Cotton Boll School, Peoria AZ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Cotton Boll School

Cotton Boll School is a regular public elementary and middle school serving students from preschool through eighth grade in the Peoria Unified School District, one of 44 schools in a district that covers Peoria, Glendale, Youngtown, and a small area of Surprise. The school sits within a rapidly growing Phoenix suburb that has shifted from its agricultural roots toward resort and leisure living, with the city's economic plan now focused on industrial and commercial development along a major freeway corridor. With an enrollment that places it on the larger side for a PK-8 school, Cotton Boll draws from a community that has seen substantial residential growth through master-planned communities, though the city itself remains a sprawling, car-dependent suburban environment.

The student body is diverse. The largest group of students identifies as Hispanic, followed by white students, with smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as the proportions of students with individualized education plans or English learner status, were not available. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these support structures.

On state assessments, Cotton Boll's proficiency rates vary considerably by grade and subject, with a clear pattern of decline in math as students move through the grades. In third grade, math proficiency stood at a level that was well above typical benchmarks, but by fourth and fifth grade it had dropped substantially, and by seventh and eighth grade it had fallen further into a range where only a small share of students met the standard. English language arts proficiency was more consistent across grades, generally hovering around the midpoint range each year from third through eighth grade, with no single grade rising far above the others. Science results were available for fifth and eighth graders, with a higher share of fifth graders meeting proficiency than eighth graders. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed the school below the midpoint relative to other districts in Maricopa County.

This pattern suggests that Cotton Boll's strongest academic performance comes in the early elementary years, particularly in third-grade math, while later grades show a more pronounced struggle to maintain that level, especially in math. For a family, this may be a meaningful point of inquiry. A parent whose child is doing well in the early grades here may want to understand how the school supports students through the transition to middle-level math and science, where proficiency rates are noticeably lower.

The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate data applies. No information was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, course access, or program offerings such as gifted education, arts, or career-technical pathways. The data simply does not include these fields, so a parent interested in enrichment or specific academic programs should contact the school directly.

Housing in the area reflects the broader Phoenix metro market. Home values in the zip code are near the state average but have seen a modest dip over the past year, while rents have edged slightly upward. The national economic context shows a 30-year fixed mortgage rate that has been fluctuating in a range that affects affordability for many buyers, and the area's typical home value compared to national median household income continues to make homeownership a stretch for many families.

Peoria Unified School District itself appears to have maintained a stable roster of schools with no major recent closures or openings reported in publicly available sources, providing some continuity for families living within its boundaries. Cotton Boll, as one of its larger PK-8 campuses, sits within this stable district framework, though the district's broader performance context in the county matters for families weighing school options against others in the area.

For a family considering Cotton Boll, the story is one of a large, diverse suburban school where early academic performance is notably stronger than later grades. The elementary years, particularly third grade, show a brighter picture, while the middle school years present a more challenging academic landscape, especially in math and eighth-grade science. A parent may want to visit and ask about how the school approaches the transition from elementary to middle grades, what interventions or supports are available for students who fall behind in math, and what enrichment or program offerings are available despite not appearing in the available data.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 27% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 47% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 21% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 31% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 34% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 41% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 52% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 40% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 43% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 25% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 45% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 36% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 33% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolPeoria Unified School District (4237), same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.