Cardinal Elementary

Cardinal Elementary in Muskegon, MI, serves 611 students in grades K-5 as part of the Orchard View Schools district, where about 71% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.8:1 and invests roughly $16,000 per student annually, yet its overall state ranking places it in the bottom quintile of Michigan elementary schools—a modest improvement from recent years but still a 1-star rating.

One of the most encouraging stories at Cardinal is the remarkable progress among Hispanic students, who have climbed from the 38th percentile statewide in 2023-2024 to the 67th percentile in 2025-2026—a 3-star performance that outpaces every other subgroup in the building. Meanwhile, the school has cut chronic absenteeism by more than half since the pandemic, dropping from 56.6% in 2020-2021 to 22.6% today, which is better than the district average of 36% and the state average of 27.9%. However, a concerning pattern emerges in math: while 3rd and 4th graders hover around 27% proficiency, 5th grade math plunges to just 12%, a drop that has persisted across multiple years and suggests a possible curriculum transition issue worth investigating.

Compared to nearby options, Cardinal sits in a challenging but not hopeless position. It outperforms Marquette Elementary and Oakview Elementary in Muskegon Public Schools, where chronic absenteeism exceeds 52% and proficiency rates are often in single digits. Yet just four miles away, Beach Elementary in Fruitport achieves nearly double the proficiency rates with a lower poverty population, and ReethsPuffer Elementary also posts stronger results despite spending less per student. This suggests that while Cardinal's attendance improvements and targeted gains with Hispanic learners are real successes, the school still has significant work ahead to close the achievement gap with its higher-performing neighbors.