Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! Nevada test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Cottonwood Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-4

296^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 376 Nevada Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of Nevada elementary schools

Summary

Cottonwood Elementary School is a PK–4 school at 925 Farm District Road in Fernley, a community in northern Nevada, serving 572 students as part of the Lyon County School District — the largest enrollment among its nearby comparison schools.

Academically, results are mixed. Math is the relative strength: 33.5% of students were proficient in math in 2025–2026, above the Lyon district average of 24.2% and above nearby Silver Stage Elementary School (26.8%) and Fernley Elementary School (25.4%), though below the state (36.2%) and East Valley Elementary School (37.6%). Reading is the clearest weakness at 25.8% proficiency, below both the district (30.7%) and the state (45.2%). The 7.7-point gap between math and reading is unusually wide compared with nearby schools. Fourth grade stands out (40.2% math, 31.0% reading), while third grade lags behind district and state levels. Natchez Elementary reports much higher proficiency (49.2% math, 46.0% reading) but is far smaller and spends far more per student, so it is not a direct comparison.

Attendance is the biggest ongoing challenge. Chronic absenteeism was 36.7% in 2025–2026 — essentially even with the district (36.6%) but 11.2 points above the state (25.5%) — though it has improved steadily from 49.1% two years earlier. Cottonwood also operates with the lowest per-student spending ($12,482 in 2023–2024) and one of the higher student-teacher ratios (20.4) among nearby schools, which makes its math results notable. The school currently ranks 296th of 376 Nevada schools (21st percentile, 1 star), up slightly from 15th percentile the prior year but far below its 61st-percentile standing in 2017–2018. Reading and attendance are the two areas to watch most closely.

572

Students ?

20.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,482

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

925 Farm District Road
Fernley, NV 89408

(775) 575-3414

District: Lyon

Students who attend Cottonwood Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Fernley Intermediate School
	Silverland Middle School
High:	Fernley High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.5%

Hispanic:

36.5%

Two or more races:

5.8%

See top rated Nevada elementary schools

Compare Cottonwood Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 48th percentile in 2016 → 21st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Nevada average (30% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (37% vs 26% Nevada)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg27%

Nevada avg41%

296^th of 376

Nevada public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From bottom 48% (2016) to bottom 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Nevada Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Lyon

10^th of 12Lyon among Nevada 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	Nevada percentile	Rating
2026	19.9	296 of 376	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.2	322 of 379	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	288 of 377	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	244 of 384	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.4	284 of 380	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.0	242 of 324	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	269 of 388	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.2	134 of 341	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	53.6	150 of 351	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	45.7	181 of 347	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	67.9	107 of 332	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.8	106 of 330	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	93.0	13 of 328	96.0%	★★★★★
2011	79.9	47 of 318	85.2%	★★★★☆
2010	56.7	116 of 300	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	54.7	116 of 292	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	49.0	137 of 294	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.3	102 of 246	58.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	66.1	99 of 330	70.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	74.9	57 of 308	81.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	58.5	113 of 321	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	46.7	169 of 332	49.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	68.8	48 of 227	78.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nevada percentile	Rating
2018	28.7	194 of 247	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2018)81st percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2018)79th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2018)70th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)65th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2018)49th percentile-12 vs school

White (2018)21st percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs Nevada (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics34%-3 vs state

Reading26%-19 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Cottonwood Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Cottonwood Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SBAC Mathematics (2026)				SBAC Reading (2026)				SBAC Science (2026)		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 (2025)	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	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics All Grades	SBAC Reading 3rd Grade	SBAC Reading 4th Grade	SBAC Reading 5th Grade	SBAC Reading All Grades	SBAC Science 5th Grade	SBAC Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottonwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	925 Farm District Road	Fernley	89408	Lyon County	Lyon	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 575-3414	572	28	20.4	100.0%	306 (53.5%)	6 (1.0%)	209 (36.5%)	7 (1.2%)	10 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (5.8%)	19.9	296^th of 376 public elementary schools	21.3%		16.2	322^nd of 379 public elementary schools	15.0%	26	28.3	40.2		33.5	21.9	31.0		25.8			$12,482	$881	$11,601
Fernley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	450 Hardie Lane	Fernley	89408	Lyon County	Lyon	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 575-3420	442	28	15.7	100.0%	238 (53.8%)	6 (1.4%)	143 (32.4%)	5 (1.1%)	10 (2.3%)	6 (1.4%)	34 (7.7%)	15.2	332^nd of 376 public elementary schools	11.7%		18.9	303^rd of 379 public elementary schools	20.1%	29	28.0	22.6		25.4	29.2	29.3		29.2			$15,525	$895	$14,629
Natchez Elementary	Public	K-5	1 Hwy 447	Wadsworth	89442	Washoe County	Washoe County	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 351-1902	121	15	8.2	100.0%	10 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (72.7%)	2 (1.7%)	4 (3.3%)								(n/a)		81.8		49.2		81.8		46.0			$29,596	$4,655	$24,940
East Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	4180 Farm District Road	Fernley	89408	Lyon County	Lyon	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 575-3332	518	24	21.5	100.0%	296 (57.1%)	17 (3.3%)	135 (26.1%)	13 (2.5%)	8 (1.5%)	3 (0.6%)	46 (8.9%)	29.4	247^th of 376 public elementary schools	34.3%		45.6	187^th of 379 public elementary schools	50.7%	60	38.7	36.8		37.6	34.4	33.3		33.8			$13,695	$839	$12,856
Silver Stage Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	3900 W. Spruce Avenue	Silver Springs	89429	Lyon County	Lyon	No	No	No	Yes	(775) 577-5060	398	21	18.9	100.0%	297 (74.6%)	4 (1.0%)	75 (18.8%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (3.8%)	13.3	344^th of 376 public elementary schools	8.5%		6.4	376^th of 379 public elementary schools	0.8%	32	28.1	25.6		26.8	19.7	29.1		24.6			$16,830	$990	$15,840

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Cottonwood Elementary School?

Students at Cottonwood Elementary School are 53% White, 37% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% Asian, 1% African American.

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 572 students attended Cottonwood Elementary School.

Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary School ranks in the bottom 21.3% of Nevada elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Cottonwood Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Fernley Intermediate School
Middle : Silverland Middle School
High : Fernley High School

What district is Cottonwood Elementary School in?

Lyon

Rate Cottonwood Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NVNevada Elementary School Rankings

NVNevada District Rankings

Schools in Fernley, NV

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Cottonwood Elementary School!

Latest Nevada data All new data »

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataNewSep 14, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 14, 2026

2025–26 ACT, EOC Science Exam & SBAC scoresNewSep 14, 2026

2024–25 ACT, EOC Science Exam & SBAC scoresOct 1, 2025

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