Cottonwood Elementary

Cottonwood Elementary is a K–5 school with 684 students at 1609 W Lea Street in Carlsbad, New Mexico, part of Carlsbad Municipal Schools, and it is the largest elementary school in its immediate Carlsbad comparison group. Its standout story is five straight years of improvement: the school climbed from the 25th percentile of New Mexico elementary schools in 2021–22 to the 71st percentile in 2025–26, with its star rating rising from 1 to 4. Reading and math proficiency rose alongside it, reaching 51.96% in language arts and 39.58% in math — above both the district (40.25% and 24.63%) and the state (43.34% and 25.54%).

Compared with nearby schools, Cottonwood now ranks at the top: Monterrey Elementary (70th percentile), Desert Willow Elementary (62nd), and Ocotillo Elementary (55th) all trail it, while Sunset Elementary sits at the 14th percentile. Cottonwood posts the strongest math results in the group, and its 15.4 student-to-teacher ratio is the second-lowest even though it is the biggest school. A close poverty-matched comparison tells the same story: Cottonwood and Sunset serve similar student populations about a mile apart, yet their outcomes differ sharply. Only Loving Elementary, in Loving Municipal Schools, comes close in reading.

Digging into grades, fourth grade is the engine — 61.07% in reading and 44.27% in math, with math nearly 15 points above the district — while third grade lands right at district averages and fifth-grade science (34.59%) is only marginally above district and state. Students from low-income families rank in the 87th percentile statewide with 4 stars, a notable strength. The clearest opportunities for growth are third-grade readiness, fifth-grade science, and results for English language learners and students receiving special education services. One caveat: the school's reported free/reduced-lunch rate dropped from 49.93% to 28.07% in a single year, which more likely reflects a reporting change than a demographic shift.