The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in Math. The lowest is 32% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cottonwood Plains Elementary School
Cottonwood Plains Elementary School is a regular public elementary school in Fort Collins, serving students in preschool through fifth grade as part of the Thompson School District R-2J. It sits in a community that is anything but sleepy. Fort Collins is a prominent college town anchored by Colorado State University, and the city’s economy blends a substantial university presence with manufacturing and high-tech industries. Major employers include Woodward, Broadcom, and several large office presences from Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and Microsoft. The city has defined itself through cycling, craft beer, and a revitalized Old Town downtown that is integrated with the university rather than isolated from it. A family considering this part of Fort Collins will find a place with a strong civic identity, a well-used library system, extensive parks and trails, and a public transit network built around MAX Bus Rapid Transit.
The school’s test results offer a measured picture. On the state’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success assessments, the share of students scoring proficient or above in math stood at roughly a third, and in English language arts at about the same level. These figures place Cottonwood Plains Elementary slightly above the midpoint among the schools in its comparison set across Larimer County. Science results for fifth graders were close to that same range. The school had high participation rates on testing, so the results reflect near-complete attendance. A parent looking at these numbers will see a school performing around the middle of the pack in a county that includes a wide range of contexts.
The student body is diverse. The enrollment is evenly split between students who identify as white and students who identify as Hispanic, with a small share identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which indicates that economic diversity is a real part of the school’s daily life. Data on the number of students with disabilities and English learners was not available, which limits a full picture of the support structures in place.
The Thompson School District has been the focus of significant voter investment. In 2022, voters approved a major bond measure and a mill levy override to fund facility improvements, safety upgrades, technology, and ongoing operating revenue for staffing and class-size reduction. Then in 2024, voters approved another bond issue and a mill levy override for further facility renovations and safety upgrades. These are serious infusions of money that will shape the physical and programmatic environment of Cottonwood Plains Elementary for years, and they come with property tax implications for residents.
Fort Collins has grown rapidly since the late 20th century, expanding southward. The city manages this growth with a detailed development plan, and housing values in the area are elevated relative to national benchmarks, though they have softened slightly by a small margin. Rents are also high, running meaningfully above the national typical figure. The median household income in the area is above the national median, and over half of residents hold college degrees. The housing market here is tight, and the affordability math—mortgage costs versus rents—favors renting for now, but that calculus shifts with market conditions. A family moving into this stretch of Fort Collins is entering a well-educated, professional population with a strong university-town character.
What a parent will not find here is academic data on anything beyond the elementary core. There is no graduation rate, because the school does not serve high school grades. There is no chronic absenteeism rate reported, and no staffing or discipline data in the available records. The school offers no public program information on arts, music, or special academic tracks, though many of those details would be part of the district’s broader offerings.
Cottonwood Plains Elementary is a mid-sized, economically diverse elementary school in a growing, prosperous college town, located in a district that has recently committed substantial public funding to its facilities and operations. Its test results land near the middle of its local peers. It is not a school that stands out for unusually high academic performance, but it is also not struggling. It is a solid, representative neighborhood elementary school in a community with strong civic and economic anchors.
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