About Cottonwood Creek Elementary
Cottonwood Creek Elementary, in Hutto Independent School District, serves grades PK-5. The campus enrolled approximately 925 students with a pupil-teacher ratio of about 17:1 as of the most recent reporting year.
The campus offers Gifted & Talented services, Special Education programming, and the standard HISD elementary curriculum. Cottonwood Creek Elementary feeds Hutto Middle for grades 6-8; Hutto Middle students then continue to Hutto High School.
HISD operates 13 campuses (8 ES + 3 MS + Hutto HS + Hutto 9th Grade Center) serving approximately 11,101 students (2025-26). HISD earned a "C" overall TEA accountability rating for 2025-2026 (75 of 100), its fourth consecutive "C"; its four-year graduation rate was 93.6% in 2024-25. District administration is at 200 College Street in Hutto.
Living in Cottonwood Creek Elementary
The Hutto Middle School attendance zone covers the central Hutto / Front Street / FM 685 corridor — the original HISD middle school. The campus at 1005 Exchange Blvd sits in central Hutto. Hutto MS feeds directly into Hutto HS — and into the unique Hippo athletic and academic tradition that has defined Hutto-area schooling since the 1915 circus-train legend.
Hutto High School at 101 Chris Kelley Boulevard (Hutto 78634) is HISD's comprehensive high school — and the only U.S. high school whose mascot is the Hippo. UIL Class 6A; mascot Hippos (with Henrietta the Hippo as the school's living mascot statue at the Hutto Chamber of Commerce); colors orange and white. Principal Ryan Burns. Enrollment approximately 2,313 (2025).
Hutto is the only U.S. city with a hippo as its mascot. Per local legend documented in Community Impact and the Hutto Chamber of Commerce, the tradition dates to 1915 when a circus train stopped in Hutto, a hippo escaped toward Cottonwood Creek, and the depot agent telegraphed nearby towns with the now-famous message "STOP TRAINS, HIPPO LOOSE IN HUTTO." A hippo first appeared on Hutto HS graduation announcements as early as 1923. In September 1992, the Hutto Chamber of Commerce brought Henrietta the Hippo — a 14,000+ pound concrete statue — to Hutto from Double D Statuary in Sinton, TX. The Chamber has since sold 3,000+ smaller hippo statues placed at homes and businesses across the city.
The Hutto HS attendance zone is fed by Hutto Middle School and Farley Middle School (with Almquist MS rounding out HISD's 3 middle schools — Almquist primarily feeds the Hutto 9th Grade Center which then continues to Hutto HS for grades 10-12) plus 7+ elementaries including Cottonwood Creek, Hutto Elementary, Veterans' Hill, Howard Norman, Nadine Johnson, Ray, and Benjamin "Doc" Kerley. The zone covers approximately 75 square miles centered on the city of Hutto (2020 Census population 27,577) in Williamson County, with portions extending west into Round Rock, east into Taylor, and south into northern Travis County.
Hutto HS state athletic titles include volleyball (1999, 2A) and tennis (2016, 5A). Notable Hippo alumni include NFL wide receivers Davion Davis (San Francisco 49ers) and Jeremy Kerley (Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets — over 200 NFL career receptions).
Master-planned and large-subdivision communities include Star Ranch (with the Star Ranch Golf Club), Emory Farms, Riverwalk, Lookout at Brushy Creek, Mager Meadows, Oasis at Brushy Creek, and Carmel. The historic core of the city sits along Hutto's traditional Front Street downtown north of the railroad. Day-to-day retail centers on the Highway 79 corridor running through downtown Hutto and the Toll 130 / FM 685 / FM 1660 interchanges. Healthcare access centers on Baylor Scott & White Round Rock and Ascension Seton Williamson.
Outdoor recreation centers on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail (which connects through Round Rock to Cedar Park along Brushy Creek), Cottonwood Creek crossings inside the city, and the city park system including Fritz Park and the developing Star Ranch parks. Round Rock's Old Settlers Park (with Dell Diamond, the Round Rock Express AAA baseball stadium) is a short drive west.
Frequently Asked Questions
What grades does Cottonwood Creek Elementary serve?
Cottonwood Creek Elementary serves grades PK-5 in Hutto Independent School District. The campus enrolled approximately 925 students with a pupil-teacher ratio of about 17:1 as of the most recent reporting year.
What is Cottonwood Creek Elementary's feeder pattern?
Cottonwood Creek Elementary feeds Hutto Middle for grades 6-8; Hutto Middle students continue to Hutto High School for grades 9-12.
How is Cottonwood Creek Elementary rated?
Cottonwood Creek Elementary operates inside Hutto Independent School District. HISD earned a "C" overall TEA accountability rating for 2025-2026 (75 of 100), its fourth consecutive "C"; its four-year graduation rate was 93.6% in 2024-25.
Which programs does the campus offer?
Cottonwood Creek Elementary offers Gifted & Talented services, Special Education programming, and the standard HISD elementary curriculum.
How many schools does HISD operate?
HISD operates 13 campuses (8 ES + 3 MS + Hutto HS + Hutto 9th Grade Center) serving approximately 11,101 students (2025-26): 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools (Hutto Middle, Farley Middle, Gus Almquist Middle), and 2 high-school-level campuses (Hutto HS plus the Hutto 9th Grade Center).
