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Cottonwood Elementary

Q: Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary ranks 128 th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

128^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 345 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Cottonwood Elementary is a public elementary school in Carlsbad, New Mexico, serving 671 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Carlsbad school district, which is ranked 42 out of 82 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cottonwood Elementary has shown a mixed academic performance compared to the Carlsbad district and the state of New Mexico. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school outperformed the district and state in the percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics for all grades. However, in 3rd and 5th grade ELA and Mathematics assessments, as well as in 5th grade Science, Cottonwood Elementary's performance was below the district and state averages. The school has also struggled with supporting certain student subgroups, such as English Language Learners and Special Education students, who have performed significantly lower than their peers.

Compared to nearby schools, Cottonwood Elementary's performance is generally lower than Monterrey Elementary and Desert Willow Elementary, which have higher rankings and better academic outcomes. However, Cottonwood Elementary outperforms Sunset Elementary in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency rates. The school's fluctuating ranking and rating over the years suggest a need for more consistent academic improvement efforts to better serve its diverse student population.

684

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

28.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1609 W Lea Street
Carlsbad, NM 88220

(575) 234-3304

District: Carlsbad

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Carlsbad Sixth Grade Academy - Alta Vista Campus
High:	Carlsbad High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.6%

White:

14.5%

Two or more races:

1.2%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Cottonwood Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2022 → 63rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 38 percentile points since 2022

✓Above the New Mexico median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school40%

District avg36%

New Mexico avg35%

128^th of 345

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▲ up 38 pts since 2022

From bottom 25% (2022) to top 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

42^nd of 82Carlsbad among New Mexico 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	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	52.4	128 of 345	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.2	198 of 413	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.1	237 of 435	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.3	314 of 420	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	31.2	17 of 21	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.1	129 of 223	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	75.0	48 of 191	74.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	32.8	238 of 398	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.2	268 of 390	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.8	315 of 395	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	54.6	95 of 255	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.7	172 of 384	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.6	203 of 395	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.3	299 of 389	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	21.6	30 of 36	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	41.3	173 of 325	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.5	221 of 356	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.4	271 of 426	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.5	314 of 410	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	42.7	192 of 397	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.5	191 of 414	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.0	278 of 392	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	24.9	149 of 165	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	48.1	138 of 304	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.3	219 of 339	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.5	253 of 413	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	13.1	313 of 325	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)63rd percentile~ school

White (2025)55th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2024)52nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)47th percentile-16 vs school

Female (2024)40th percentile-12 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)19th percentile-44 vs school

Homeless (2022)17th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2023)10th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts46%~ state avg

Mathematics38%+12 vs state

Science27%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NM-ASR Science (2025)	NM-MSSA English Language Arts (2025)				NM-MSSA Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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	NM-ASR Science 5th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 4th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 5th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1609 W Lea Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3304	684	44	15.4	28.1%	99 (14.5%)	7 (1.0%)	558 (81.6%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	8 (1.2%)	52.4	128^th of 345 public elementary schools	62.9%		45.2	198^th of 413 public elementary schools	52.1%	70	26.9	35.7	57.5	43.5	45.9	27.8	50.7	35.9	38.5
Early Childhood Education Center	Public	PK-K	1801 West Lea St.	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3300	207	11	18.0	9.7%	41 (19.8%)	2 (1.0%)	159 (76.8%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)								(n/a)										$10,395
Edison Elementary	Public	1-5	406 N. Alameda Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 628-4498	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Sunset Elementary	Public	K-5	923 North Walter St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3300	438	26	16.9	28.3%	108 (24.7%)	5 (1.1%)	316 (72.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	40.8	184^th of 345 public elementary schools	46.7%		58.2	138^th of 413 public elementary schools	66.6%	46	37.5	42.7	43.0	46.1	43.9	26.8	22.6	20.2	23.1	$8,498
Desert Willow Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 Primrose St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3310	667	45	14.9	22.0%	149 (22.3%)	6 (0.9%)	495 (74.2%)	4 (0.6%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (1.0%)	61.3	93^rd of 345 public elementary schools	73.0%		47.7	182^nd of 413 public elementary schools	55.9%	89	30.8	66.3	60.0	51.4	58.8	33.7	35.8	30.8	33.6	$8,800
Monterrey Elementary	Public	K-5	1600 Johnson St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3309	366	22	16.6	28.1%	113 (30.9%)	1 (0.3%)	244 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	55.5	115^th of 345 public elementary schools	66.7%		67.2	108^th of 413 public elementary schools	73.8%	7	35.9	38.1	49.2	56.6	47.5	34.9	18.5	60.4	36.5	$9,032
Ocotillo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2106 Captain Williams Ln	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 628-4498	621	38	16.4	20.1%	192 (30.9%)	5 (0.8%)	388 (62.5%)	11 (1.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	45.7	164^th of 345 public elementary schools	52.5%		70.2	97^th of 413 public elementary schools	76.5%	67	31.5	48.3	52.0	30.4	44.2	32.8	30.4	22.8	29.0	$8,453
Loving Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 South Sixth	Loving	88256	Eddy County	Loving	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 745-2071	355	28	12.7	95.2%	104 (29.3%)	3 (0.8%)	243 (68.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	35.3	204^th of 345 public elementary schools	40.9%		72.7	86^th of 413 public elementary schools	79.2%	118	25.0	27.7	56.5	45.5	43.1	14.3	21.3	34.1	22.9	$14,857

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood Elementary

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Carlsbad Sixth Grade Academy - Alta Vista Campus
High : Carlsbad High

What district is Cottonwood Elementary in?

Carlsbad

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 684 students attended Cottonwood Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary are 82% Hispanic, 14% White, 1% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Is Cottonwood Elementary a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary ranks 128^th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Cottonwood Elementary!

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NMNew Mexico District Rankings

Schools in Carlsbad, NM

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

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.