Cotton County Schools & Education
Cotton County, Oklahoma
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
16/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
76.7%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
76.7%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 84.3%
Per-Pupil Spending
$6,462
National avg $13,239
State avg $6,520
School Score
16/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 28/100
State Score Position
#64
of 77 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Cotton County
Measured School Summary
Cotton County faces educational challenges with a school score of 16/100 and a graduation rate of 76.7%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $6,462 per pupil, Cotton County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 44% below the Oklahoma average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 7.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 1% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Cotton County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
7 public schools and 3 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
16/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #64 of 77 Oklahoma counties with school score data.
Completion
76.7%
7.6 pts below the state average
Funding context
$6,462
$58 below the state average
School coverage
7
3 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Cotton County has 7 public schools across 3 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Cotton County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Review-carefully county
Cotton County has a lower measured county-level school signal. Use the school table to look for specific districts or grade bands that may differ from the county average.
State position
#64
of 77 Oklahoma counties with school score data. The county score is 12 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
WALTERS
Elementary to high school visible
610 students
3 listed schools in this county slice.
BIG PASTURE
Elementary and high visible
201 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
TEMPLE
Elementary and high visible
184 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
WALTERS is the largest listed district slice, with 3 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Cotton County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Cotton County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Cotton County Graduation Rate Trails State and National Averages
Education data brief for Cotton County, Oklahoma.
Cotton County reports a graduation rate of 76.7%, which sits below the Oklahoma state average of 84.3% and the national benchmark of 87.0%. The county's composite school score of 15.8 also falls under the state average of 27.7 and the national median of 50.0. Education in the county is delivered through three school districts managing a total of 995 students across seven schools. The largest of these is the Walters district, which enrolls 610 students across its elementary, middle, and high schools. Walters Elementary is the single largest facility, with 274 students. Financial data shows a per-pupil expenditure of $6,462, slightly lower than the Oklahoma state average of $6,520 and significantly under the national average of $13,000. All schools in the county are classified as either rural or town locales, with no charter schools present in the system. Residents can review individual school performance via the NCES Common Core of Data.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
7
in Cotton County
Reported Enrollment
995
7 schools reporting
School Districts
3
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
3 School Districts in Cotton County
WALTERS
BIG PASTURE
TEMPLE
7 Public Schools in Cotton County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 7 of 7 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WALTERS ES | Record | WALTERS | Walters, 73572Town: Distant | PK–5 | Primary | 274 |
| WALTERS HS | Record | WALTERS | Walters, 73572Town: Distant | 9–12 | High | 196 |
| BIG PASTURE ES | Record | BIG PASTURE | Randlett, 73562Rural: Distant | PK–8 | Primary | 143 |
| WALTERS MS | Record | WALTERS | Walters, 73572Town: Distant | 6–8 | Middle | 140 |
| TEMPLE ES | Record | TEMPLE | Temple, 73568Rural: Distant | PK–8 | Primary | 137 |
| BIG PASTURE HS | Record | BIG PASTURE | Randlett, 73562Rural: Distant | 9–12 | High | 58 |
| TEMPLE HS | Record | TEMPLE | Temple, 73568Rural: Distant | 9–12 | High | 47 |
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$6,462
State avg $6,520
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Cotton County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which Oklahoma counties have the highest graduation rates?
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What is the graduation rate in Cotton County?
How much does Cotton County spend per student?
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.