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Cardinal Elementary School

Q: Is Cardinal Elementary School a good school?

Cardinal Elementary School ranks 166 th of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

166^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 294 Nebraska Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of Nebraska elementary schools

Summary

Cardinal Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 434 students in grades PK-5 in South Sioux City, Nebraska. The school is part of the South Sioux City Community Schools district, which is ranked 109 out of 115 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the district's lower ranking, Cardinal Elementary stands out as a relatively high-performing school. The school consistently outperforms the district and the state of Nebraska in academic proficiency across grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, 66.67% of 3rd graders at Cardinal Elementary were proficient or better in NSCAS Mathematics, compared to 48.33% for the district and 60.26% for the state. Additionally, Cardinal Elementary has maintained a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years, which is higher than the 0-star rating of the overall district.

While Cardinal Elementary's performance is impressive, it faces some challenges. The school has seen a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 6.6% in 2020-2021 to 19.3% in 2024-2025. Additionally, when compared to nearby schools like Ponca Elementary and Homer Elementary, which are in different districts, Cardinal Elementary lags behind in overall academic proficiency. Addressing these areas of concern could help Cardinal Elementary continue to improve and better serve its diverse student population.

424

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,673

Per pupil spending ?

60.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

820 E 29th Street
South Sioux City, NE 68776-3345

(402) 494-1662

District: So Sioux City Community Schools

Students who attend Cardinal Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	South Sioux City Middle School
High:	South Sioux High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

69.6%

White:

15.3%

African American:

7.1%

See top rated Nebraska elementary schools

Compare Cardinal Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 24th percentile in 2015 → 44th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Nebraska average (67% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 20 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

District avg52%

Nebraska avg61%

166^th of 294

Nebraska public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 24% (2015) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Nebraska Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the So Sioux City Community Schools

109^th of 118So Sioux City Community Schools among Nebraska 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	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	47.6	166 of 294	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.2	234 of 428	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.9	314 of 459	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.1	296 of 457	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.0	271 of 442	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.9	155 of 452	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.4	259 of 450	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.4	218 of 459	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	29.0	381 of 480	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.5	371 of 488	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.4	353 of 483	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	22.0	417 of 485	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.4	393 of 480	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.1	439 of 473	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	39.7	374 of 502	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	56.6	240 of 471	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	64.7	168 of 478	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	69.6	114 of 430	73.5%	★★★★☆
2006	51.0	242 of 418	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	75.3	1 of 4	75.0%	★★★★★
2024	87.1	6 of 54	88.9%	★★★★★
2023	72.6	11 of 76	85.5%	★★★★☆
2021	67.4	12 of 47	74.5%	★★★★☆
2019	87.1	3 of 60	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	68.7	14 of 63	77.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	47.3	55 of 90	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.6	76 of 203	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	40.8	212 of 349	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	197 of 337	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.3	209 of 318	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.8	106 of 349	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.9	152 of 341	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	84.4	1 of 9	88.9%	★★★★★
2024	84.1	6 of 53	88.7%	★★★★★
2023	73.7	15 of 108	86.1%	★★★★☆
2022	71.4	22 of 81	72.8%	★★★★☆
2021	80.2	8 of 68	88.2%	★★★★☆
2019	90.3	2 of 90	97.8%	★★★★★
2018	73.5	13 of 81	84.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2023	56.9	133 of 312	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.2	63 of 259	75.7%	★★★★☆
2021	60.7	101 of 264	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	84.2	20 of 298	93.3%	★★★★★
2018	68.4	72 of 281	74.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2025	58.6	46 of 90	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.9	125 of 203	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.0	276 of 366	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.0	233 of 356	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.4	217 of 328	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.8	149 of 367	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.5	252 of 347	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Nebraska percentile	Rating
2018	52.4	173 of 391	55.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)89th percentile+45 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)75th percentile+31 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)57th percentile+26 vs school

White (2018)56th percentile+13 vs school

Male (2025)49th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)39th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Nebraska (2024-2025) ?

Science85%+5 vs state

Mathematics73%+15 vs state

English Language Arts55%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cardinal Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NSCAS English Language Arts (2025)					NSCAS Mathematics (2025)				NSCAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	NSCAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	NSCAS English Language Arts All Grades	NSCAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 4th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics 5th Grade	NSCAS Mathematics All Grades	NSCAS Science 5th Grade	NSCAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cardinal Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	820 E 29th Street	South Sioux City	68776	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 494-1662	424	32	13.3	60.6%	65 (15.3%)	30 (7.1%)	295 (69.6%)	10 (2.4%)	9 (2.1%)	9 (2.1%)	6 (1.4%)	47.6	166^th of 294 public elementary schools	43.5%		54.2	234^th of 428 public elementary schools	45.3%	68	56.1	63.5	46.2		55.2	66.7	77.8	73.9	72.7	84.6	84.6	$16,673	$1,031	$14,521
Covington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2116 A Street	South Sioux City	68776	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 494-4238	408	34	12.0	74.5%	47 (11.5%)	67 (16.4%)	253 (62.0%)	4 (1.0%)	17 (4.2%)	11 (2.7%)	9 (2.2%)	16	263^rd of 294 public elementary schools	10.5%		34.8	311^th of 428 public elementary schools	27.3%	48	47.8	51.4			44.9		61.4	33.3	46.8			$15,882	$1,873	$12,977
Harney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 Arbor Drive	South Sioux City	68776	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 494-1446	328	32	10.2	76.2%	22 (6.7%)	82 (25.0%)	198 (60.4%)	6 (1.8%)	11 (3.4%)	2 (0.6%)	7 (2.1%)	28.1	232^nd of 294 public elementary schools	21.1%		61.3	186^th of 428 public elementary schools	56.5%	46	44.4	64.9	39.2		49.7	46.8	64.9	74.5	61.2	78.4	78.4	$17,484	$2,143	$14,265
Lewis & Clark Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	801 2nd Ave	South Sioux City	68776	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 494-1917	253	22	11.3	84.6%	25 (9.9%)	4 (1.6%)	201 (79.4%)	7 (2.8%)	7 (2.8%)	4 (1.6%)	5 (2.0%)								(n/a)					40.5				39.2			$18,385	$2,150	$15,362
Dakota City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1801 Locust St	Dakota City	68731	Dakota County	So Sioux City Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 987-3363	246	23	10.8	66.7%	67 (27.2%)	5 (2.0%)	154 (62.6%)	14 (5.7%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	51.9	152^nd of 294 public elementary schools	48.3%		23.2	347^th of 428 public elementary schools	18.9%	195			68.1		52.5	50.0		78.7	61.5	83.0	83.0	$17,911	$1,154	$15,305
Jackson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	223 N John St	Jackson	68743	Dakota County	Ponca Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 632-4276	116	9	12.5	15.5%	112 (96.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$20,582	$1,827	$16,965
Homer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	212 S 3rd	Homer	68030	Dakota County	Homer Community Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 698-2377	245	21	11.8	46.5%	192 (78.4%)	1 (0.4%)	13 (5.3%)	4 (1.6%)	30 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	61.1	119^th of 294 public elementary schools	59.5%		40.1	293^rd of 428 public elementary schools	31.5%	174	68.0			63.6	48.0	76.0			63.0			$17,062	$831	$13,285
Winnebago Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	202 Osborne St	Winnebago	68071	Thurston County	Winnebago Public Schools District 17	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 878-2224	438	43	10.2		4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	415 (94.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)								(n/a)												$30,895	$3,793	$23,832
Ponca Elementary School	Public	3-6	505 3rd St	Ponca	68770	Dixon County	Ponca Public Schools	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(402) 755-5700	128	11	11.9	24.2%	119 (93.0%)	3 (2.3%)	3 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	77.7	57^th of 294 public elementary schools	80.6%		82.9	52^nd of 428 public elementary schools	87.9%	5	77.8	71.4	70.0	78.6	74.4		80.0		86.8			$21,303	$600	$17,317

Frequently Asked Questions about Cardinal Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Cardinal Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cardinal Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : South Sioux City Middle School
High : South Sioux High School

How many students attend Cardinal Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 424 students attended Cardinal Elementary School.

Is Cardinal Elementary School a good school?

Cardinal Elementary School ranks 166^th of 294 Nebraska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cardinal Elementary School?

Students at Cardinal Elementary School are 70% Hispanic, 15% White, 7% African American, 2% Asian, 2% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Cardinal Elementary School in?

So Sioux City Community Schools

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Schools in South Sioux City, NE

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