School Profile · Cottonwood
Cottonwood Creek Charter: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.
Cottonwood Creek Charter posts 45.9% exceeding the standard — versus 21.3% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.
3425 Brush Street, 96022 (opens in new tab)·Cottonwood Union Elementary·Cottonwood·Grades K-8·294 students·27% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 347-7200·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
66
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #698 statewide
Cottonwood Creek Charter scores 66 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 88th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “73% proficient” and call it done. Cottonwood Creek Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in Cottonwood, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 45.9% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.
As a charter, Cottonwood Creek Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
58%
19%
23%
Grade 3 · 77% proficient
50%
29%
21%
Grade 4 · 79% proficient
30%
33%
37%
Grade 5 · 63% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding falls 28.4pp across grades; the floor slips 14.5pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
45.9%
State 21.3%
24.6pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
72.8%
State 42.7%
30.1pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-23.0pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
8.1%
State 17.9%
9.8pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.2%
State 1.6%
1.4pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Planning ahead? 1 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic5.8%
White85.7%
Other8.5%
GenderFemale 46.9%Male 53.1%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 26.5% (37pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
294
326 below CA avg (~620)
Transitional Kindergarten
TK status unconfirmed
No TK enrollment is on file with the state for this school — that isn't the same as “no TK.” Confirm directly with the district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
27:1
6 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$11,567
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$50,862 – $102,342
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Cottonwood Creek Charter in Cottonwood, 69.3% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 49.9% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Cottonwood Creek Charter outperforms its district average for white students by 19.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (70.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 150 students tested.
Subgroup Proficiency
White150 tested
ELA 69.3%·Math 70.7%· +19.5pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$89K
$4K above CA median
Median Home Value
$367K
$292K below CA median
Bachelor's+
22%
13pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
14.3 years avg experience
15 teachers · 7% first-year
Teacher Credentials
78% fully credentialed
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
45.9%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 74th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
72.8%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 73th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
-23.0pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 37th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
8.1%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 66th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.2%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 61th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 31 | 58% | 19% | 23% | 0% | 77% | +34 |
| Grade 4 | 28 | 50% | 29% | 21% | 0% | 79% | +34 |
| Grade 5 | 27 | 30% | 33% | 26% | 11% | 63% | +15 |
| Grade 6 | 32 | 28% | 31% | 22% | 19% | 59% | +13 |
| Grade 7 | 28 | 25% | 46% | 21% | 7% | 71% | +24 |
| Grade 8 | 28 | 21% | 39% | 25% | 14% | 61% | +15 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 31 | 58% | 29% | 6% | 6% | 87% | +41 |
| Grade 4 | 28 | 54% | 21% | 25% | 0% | 75% | +33 |
| Grade 5 | 27 | 26% | 30% | 33% | 11% | 56% | +20 |
| Grade 6 | 32 | 28% | 34% | 16% | 22% | 63% | +27 |
| Grade 7 | 28 | 39% | 43% | 18% | 0% | 82% | +48 |
| Grade 8 | 28 | 32% | 18% | 36% | 14% | 50% | +18 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 55 | 18% | 18% | 56% | 7% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 150 | 69.3% | +19 | +8 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Creek Charter ← | — | 66 | 45.9% | 72.8% | −23.0 | 0.2% |
| California average | — | 43 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1047 → #637 → #375 → #914 → #698
What we can't show
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Cottonwood Creek Charter a good elementary school?
Cottonwood Creek Charter has a Scope Score of 66 out of 100, placing it in the 88th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #698 statewide. 45.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 24.6 percentage points above the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Cottonwood Creek Charter's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 72.8% of students at Cottonwood Creek Charter met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 45.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 26.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 45.9% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 172 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Cottonwood Creek Charter rank in California?
Cottonwood Creek Charter ranks #698 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 88th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Cottonwood Creek Charter getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Cottonwood Creek Charter decreases by 23.0 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Cottonwood Creek Charter?
8.1% of students at Cottonwood Creek Charter are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.2%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Cottonwood Creek Charter compare to other schools in Cottonwood?
Cottonwood Creek Charter scores 66/100 (88th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 294 students. Use the schools in Cottonwood page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Cottonwood Creek Charter serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Cottonwood Creek Charter in Cottonwood, 69.3% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 49.9% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Cottonwood Creek Charter outperforms its district average for white students by 19.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (70.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 150 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.