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Elementary Schools in Cardinal Community School District

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Iowa Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

DistrictCardinal Community School District248^th of 313 Iowa districtsFull district overview →

School

495

Students

Top rankedCardinal Elementary419^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Cardinal Elementary up 20 spots statewide this year

Compare Iowa districts →See the top-ranked Iowa schools →

Summary:

The Cardinal Community School District in Iowa has only one elementary school, Cardinal Elementary, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through 4th grade. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Iowa elementary schools, with a 1 out of 5 star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating below-average performance.

Cardinal Elementary's academic proficiency rates in both English Language Arts and Mathematics are generally lower than the state average for 3rd and 4th grades. The school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at 65.78%, and a concerning chronic absenteeism rate of 21.6% in the 2023-2024 school year. While the school's per-student spending is $10,997, its performance has shown a declining trend, with 3rd-grade proficiency rates dropping more significantly from the 2023-2024 school year to the 2024-2025 school year.

Overall, the data highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to improving the educational outcomes at Cardinal Elementary and the broader Cardinal Community School District. The school's challenges, including low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic factors, suggest that targeted interventions and district-level support may be necessary to address the underlying issues and provide a better educational experience for the students.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)		ISASP Mathematics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cardinal Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	5414 Hwy 16	Eldon	52554	Wapello County	Cardinal Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 652-3591	495	38	12.9	64.4%	439 (88.7%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.2%)	37.5	419^th of 576 public elementary schools	27.3%		31.1	439^th of 557 public elementary schools	21.2%	20	62.2	73.5	66.2	69.9	$10,997	$435	$10,563

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Ottumwa Community School District	9.25 mi	12	299^th
Van Buren County Community School District	11.75 mi	3	235^th
Pekin Community School District	13.99 mi	2	170^th
Fairfield Community School District	14.14 mi	4	187^th
Davis County Community School District	16.79 mi	4	260^th

See the top IA Iowa districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.