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Cardinal Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1045^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Cardinal Elementary is a public elementary school in Richmond, Virginia, serving 849 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Richmond City Public Schools district, which is ranked 115 out of 129 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cardinal Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Virginia elementary schools, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's academic performance is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 31.58% of 3rd-grade students were proficient or better in SOL/English Reading, compared to 66.93% statewide and 48.25% for the Richmond City Public Schools district. Additionally, Cardinal Elementary has consistently high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 14.3% to 25.3% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages.

When comparing Cardinal Elementary to nearby schools in the same district, the differences in academic performance are stark. For instance, Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, a public charter school located just 1.85 miles away, outperforms Cardinal Elementary by a wide margin, with 81.4% of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in SOL/English Reading. Despite the school's low academic performance, Cardinal Elementary's per-student spending is relatively high, ranging from $6,601 to $7,376 over the past few years, suggesting that the issue may not be solely a lack of funding, but rather the effective allocation and utilization of resources to address the specific needs of the student population.

821

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,372

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1745 Catalina Dr
Richmond, VA 23224-4899

(804) 780-5082

District: Richmond City Public Schools

Students who attend Cardinal Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Thomas C. Boushall Middle
High:	Franklin Military Academy
	Open High
	Richmond Community High
	Richmond High School for the Arts

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.4%

African American:

11.2%

White:

1.5%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (44% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!English Reading scores 37 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg51%

Virginia avg71%

1,045^th of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 26Elementary Schools in the Richmond City Public Schools

115^th of 129Richmond City Public Schools among Virginia 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	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	7.9	1045 of 1110	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.7	1095 of 1114	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.5	1101 of 1114	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	1.6	1102 of 1109	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.3	1084 of 1103	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	0.9	1094 of 1105	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.2	1064 of 1097	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.5	1084 of 1099	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	5.7	1075 of 1096	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.9	1009 of 1100	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	28.8	900 of 1110	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.7	886 of 1120	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	40.5	778 of 1117	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	45.9	697 of 1117	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.4	789 of 1113	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	2.6	1078 of 1082	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	11.9	1046 of 1081	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	11.6	1052 of 1083	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	28.5	916 of 1071	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	32.7	842 of 1062	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	74.2	116 of 579	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	45.4	359 of 588	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	33.3	221 of 326	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.2	259 of 306	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	246 of 300	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	7.3	1047 of 1096	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.5	1090 of 1098	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	1.5	1098 of 1100	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	552 of 606	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	555 of 580	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.0	552 of 564	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	790 of 1046	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.9	897 of 1036	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	8.9	1027 of 1093	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.5	1073 of 1101	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.3	1071 of 1093	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)80th percentile+74 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)32nd percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile+19 vs school

Hispanic (2025)9th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)6th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics55%-18 vs state

Science48%-21 vs state

English Reading34%-37 vs state

VA Studies32%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cardinal Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Mathematics (2025)			SOL Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)			SOL VA Studies (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	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cardinal Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1745 Catalina Dr	Richmond	23224	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-5082	821	52	15.7	99.6%	12 (1.5%)	92 (11.2%)	709 (86.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	4 (0.5%)	7.9	1045^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.9%		3.7	1095^th of 1114 public elementary schools	1.7%	50	49.3	55.9	59.3	48.2	31.6	33.9	37.2	32.4	$10,372	$443	$9,930
Broad Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4615 Ferguson Ln	Richmond	23234	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-5048	612	41	14.7	99.3%	11 (1.8%)	231 (37.7%)	361 (59.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.5%)	14.9	983^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	11.4%		18.3	952^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	14.5%	31	52.3	63.2	59.3	47.3	41.0	52.1	63.6	38.7	$13,168	$1,150	$12,018
J.L. Francis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5146 Snead Rd	Richmond	23224	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 745-3702	526	37	14.2	99.2%	29 (5.5%)	188 (35.7%)	289 (54.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.0%)	20	928^th of 1110 public elementary schools	16.4%		16	972^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	12.7%	44	52.3	54.3	72.8	56.5	33.3	64.6	59.6	33.3	$11,278	$541	$10,737
Swansboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3160 Midlothian Tnpk	Richmond	23224	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-5030	172	17	10.3	98.3%	7 (4.1%)	114 (66.3%)	46 (26.7%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	19	942^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	15.1%		21.2	930^th of 1114 public elementary schools	16.5%	12	56.3	61.1	63.2		41.4	70.6	50.0	50.0	$21,515	$1,645	$19,870
G.H. Reid Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1301 Whitehead Rd	Richmond	23225	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 745-3550	671	41	16.5	99.1%	3 (0.4%)	248 (37.0%)	407 (60.7%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.2%)	3.7	1081^st of 1110 public elementary schools	2.6%		8	1047^th of 1114 public elementary schools	6.0%	34	51.3	40.9	43.1	37.6	37.3	29.8	45.6	28.0	$9,993	$518	$9,474
Patrick Henry School Of Science And Arts	Public, Charter	K-5	3411 Semmes Avenue	Richmond	23225	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	Yes	No	No	No	(804) 888-7061	310	19	16.6	100.0%	136 (43.9%)	124 (40.0%)	23 (7.4%)	6 (1.9%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	18 (5.8%)	76.9	267^th of 1110 public elementary schools	75.9%		43.4	689^th of 1114 public elementary schools	38.2%	422	90.7	87.5	76.6	72.3	81.4	92.5	79.2	87.5	$12,649	$41	$12,608
Oak Grove/Bellemeade Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2409 Webber Avenue	Richmond	23224	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-5008	551	36	15.4	98.0%	9 (1.6%)	310 (56.3%)	220 (39.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.6%)	2.7	1094^th of 1110 public elementary schools	1.4%		2.5	1104^th of 1114 public elementary schools	0.9%	10	34.2	41.9	22.1	35.9	42.7	46.6	41.1	33.3	$11,716	$1,109	$10,607
Bensley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4724 Hopkins Road	North Chesterfield	23234	Chesterfield County	Chesterfield County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 743-3610	615	56	11.0	77.6%	19 (3.1%)	100 (16.3%)	481 (78.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.3%)	5.5	1071^st of 1110 public elementary schools	3.5%		3.5	1096^th of 1114 public elementary schools	1.6%	25	51.4	45.7	49.4	47.4	43.9	33.7	37.5	25.5	$9,550	$885	$8,665
Miles Jones Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Beaufont Hill Drive	Richmond	23225	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 319-3185	505	37	13.7	99.0%	20 (4.0%)	271 (53.7%)	200 (39.6%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.8%)	4.1	1079^th of 1110 public elementary schools	2.8%		4	1090^th of 1114 public elementary schools	2.2%	11	39.5	52.9	41.8	25.3	31.3	50.0	38.2	37.2	$10,426	$656	$9,770
Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5601 Jahnke Rd	Richmond	23225	Richmond city	Richmond City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(804) 780-5061	355	25	14.3	99.7%	21 (5.9%)	164 (46.2%)	159 (44.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.5%)	8.2	1042^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	6.1%		14.3	985^th of 1114 public elementary schools	11.6%	57	59.1	42.2	53.6	46.4	42.2	31.8	48.2	26.7	$13,958	$1,513	$12,445

Frequently Asked Questions about Cardinal Elementary

How many students attend Cardinal Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 821 students attended Cardinal Elementary.

Is Cardinal Elementary a good school?

Cardinal Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.9% of Virginia elementary schools.

What district is Cardinal Elementary in?

Richmond City Public Schools

What is the racial makeup of Cardinal Elementary?

Students at Cardinal Elementary are 86% Hispanic, 11% African American, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Cardinal Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cardinal Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Thomas C. Boushall Middle
High : Franklin Military Academy
High : Open High
High : Richmond Community High
High : Richmond High School for the Arts

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