Cottonwood-oak Creek Elementary District (4487), AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Cottonwood-oak Creek Elementary District (4487)

Cottonwood-Oak Creek Elementary District serves a wide area of Yavapai County, covering the communities of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Cornville, Sedona, and the outskirts of Prescott Valley and Chino Valley. It is a PK through 12 district on paper, but its enrollment is overwhelmingly concentrated in elementary and middle grades. The district runs six schools: Oak Creek Elementary School, Dr Daniel Bright Elementary School, Mountain View Preparatory School, Cottonwood Community School, Cottonwood Education Services, and Arizona iZone Institute. Most of its roughly seventeen hundred students are in kindergarten through eighth grade, with only a small handful in high school. A family looking for a traditional high school experience will find almost nothing here; the district's tiny high school enrollment is a signal that families in this area have other options, and a parent should ask directly about what pathways exist for older students who stay with the district rather than transferring out.

The student body is roughly evenly split between white and Hispanic students, with smaller populations of Native American, Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility and on special education and English learner status was not available, so it is hard to assess the share of students in poverty or the level of language support from the data alone. The same gap applies to discipline, staffing ratios, and attendance. A parent may want to check these measures directly with the district or with the Arizona Department of Education.

On state assessments, proficiency rates are consistently below the midpoint among Yavapai County's districts. Across all tested grades and subjects, about a quarter to a third of students scored proficient in math and English language arts. In math, the range across grades was from roughly a fifth to about a third of students proficient, with no grade clearing a majority. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: most grades fell between a quarter and two-fifths proficient. Science results were in line with this, with about a quarter to a third of tested fifth and eighth graders reaching proficiency. State testing data for grade level was available but the assessment was the same across the grades reported, so no comparison between old and new tests is needed. Only a single year of data was present in the trend series, so there is no way to tell whether performance is improving or declining.

The district's chronic absenteeism rate sits above the midpoint among county districts, meaning student absences are a concern here. That is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school, especially given the absence of attendance data in the available records. Per-pupil current spending is in the middle range, slightly below the county median. That does not suggest a resource crisis, but it is not an advantaged spending level either.

Housing across the district's attendance zone varies significantly. The area includes parts of Sedona, where home values are very high, as well as Clarkdale, Cornville, and Cottonwood, where values are more moderate, and Rimrock, where they are notably lower. Rents range similarly, with Sedona commanding the highest and Cottonwood the lowest. For most families, where a child attends school will be tied closely to where they can afford to buy or rent. The district's weighted home value is well above the national median, driven by Sedona, but several communities within the district are more affordable.

No recent district-level changes or initiatives were found in a search of public reporting. That may mean the district has been operating steadily without major disruption, or simply that changes went unrecorded in the sources searched. A parent interested in upcoming plans or strategic priorities should ask the district directly, since nothing is available here.

This district fits a family committed to an elementary through middle school path in the Verde Valley, especially one who values a small district feel and is prepared to look into high school options separately. The academic results are modest, and the chronic absenteeism rate is a real flag. A resident considering this area should weigh the housing cost differences among the towns, explore the individual schools within the district, and confirm what high school arrangement works for their child.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

1,742

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 46%

Black 1%

White 48%

Asian 1%

Two+ 3%

Am. Indian / AK Native 1%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

33%

—

Gr 4

32%

—

Gr 5

20%

—

Gr 6

37%

—

Gr 7

43%

—

Gr 8

36%

—

Math

Gr 3

27%

—

Gr 4

30%

—

Gr 5

17%

—

Gr 6

21%

—

Gr 7

23%

—

Gr 8

27%

—

Science

Gr 5

22%

—

Gr 8

28%

—

Schools in this District

6 schools are officially reported under this district.

Oak Creek Elementary School

Cottonwood Education Services

Mountain View Preparatory School

Arizona iZone Institute

Dr Daniel Bright Elementary School

Cottonwood Community School

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

28%

Grade 3

35%

Grade 4

22%

Grade 5

23%

Grade 6

21%

Grade 7

29%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

32%

Grade 3

41%

Grade 4

28%

Grade 5

36%

Grade 6

33%

Grade 7

41%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

28%

Grade 5

32%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$604,774

Year-over-year change-0.1%

Range across 8 ZIP codes$353K to $997K

vs. state typical1.43x

vs. national typical1.64x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (8 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
86324	Clarkdale	$468K	+1.0%	45.5%
86336	Sedona	$997K	-1.2%	26.1%
86325	Cornville	$521K	-2.0%	14.0%
86326	Cottonwood	$396K	+0.1%	11.4%
86327	Prescott Valley	$452K	-1.5%	1.9%
86335	Rimrock	$353K	+1.4%	0.8%
86351	Sedona	$791K	-1.3%	0.3%
86323	Chino Valley	$498K	+1.6%	0.1%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,325/mo

Year-over-year change+1.2%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$1,791 to $2,967/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
86336	Sedona	$2,584	+1.7%	26.1%
86326	Cottonwood	$1,791	-0.0%	11.4%
86327	Prescott Valley	$1,883	—	1.9%
86351	Sedona	$2,967	+0.4%	0.3%
86323	Chino Valley	$2,447	—	0.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$3,052/mo

Home price / national median income7.2x

Annual rent / national median income33.3%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$727/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$423,746 (-1.6% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.