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Cottonwood Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-4

322^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 379 Nevada Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Nevada elementary schools

Summary

Cottonwood Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Fernley, Nevada, serving grades PK-4 with a total enrollment of 575 students. The school is part of the Lyon School District, which is ranked 11th out of 12 districts in Nevada and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Cottonwood Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Nevada elementary schools over the past several years, with a ranking of 322 out of 379 schools in the 2024-2025 school year.

Cottonwood Elementary faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates ranging from 25.6% to 41.4% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. The school's academic performance, as measured by SBAC test scores, is consistently below the state and district averages, with proficiency rates in both mathematics and reading around 26-29%, compared to the state averages of 35.4% and 45.6%, respectively. While Hispanic and Special Education students perform relatively well compared to their peers in the state, White students and Male students lag behind, with the White student group ranking in the bottom 25% of Nevada elementary schools.

Interestingly, Cottonwood Elementary's performance is generally lower than the nearby schools in the Lyon School District, such as East Valley Elementary and Fernley Elementary, which have higher test scores, lower chronic absenteeism rates, and better overall rankings. Additionally, the nearby Natchez Elementary, which is part of the Washoe County School District, stands out as an outlier with significantly higher test scores and a lower student-teacher ratio compared to Cottonwood Elementary and the other nearby schools.

572

Students ?

20.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,235

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%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2014 → 15th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Nevada average (28% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (41% vs 27% Nevada)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg26%

Nevada avg41%

322^nd of 379

Nevada public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 33 pts since 2016

From bottom 48% (2016) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nevada Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Lyon

11^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
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 (2024-2025) ?

Reading29%-17 vs state

Mathematics27%-9 vs state

5.0

1 rating

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1★0

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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)				SBAC Mathematics (2025)			SBAC Reading (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
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	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics All Grades	SBAC Reading 3rd Grade	SBAC Reading 4th Grade	SBAC Reading 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%)	16.2	322^nd of 379 public elementary schools	15.0%		21.2	288^th of 377 public elementary schools	23.6%	34	27.8	25.4	26.6	35.2	22.8	28.7	$11,235	$1,535	$9,700
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%)	18.9	303^rd of 379 public elementary schools	20.1%		26.2	262^nd of 377 public elementary schools	30.5%	41	25.9	32.8	29.4	26.9	34.2	30.5	$11,376	$1,809	$9,567
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)	66.6		38.4	66.6		36.9	$24,032	$3,292	$20,740
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%)	45.6	187^th of 379 public elementary schools	50.7%		62.5	121^st of 377 public elementary schools	67.9%	66	40.7	39.4	40.0	44.2	50.4	47.2	$10,129	$1,283	$8,846
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%)	6.4	376^th of 379 public elementary schools	0.8%		17.9	314^th of 377 public elementary schools	16.7%	62	22.2	18.7	20.3	13.8	20.0	17.1	$13,146	$1,761	$11,385

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottonwood Elementary School

How many students attend Cottonwood Elementary School?

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

What district is Cottonwood Elementary School in?

Lyon

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

Is Cottonwood Elementary School a good school?

Cottonwood Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.0% of Nevada elementary schools.

Rate Cottonwood Elementary School!

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NVNevada Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Fernley, NV

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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.