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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!

Cardinal Junior High

Q: Is Cardinal Junior High a good school?

Cardinal Junior High ranks 205 th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

205^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 344 Iowa Middle Schools

Better than 40% of Iowa middle schools

Summary

Cardinal Junior High is a public middle school located in Eldon, Iowa, serving grades 5-8 with a total enrollment of 301 students. The school is part of the Cardinal Community School District, which is ranked 248 out of 313 districts in Iowa and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cardinal Junior High generally performs better than the nearby Davis County Middle School in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, with 85.1% of 8th-grade students proficient or better in ELA compared to the state average of 80.2%. However, the school's math scores tend to be lower than the state average, with only 64.4% of 7th-grade students being proficient or better, compared to the state average of 71.9%. Additionally, Cardinal Junior High has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 13.3% in 2022-2023 to 21.6% in 2023-2024, which is notably higher than the state average.

While Cardinal Junior High has some strengths, such as its ELA performance, the school faces challenges, particularly in math and addressing the rising chronic absenteeism. The high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, which has increased from 39.11% in 2021-2022 to 53.16% in 2023-2024, may indicate potential equity issues within the school. Targeted interventions and support for economically disadvantaged students may help address these challenges and improve the overall performance of Cardinal Junior High.

314

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,218

Per pupil spending ?

60.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4045 Ashland Road
Eldon, IA 52554

(641) 652-7531

District: Cardinal Community School District

Students who attend Cardinal Junior High usually attend:

High:

Cardinal High School

Feeder schools for Cardinal Junior High:

Elementary:

Cardinal Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.3%

Hispanic:

7.6%

Two or more races:

4.5%

See top rated Iowa middle schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 18th percentile in 2019 → 40th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2019

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg73%

Iowa avg72%

205^th of 344

Iowa public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 23 pts since 2019

From bottom 18% (2019) to bottom 40% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

248^th of 313Cardinal Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	48.7	205 of 344	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.7	193 of 337	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.2	233 of 334	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.2	218 of 337	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.7	261 of 324	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	281 of 342	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts77%~ state avg

Mathematics71%~ state avg

Science70%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Cardinal Junior High

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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)				ISASP Science (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 (2025)	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 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 7th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 8th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 7th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 8th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	ISASP Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cardinal Junior High	Public	5-8	4045 Ashland Road	Eldon	52554	Wapello County	Cardinal Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 652-7531	314	18	17.8	60.8%	271 (86.3%)	2 (0.6%)	24 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	14 (4.5%)	48.7	205^th of 344 public middle schools	40.4%		50.7	193^rd of 337 public middle schools	42.7%	12	73.8	75.6	73.0	85.1	67.5	74.4	64.4	75.7	66.3	73.0	$11,218	$698	$10,520
Liberty Intermediate School	Public	6-7	50 Traxler Drive	Ottumwa	52501	Wapello County	Ottumwa Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 682-4502	633	46	13.8	48.5%	302 (47.7%)	63 (10.0%)	166 (26.2%)	23 (3.6%)	6 (0.9%)	65 (10.3%)	8 (1.3%)								(n/a)		60.8	60.9			53.5	52.0				$13,867	$1,196	$12,671
Fairfield Middle School	Public	5-8	404 W Fillmore	Fairfield	52556	Jefferson County	Fairfield Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(641) 472-5019	410	30	13.7	41.0%	325 (79.3%)	2 (0.5%)	42 (10.2%)	18 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.4%)	54.9	172^nd of 344 public middle schools	50.0%		62.4	134^th of 337 public middle schools	60.2%	38	70.9	74.2	80.0	88.8	59.1	75.3	80.0	69.7	61.8	67.4	$13,667	$633	$13,034
Davis County Middle School	Public	5-8	500 E North St	Bloomfield	52537	Davis County	Davis County Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(641) 664-2200	337	18	18.9	47.2%	318 (94.4%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	35.2	266^th of 344 public middle schools	22.7%		38.5	241^st of 337 public middle schools	28.5%	25	65.2	61.0	78.4	84.9	71.9	59.7	68.9	59.3	55.1	69.8	$11,065	$358	$10,707

Frequently Asked Questions about Cardinal Junior High

What high school do graduates of Cardinal Junior High attend?

Students who attend Cardinal Junior High usually go on to attend Cardinal High School

What is the racial makeup of Cardinal Junior High?

Students at Cardinal Junior High are 86% White, 8% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Cardinal Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 314 students attended Cardinal Junior High.

Is Cardinal Junior High a good school?

Cardinal Junior High ranks 205^th of 344 Iowa middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Cardinal Junior High in?

Cardinal Community School District

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Latest Iowa data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 ISASP test scoresAug 20, 2025

2023–24 graduation ratesApr 1, 2025

2017–18 through 2023–24 attendance dataNov 15, 2024

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.