Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 52554

The 52554 zip code contains only one elementary school, Cardinal Elementary, which serves students in the Cardinal Community School District. Cardinal Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Iowa elementary schools, with a SchoolDigger rating of 1 out of 5 stars, indicating below-average performance.

Academically, Cardinal Elementary's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics for 3rd and 4th grades are below the state averages. For example, in 4th grade ELA, the school had a 73.5% proficiency rate compared to the state average of 76%, and in 4th grade Mathematics, the school had a 69.9% proficiency rate compared to the state average of 74.3%. Additionally, the school has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 21.6%, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Despite the school's higher per-student spending of $10,997 and a slightly lower student-teacher ratio of 15.4 compared to the state average, Cardinal Elementary's academic performance remains below par. This suggests that simply allocating more resources may not be the sole solution to improving the school's performance. The high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, at 65.78%, indicates that the school may be serving a population with significant socioeconomic challenges, which can impact academic outcomes.