No	No	No	(785) 309-4450	406	29	14.2	48.0%	243 (59.9%)	7 (1.7%)	99 (24.4%)	19 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (9.4%)	50.4	333^rd of 656 public elementary schools	49.2%		59.7	245^th of 653 public elementary schools	62.5%	88	62.2	46.8	44.1		51.2	48.6	40.3	35.1		41.3	44.1	44.1	$15,212	$4,170	$11,042
Coronado Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2725 Ray Ave	Salina	67401	Saline County	Salina	No	No	No	No	(785) 309-4100	389	32	12.2	49.4%	221 (56.8%)	7 (1.8%)	117 (30.1%)	8 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.0%)	38.1	435^th of 656 public elementary schools	33.7%		44.9	377^th of 653 public elementary schools	42.3%	58	31.5	34.7	51.7		39.1	38.9	19.4	61.0		38.4	39.0	39.0	$16,041	$4,258	$11,783
Ell-Saline Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1757 N Halstead Rd	Salina	67401	Saline County	Ell-Saline	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 827-8891	237	20	11.5	43.9%	212 (89.5%)	1 (0.4%)	19 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.1%)	36.5	440^th of 656 public elementary schools	32.9%		29.6	483^rd of 653 public elementary schools	26.0%	43	57.7	29.2	35.3	36.4	39.1	57.7	29.2	14.7	47.7	37.5	29.4	29.4	$13,627	$1,598	$12,029
Schilling Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3121 Canterbury	Salina	67401	Saline County	Salina	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 309-4400	376	36	10.5	83.5%	123 (32.7%)	13 (3.5%)	190 (50.5%)	9 (2.4%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	38 (10.1%)	13.6	587^th of 656 public elementary schools	10.5%		26.9	504^th of 653 public elementary schools	22.8%	83	33.8	27.3	29.1		30.5	19.2	17.9	25.0		20.5	23.2	23.2	$17,718	$5,306	$12,412
Southeast Saline Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	5056 E K-4 Highway	Gypsum	67448	Saline County	Southeast Of Saline	No	No	No	Yes	(785) 536-4215	375	29	12.9	30.9%	351 (93.6%)	3 (0.8%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	61.9	240^th of 656 public elementary schools	63.4%		52	305^th of 653 public elementary schools	53.3%	65	61.8	61.7	53.8	26.0	51.0	45.4	42.5	57.7	48.0	48.5	63.5	63.5	$14,609	$1,765	$12,844

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood Elementary School

Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary School ranks 393^rd of 656 Kansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 326 students attended Cottonwood Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lakewood Middle School
High : Salina High Central

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary School?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary School are 47% White, 30% Hispanic, 19% Two or more races, 3% African American.

What district is Cottonwood Elementary School in?

Salina

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