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Cardinal Charter Academy

Q: Is Cardinal Charter Academy a good school?

Cardinal Charter Academy ranks 382 nd of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

382^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Cardinal Charter Academy is a public charter elementary and middle school located in Cary, North Carolina, serving 720 students from kindergarten through 8th grade. The school is part of the Cardinal Charter District, which is ranked 25th out of 242 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cardinal Charter Academy consistently ranks among the top 35% of elementary schools in North Carolina, with strong academic performance, particularly in mathematics. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 7th-grade mathematics proficiency rate was 75.5%, compared to the state average of 53.5%. The school also performs well across different student subgroups, including those with disabilities, ranking in the top 5% of North Carolina elementary schools for this population. However, the school has seen an increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 10.37% in 2021-2022 to 41.11% in 2023-2024, which may have implications for the school's ability to provide personalized attention and support to its growing population of economically disadvantaged students.

When compared to nearby public schools in the Wake County School District, Cardinal Charter Academy generally outperforms them, particularly in mathematics and reading proficiency rates. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's 8th-grade reading proficiency rate was 78.3%, compared to the state average of 54.2% and the nearby Morrisville Elementary School's rate of 63%. However, some nearby schools, such as Farmington Woods Elementary and Morrisville Elementary, have higher overall rankings and performance in certain grade levels and subject areas.

584

Students ?

45.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

47.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1020 St. Charles Place
Cary, NC 27513

(919) 653-5000

District: Cardinal Charter

Racial breakdown:

African American:

33.9%

White:

26.2%

Hispanic:

20.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Cardinal Charter Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 60th percentile in 2024 → 74th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (67% vs 56% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 74th (2025) from a 60th-percentile low (2024)

✓Above the North Carolina median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 45 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

North Carolina avg56%

Elementary school

382^nd of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 18 pts since 2015

From top 8% (2015) to top 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

126^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 16%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to top 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^th of 242Cardinal Charter among North Carolina districts

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

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	70.5	382 of 1490	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	59.1	600 of 1505	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.3	540 of 1502	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.8	502 of 1514	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	78.8	262 of 1489	82.4%	★★★★☆
2019	81.9	208 of 1473	85.9%	★★★★☆
2018	76.8	280 of 1434	80.5%	★★★★☆
2017	82.7	181 of 1429	87.3%	★★★★☆
2016	83.9	170 of 1425	88.1%	★★★★☆
2015	88.4	115 of 1440	92.0%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.7	249 of 918	72.9%	★★★★☆
2024	45.8	486 of 924	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.0	364 of 933	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.3	284 of 927	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	82.1	92 of 896	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	80.1	101 of 949	89.4%	★★★★☆
2018	70.3	193 of 927	79.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	60.2	68 of 131	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.4	78 of 130	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.0	77 of 114	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.0	76 of 107	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.4	64 of 95	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.7	31 of 106	70.8%	★★★★☆
2018	78.2	15 of 99	84.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	78.8	64 of 646	90.1%	★★★★★
2019	84.7	53 of 878	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	86.3	55 of 897	93.9%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	57.5	161 of 533	69.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	66.9	418 of 1451	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	50.5	705 of 1455	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	749 of 1459	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	62.1	514 of 1458	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.2	285 of 1440	80.2%	★★★★☆
2019	82.5	175 of 1424	87.7%	★★★★☆
2018	72.7	344 of 1405	75.5%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	68.8	123 of 494	75.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	76.6	128 of 961	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	46.3	503 of 951	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.9	263 of 915	71.3%	★★★★☆
2022	62.5	248 of 893	72.2%	★★★★☆
2021	74.3	133 of 843	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	88.6	42 of 865	95.1%	★★★★★
2018	60.3	288 of 851	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	67.6	354 of 1437	75.4%	★★★★☆
2024	55.7	586 of 1450	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.2	570 of 1437	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.9	917 of 1366	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	83.5	112 of 1329	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	57.5	531 of 1361	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.2	783 of 1332	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	68.5	399 of 1450	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	66.9	434 of 1464	70.4%	★★★★☆
2023	72.7	333 of 1461	77.2%	★★★★☆
2022	64.6	477 of 1464	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	79.1	249 of 1444	82.8%	★★★★☆
2019	77.9	244 of 1430	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	79.5	218 of 1413	84.6%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	64.7	23 of 97	76.3%	★★★★☆
2019	62.1	34 of 103	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.5	66 of 86	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	64.4	173 of 801	78.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.7	296 of 1172	74.7%	★★★★☆
2024	62.0	425 of 1166	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.0	403 of 1183	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.7	616 of 1194	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.5	373 of 1172	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.9	350 of 1183	70.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.8	439 of 1178	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	81.3	126 of 773	83.7%	★★★★☆
2024	76.9	153 of 793	80.7%	★★★★☆
2023	78.4	151 of 784	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	79.7	142 of 786	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	80.0	133 of 741	82.1%	★★★★☆
2019	77.0	147 of 737	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	82.0	92 of 691	86.7%	★★★★☆
2017	84.8	73 of 694	89.5%	★★★★☆
2016	91.1	41 of 692	94.1%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.0	65 of 546	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	78.9	79 of 560	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	78.8	78 of 559	86.0%	★★★★☆
2022	68.2	105 of 550	80.9%	★★★★☆
2021	69.0	87 of 533	83.7%	★★★★☆
2019	66.4	111 of 519	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	64.5	119 of 494	75.9%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	57.3	54 of 109	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	79.4	21 of 102	79.4%	★★★★☆
2018	78.6	25 of 95	73.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	94.0	10 of 449	97.8%	★★★★★
2021	76.7	37 of 478	92.3%	★★★★★
2019	83.5	33 of 504	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	90.9	14 of 475	97.1%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	99.4	3 of 318	99.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	65.7	218 of 733	70.3%	★★★★☆
2024	65.7	229 of 738	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.7	161 of 731	78.0%	★★★★☆
2022	79.4	132 of 733	82.0%	★★★★☆
2021	77.0	137 of 706	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	76.1	142 of 684	79.2%	★★★★☆
2018	82.9	84 of 656	87.2%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	73.2	72 of 448	83.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.4	62 of 562	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	54.5	228 of 564	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	86.2	39 of 541	92.8%	★★★★★
2021	88.2	33 of 522	93.7%	★★★★★
2019	60.0	140 of 493	71.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	90.5	38 of 729	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	78.4	93 of 743	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	80.6	86 of 735	88.3%	★★★★☆
2021	84.8	43 of 633	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	70.1	132 of 639	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	42.2	363 of 604	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	90.2	54 of 733	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	81.5	109 of 751	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	77.2	149 of 747	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	77.6	146 of 748	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	79.7	126 of 711	82.3%	★★★★☆
2019	74.6	149 of 697	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	80.6	98 of 665	85.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	71.8	66 of 302	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	67.9	68 of 283	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	36.9	160 of 221	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	87.9	64 of 649	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	83.8	94 of 652	85.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.0	177 of 656	73.0%	★★★★☆
2022	76.9	138 of 658	79.0%	★★★★☆
2021	81.0	97 of 632	84.7%	★★★★☆
2019	73.5	150 of 624	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	79.6	94 of 596	84.2%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Disabled (2021)90th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)87th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2024)78th percentile+18 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)76th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)75th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2021)75th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)75th percentile~ school

African American (2025)73rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)72nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)71st percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)70th percentile+10 vs school

Asian (2025)48th percentile-26 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2023)99th percentile+18 vs school

Disabled (2022)98th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2025)93rd percentile+9 vs school

White (2025)90th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)89th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2025)88th percentile+4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2021)84th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)78th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)70th percentile-13 vs school

Asian (2022)50th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science69%+8 vs state

Mathematics68%+11 vs state

Reading65%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cardinal Charter Academy

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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)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG 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	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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cardinal Charter Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1020 St. Charles Place	Cary	27513	Wake County	Cardinal Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 653-5000	584	13	45.1	47.4%	153 (26.2%)	198 (33.9%)	120 (20.5%)	68 (11.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (7.2%)	70.5	382^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	74.4%		59.1	600^th of 1505 public elementary schools	60.1%	218	71.4	66.7	67.8	66.0	75.5	58.7	44.6	70.8	67.8	63.8	67.9	78.3	63.8	76.1
Kingswood Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	200 E. Johnson Street	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 460-3481	427	34	12.6	42.4%	123 (28.8%)	80 (18.7%)	116 (27.2%)	83 (19.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.9%)	66.7	452^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	69.7%		61.7	548^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.6%	96	69.6	71.4	55.9				62.3	58.9	62.7				62.7		$11,660	$901	$10,759
Northwoods Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8850 Chapel Hill Road	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3491	579	43	13.5	35.1%	179 (30.9%)	85 (14.7%)	117 (20.2%)	165 (28.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.5%)	77.3	289^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.6%		68.1	442^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	70.6%	153	77.3	69.7	66.7				62.9	74.2	64.2				65.4		$10,215	$549	$9,666
Reedy Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	940 Reedy Creek Road	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 380-3660	605	44	13.6	67.4%	159 (26.3%)	218 (36.0%)	186 (30.7%)	23 (3.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (2.6%)	48	779^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.7%		40.3	928^th of 1505 public elementary schools	38.3%	149	66.7	51.5	55.7				44.8	59.4	53.8				50.9		$10,097	$906	$9,191
Cary Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Kildaire Farm Road	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3455	477	32	14.7	42.6%	269 (56.4%)	52 (10.9%)	112 (23.5%)	19 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.0%)	79.9	246^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.5%		79.2	254^th of 1505 public elementary schools	83.1%	8	71.3	71.8	68.5				66.3	66.7	71.2				79.5		$10,015	$629	$9,386
Weatherstone Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 Olde Weatherstone Way	Cary	27513	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 380-6988	730	48	15.1	31.1%	294 (40.3%)	47 (6.4%)	184 (25.2%)	170 (23.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (4.7%)	79	263^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	82.3%		77.4	291^st of 1505 public elementary schools	80.7%	28	68.5	84.1	84.7				51.5	63.7	66.4				81.0		$8,983	$480	$8,503
Adams Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	805 Cary Towne Blvd	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 460-3431	655	52	12.6	61.2%	252 (38.5%)	116 (17.7%)	237 (36.2%)	21 (3.2%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	24 (3.7%)	52.7	698^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.2%		61	565^th of 1505 public elementary schools	62.5%	133	68.1	62.1	55.7				46.9	55.3	49.5				59.4		$10,267	$952	$9,315
Briarcliff Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1220 Pond St	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 460-3443	486	32	15.0	43.0%	275 (56.6%)	39 (8.0%)	117 (24.1%)	40 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	55.4	645^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.7%		68.2	440^th of 1505 public elementary schools	70.8%	205	62.5	58.2	49.4				55.6	68.4	55.3				57.6		$10,299	$630	$9,670
Farmington Woods Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1413 Hampton Valley Rd	Cary	27511	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 460-3469	648	47	13.8	31.0%	305 (47.1%)	63 (9.7%)	140 (21.6%)	102 (15.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.6%)	88.4	133^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	91.1%		89.2	126^th of 1505 public elementary schools	91.6%	7	82.2	72.2	78.3				67.3	78.4	75.7				81.7		$9,948	$469	$9,479
Mount Vernon	Public	K-8	5418 Chapel Hill Rd	Raleigh	27607	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 233-4313	70	26	2.6	95.7%	16 (22.9%)	32 (45.7%)	15 (21.4%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.1%)								(n/a)						14.0						27.9		25.6	$39,441	$8,764	$30,677

Frequently Asked Questions about Cardinal Charter Academy

What is the racial makeup of Cardinal Charter Academy?

Students at Cardinal Charter Academy are 34% African American, 26% White, 21% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 7% Two or more races.

How many students attend Cardinal Charter Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 584 students attended Cardinal Charter Academy.

Is Cardinal Charter Academy a good school?

Cardinal Charter Academy ranks 382^nd of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Cardinal Charter Academy in?

Cardinal Charter

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

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.