I attended Cottonwood for seven years and graduated in 2023. I know a lot of people who loved CCPS, and in many ways, I did,d too. A few of the teachers are still some of the best people I know, who inspire, support, and advocate for their students unconditionally. I have an immense amount of gratitude and respect for these individuals and the role they play in young people's lives. That being said, Cottonwood is not the school for everyone. While it can be an overwhelmingly positive experience for students who are actively seeking extra academic challenges, for others, it may not be the right place. In terms of specifics, the STEM programming throughout middle and high school is severely lacking and does feel weaker than in other public schools. As someone who is in a college pre-medical program, this difference in STEM education between my peers and me is definitely noticeable. Just something to consider if you or your child is passionate about pursuing a career in that field. Another note worth considering is the role mental health can play in determining whether or not to attend CCPS. For juniors and seniors, the only classes available are part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. While this program can be incredibly beneficial for some students, it is known to exacerbate existing mental health conditions for students who have them. Additionally, there is very little support for students who struggle with mental illness, and some teachers are even hesitant to respect 504 accommodations. In my experience, it seemed like student mental health wasn't a priority while I attended, but I'm hopeful that has since changed in the last couple of years. Ultimately, Cottonwood has its pros and cons, just like any other school. When deciding whether this is the right place for your family, you must take into account your individual needs, goals, and circumstances. Some students thrive here, and others don't. Both experiences are valid, and I truly believe that the current administration is proactively looking into ways to improve their existing problems for future students. read more

I attended this school all the way from sixth grade until I graduated in 2024. For parents wondering whether or not to send their kid here for school, I would say that it is definitely worth it for middle school. Cottonwood is a safe environment and is free from many of the negative influences prevalent at so many Albuquerque middle schools. Additionally, your kid will go into high school ahead of their peers. However, there are many issues I have with this school, that make me hesitant to recommend it as a high school. These problems mainly boil down to not giving the students a voice, and trying to fix problems that don't exist while avoiding the ones that actually harm the school environment. One of the biggest claims that Cottonwood makes is that they care about equity and inclusion, but from my experiences, that is not the truth. There is very little diversity, both racial and economic, so much so that my graduating class of 69 people included one singular Black student. I also know an Indian student who left the school to attend La Cueva because the lack of diversity made it hard to attend Cottonwood. A few of my female friends also reported one of our male peers in a Title IX case involving verbal, physical, and sexual harassment, and this student was not reprimanded, and as far as I know there is no record of their report attached to this peer. I personally have had many issues with equity in sports, I joined the varsity cross country team as an eighth grader and this program became one of the only reasons I stayed at Cottonwood. This program is one of, if not the most decorated at the school, and yet our needs were continuously ignored, and our requests often times met with hostility. We share uniforms with the Track and Field program, and these uniforms have been worn for around five or six years. After 10+ seasons of use, they have become very beat up, and we no longer have enough uniforms for everyone. It has gotten so bad that athletes from other teams have come up to me to ask how old our uniforms are, and our teammates have to share uniforms, taking off jerseys to give to another person in between events. When we inquired about getting new uniforms, we were told that we were out of luck since teams get new uniforms every three years, and although last year was our year, we got new warm ups instead. This is despite the fact that two programs share the uniforms so really we should get new ones every 1.5 years, and despite the fact that the Volleyball and Basketball programs have gotten new uniforms and/or warm ups almost every, if not every year for as long as I have been competing in cross country and track. When we asked if we could fundraise for new uniforms we were told we were not allowed, because it would be unfair to the other programs. It also took the school 6 months and a year to hire a new cross country and track coach, respectively, when both of these coaches quit. However, when the boys basketball coach left it took a mere month to replace him, with no disruption in training. These experiences represent an overarching theme of my time at Cottonwood: I didn't feel like I mattered, and it felt like the administration and some of the teachers enjoyed exercising power over teenagers rather than actually helping these students grow as people. It is also worth mentioning that the school has an incredible organization issue that makes it hard to get anything done. So, in the end, parents, if you send your kid here and they express interest in leaving, I implore you to at least listen to what they have to say. read more

My daughter dealt with racism and bullying in this school. It escalated to physical bullying (she is black) because no one would stop it. The Director/Asst Director, counselor, and teachers gave the two boys (who were white) a green light to do whatever they wanted to her. I had to remove her because it got to the point where she didn't want to go to school and came home everyday in tears read more

The director and some teachers lack empathy and kindness towards children who are struggling. Unless your child is excelling they do not care to accommodate or help your child and I feel like they even go out of their way to make the child feel unwelcomed. I had high hopes when I enrolled my child in CCPS of more inclusion due to the higher standards they are supposedly held to but all it turned out to be was a bunch of entitled bratty children who were never held accountable for their bad behavior and the children who needed the extra help made feel like outcasts. My child would come home crying all the time due to some of the teachers and staff/directors. I regret having put my child through that psychological abuse. read more

Hmmmm... where to start? My kids starting attending this school two years ago. As a terrified parent of the APS (Albuquerque Public School) system, I thought that a charter school would be the way to go. But, I didn't sign my children up to attend a school that was lacking in social structure and cultivates self-righteousness. Communication has been a BIG problem at this school for the full two years. The teachers who are supposed to mold and shape young minds are simply too busy for communicating concerns with parents. I tried everything emails, phone calls, voice mails, letters... writing on papers that require parental signature, you name it... Good luck trying to find a teacher that truly communicates - and if he/she does, they won't make it for the full school year. Administrative staff isn't as poor at communicating as the teachers; however, they are not good either. One of the best staff members who got my kids' enrolled and was re-assuring that could accommodate my daughter's learning disability, which they didn't by the way, quit once my kids starting school there. The turnover in administration and faculty staff is quite jarring and should speak for itself. My daughter only made it one year at this school before transferring to a public school, Desert Ridge Middle School - where just like any school, you have a few bad teachers; however, at least the staff communicates with you (you will have to see my review about that school as well). At least now with public school, they have the resources to accommodate an 504 plan which simply involves a blue overlay for dyslexia, lessened homework assignments, checking for understanding, and small group testing. Cottonwood was unable to make any accommodations for her. So, please save yourself the trouble and do not even bother to enroll your child here if he/she has any learning impairments. My son has made it here two years and he graduates this year in the summer (which is the ONLY reason we kept him at the school). He has struggled off & on with the academic rigor and the IB (International Baccalaureate) school system. He has watched many of his friends transfer out of the school because it was too challenging for him/her. But since he was nearing the end of his high school years, I decided to keep him in. And don't get me started on the focus that is placed on the draconian dress code instead of focusing on more important things, like the students themselves. read more

My son just graduated from Cottonwood, is now entering UNM's engineering program and was essentially given credit very generously for many freshman classes, he does not ever have to take any college level english classes so he is thrilled. Could be because of his major and I understand it's UNM, but hey, he's happy and we are thrilled, not to mention how much money we are saving being that he got the presidential scholarship all because of the education he received at this school. There is quite a waiting list for a reason, they were rated in the top high schools in the nation. This is a BIG deal for NM. read more

I have read the other posts related to this school(by posts I mean the one post that is from one perspective) and feel that although they are accurate in reference to one child's experience and that of one family. I do not feel however that this is a good description of the school as a whole. This school is still developing and yet has managed to become the #2 school in the state as shown on schooldigger.com(Link Below) www.schooldigger.com/go/NM/schoolrank.aspx?level=3 I myself am a student at cottonwood and have been since 2011. I have experienced first hand the "draconian" dress code and would like to point out that since the 2013-2014 school year dress code requirements have been drastically reduced. The requirements for pants have been altered from khaki/navy pants/shorts to essentially any "school-appropriate" leg-ware excluding yoga pants, leggings and "jeggings" read more

I have two children attending the school, one in 8th one in 9th. They are currently in their 3rd year attending. I love the school. It is true the academics are difficult, but that is exactly why we send them there. In our case the school has bent over backward to accommodate our children's needs. It is a very small school and almost all teachers and administrators in the school (middle and high) know both of our children. The unique thing about the school is that the students begin their high school requirements for graduation in 7th grade. This leaves time later in high school for the IB program. My son is in 8th grade but is taking 9th grade geometry and Spanish classes. This has made for a difficult schedule, but the school worked it out for him. I didn't even need to talk to them about it. He is truly thriving. My daughter has a mild learning disability. The other mother is correct they will not give less homework or dumb down the class, but the have a very long study hall almost every day where the teachers work with any kid that comes in for help as well as tutoring from older students. Because of this my daughter is thriving as well. The school uses a few programs to keep parents informed of what is going on with your individual student. EDMODO is used daily by each teacher to list assignments, resources, information, and due dates. This is done daily by teachers and keeps a running dialog and info where teachers and students can communicate. Power School keeps a running grade list for each student in each class. You can check any time if your kid missed an assignment or got a bad grade. We have only had one teacher we had trouble communicating with and she is now gone. Once the administration was informed of her nonreply to our messages a parent teacher meeting was immediately set up for us. Mostly my children have had the same teachers for several classes over multiple years which had made the teaching consistent. This also helps the teachers accommodate their learning style and help where needed. As parents we have gotten to know many of the teachers through our kids extra curricular activities. The soccer coaches teach English and math, the track coach teaches p.e., the classical guitar coach teaches music, the science olympiad coach teaches chemistry, the spelling bee coach teaches English, and so on. I also volunteer at the school. The more involved we are the more families we know and the family atmosphere really sets in. There is always someone to help carpool, donate supplies, tutor, or help with projects. I will admit the school can be a little intimidating at first, but don't be discouraged the families and staff are amazing! What has turned out to be my favorite part of the school is the atmosphere. I grew up in southern NM and school was very much about who was dating who and who was pregnant. There are no groups of pregnant girls walking the halls talking about boys. My children mostly come home with stories about where friends are going to college and how to pay for it. My 9th grader had talked to me about college budgets and researched in state and out of state options bringing the research to me. The dress code is easily comparable to any very casual job attire. Jeans are fine with no holes or stains and well kept, there is a polo top and that is about it. Skirts, dresses and such are less strict than most APS schools. Many of my daughters friends attend schools where slacks or uniform pants are required. The dresses code just seems to keep the focus off the worry of brands and who owns what and back on school and activities. I'm not sure it would be the best place if your child has a severe learning problem, the work is difficult and fast paced. For our family it is a really good fit read more

This school is academically rigorous. They let you know that up front and that your child will be working almost a year ahead of their actual grade level. That said, I have been very happy with the academic support the teachers give the students. They are training kids to think for themselves and ask the difficult questions. If your child does well in a social learning environment and is willing to spend much of their time focusing on school, this is a great environment for them. The school work is time-intensive and it works best if kids can establish a good group of friends to work with. I have seen many kids rise to meet the expectations placed upon them. read more

I graduated from Cottonwood in 2014 and just graduated from Wheaton College in IL. I loved CCPS. My teachers at CCPS and the IB program prepared me well for college. CCPS prepared me to write college papers, think critically, participate in discussions, and make presentations. The IB program is challenging and is certainly not for everyone--some students may find they would learn better in a different program. However, I am forever thankful to CCPS for giving me an education that taught me how to think, which will stay with me for life. read more

Teachers are very dedicated. Working with small classrooms and problematic equipment. Administration is scattered, unorganized and totally ineffective. The director should run for public office as he only tells you what he thinks you want to hear. Nothing is ever done to address any issues that might occur. read more