The South Lane School District serves 3,000 students and approximately 15,000 people in the Cottage Grove area. The district operates a high school, middle school and two elementary schools within the city and four elementary schools outside the city.

Parochial and private schools offer pre-school, after-school, and adult education programs as well.

Lane Community College has a Cottage Grove Center that offers credit, community education and college preparatory classes locally. The College’s main campus, only 20 minutes away, offers a variety of two-year degree programs. The College also offers vocational programs specifically tailored to the individual needs of local employers. New and expanding employers are invited to discuss these needs with the City and the College.

The University of Oregon , in Eugene (20 miles north of Cottage Grove) offers all of the academic and non-academic benefits of any major university. Oregon State University is in Corvallis, 60 miles north of Cottage Grove. Each university has about 17,000 students.