What the California School Dashboard measures
California rates schools on the California School Dashboard, not with a single letter grade or star score. Each indicator gets one of five colors: red, orange, yellow, green or blue, from lowest to highest. The color blends two things: where the school stands this year and how much it changed from last year. A school can post a low score and still earn yellow if it improved sharply.
Test results are reported as distance from standard. Zero means the average student met the state standard on the state test; a positive number is above it and a negative number below. The figures here are from the 2025 Dashboard, covering the 2024-25 school year, read from the California Department of Education's data files. For comparison, California students as a whole scored 8.1 points below standard in English language arts (ELA) and 42.4 points below in math. The statewide graduation rate was 87.8%, and 17.1% of students were counted as chronically absent.
Small schools often show no color because too few students were tested. Treat any single-year number with care, and read each school's School Accountability Report Card for class sizes, staffing and programs.
Cottonwood school districts compared
Three public school districts serve most Cottonwood addresses. On the Shasta County side, Cottonwood Union School District runs the elementary and junior high grades, and Anderson Union High School District runs the high schools. On the Tehama County side of ZIP 96022, Evergreen Union School District runs the elementary and middle grades.
| District (2025 Dashboard) | ELA vs standard | Math vs standard | Chronic absence | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood Union Elementary | -5.6 (yellow) | -38.8 (orange) | 19.7% | n/a |
| Evergreen Union (Tehama County) | +10.5 (green) | -12.9 (yellow) | 13.6% | n/a |
| Anderson Union High | -6.0 (yellow) | -77.2 (yellow) | n/a | 87.5% (green) |
| State of California | -8.1 | -42.4 | 17.1% | 87.8% |
Cottonwood Union's ELA result is slightly better than the state's and its math result is close to it. Its figures do not include Cottonwood Creek Charter School, which it authorizes but which reports separately. Evergreen Union scored above standard in ELA. Anderson Union High's district math result is well below the state, though its two comprehensive high schools differ, as the next section shows.
Cottonwood elementary, middle and junior high schools
North Cottonwood School (Cottonwood Union)
North Cottonwood School, home of the Coyotes, is at 19920 Gas Point Road. On the 2025 Dashboard its 182 tested students scored 15.5 points below standard in ELA (yellow, up 4.5 points) and 30.8 below in math (orange). Chronic absenteeism was 19.4%, slightly above the state rate.
West Cottonwood Junior High (Cottonwood Union)
West Cottonwood Junior High, home of the Chiefs, enrolls students from fifth grade, based on the school's own elective list. Its 371 tested students scored 0.5 points below standard in ELA, earning green after a 5.3-point gain, and 42.8 below in math (orange), close to the state average. Chronic absenteeism was 18.9%. The school lists electives including American Sign Language, art and an introduction to agriculture course that uses an on-campus farm.
Evergreen Elementary (Evergreen Union, Tehama County)
Evergreen Elementary teaches transitional kindergarten through fourth grade at 19415 Hooker Creek Road. It earned blue in ELA, at 19.4 points above standard after a 16.8-point gain, and green in math at 0.6 above standard. Chronic absenteeism was 14.4%.
Evergreen Middle School (Evergreen Union, Tehama County)
Evergreen Middle School covers grades five through eight at 19500 Learning Way. Its 369 tested students scored 2.3 points above standard in ELA and 20.5 below in math, both yellow and both better than the state average. Chronic absenteeism was 14.5%.
Charter and independent study options in Cottonwood
Cottonwood Creek Charter School
Cottonwood Creek Charter, at 3425 Brush Street, posted the strongest test results of any Cottonwood school on the 2025 Dashboard: 49.9 points above standard in ELA and 37.7 above in math, both green, with 171 students tested. Chronic absenteeism was 6.4%. The school serves transitional kindergarten through eighth grade and is chartered by Cottonwood Union School District, which approved its petition in March 2010.
It runs a hybrid model with two options: a site class program and a homeschool program. The school says its site classes are limited to one class per grade, with no more than 24 students each. Students must live in Shasta County or a county next to it. Applications open in March and April for the following school year, and a public lottery in May sets the wait list, with priority for siblings of current students. Because seats depend on the lottery, buying a nearby home does not secure a place.
Evergreen Institute of Excellence (Evergreen Union)
Evergreen Union also runs the Evergreen Institute of Excellence, listed by the district as a transitional kindergarten through 12th grade school at 19500 Learning Way. Its 88 tested students scored 9.0 points below standard in ELA and 71.9 below in math (both yellow), and it reported 0.0% chronic absenteeism. Ask the district how its program and schedule work before you enroll.
High schools serving Cottonwood
West Valley Early College High School (Anderson Union High)
West Valley Early College High School, home of the Eagles, is the high school located in Cottonwood, at 3805 Happy Valley Road. On the 2025 Dashboard its students scored 8.2 points above standard in ELA after a 59.5-point gain, and 39.4 below in math after a 35.4-point gain, both green. Its graduation rate was 97.2% (blue). Ask the school how its early college courses work and how credits transfer.
Anderson High School (Anderson Union High)
Anderson High, the Cubs, is the district's other comprehensive high school, in Anderson. It scored 48.4 points above standard in ELA (blue) and 56.5 below in math (yellow), with a 96.8% graduation rate (blue). Both West Valley and Anderson High graduated students at well above the state rate.
Anderson New Technology High School (Anderson Union High)
Anderson New Technology High is a smaller school with its own accountability plan. Only 21 students were tested, so the Dashboard shows no color. They scored 28.0 above standard in ELA and 93.0 below in math, and the graduation rate was 95.8%.
Alternative education in Anderson Union High
The district also runs North Valley, Oakview, community day and adult schools for students who need a different setting. Their results are not comparable with the comprehensive schools: North Valley graduated 45.6% and Oakview 88.1% in 2025.
How to check which schools serve a Cottonwood address
Never rely on a listing, a map app or a ZIP code to tell you which school a home is assigned to. ZIP 96022 covers parts of two counties and several school districts, so neighbors on either side of a road can be in different districts. California Housing Prices does not say any home is zoned for any school.
Shasta County side: Cottonwood Union and Anderson Union High
Call Cottonwood Union School District at 530-347-3165 with the full street address to confirm the elementary and junior high assignment, then check high school attendance with Anderson Union High School District at (530) 378-0568. The high school district posts a district boundaries page and a trustee area map.
Tehama County side: Evergreen Union
Call Evergreen Union School District at 530-347-3411 to confirm whether an address is inside its boundary, and ask which high school district serves the address after eighth grade.
Transfers between districts
Anderson Union High and Cascade Union Elementary both publish transfer pages, and West Valley lists inter- and intra-district transfers under registration. Transfers depend on district approval and are never guaranteed, so treat it as a possibility rather than a plan. To look up any school's full results, search it by name on the California School Dashboard.