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Cardinal Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

991^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Cardinal Elementary is a large PK–5 school in Richmond City Public Schools serving 821 students, where nearly all students (99.6%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in one of the highest-poverty areas of Richmond. Historically, Cardinal ranked in the bottom 1–3% of Virginia elementary schools, but in 2025–26 it reached its strongest state ranking in over a decade—the 11th percentile statewide—earning its first star after years of zero-star ratings.

Math is Cardinal's standout success story. Third-grade math proficiency jumped from 31.6% in 2022–23 to 70.1% in 2025–26, and all three tested grades now exceed the Richmond City district average in math. In fact, Cardinal's math scores outpaced those of Bensley Elementary and Falling Creek Elementary in Chesterfield County—schools in a higher-rated district with lower poverty rates. Attendance is another strength: Cardinal's chronic absenteeism rate was just 13.6% in 2024–25, far better than the district's 20.5% and lower than nearby schools like Oak Grove/Bellemeade Elementary (21.0%) and G.H. Reid Elementary (19.1%).

Reading remains the school's biggest challenge. While 3rd grade reading (49.6%) exceeds the district average, 5th grade reading (39.8%) trails the district by 13.7 points and the state by 32.6 points. Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, a same-district school just 1.9 miles away serving a similarly high-poverty population, posted dramatically higher reading scores (88.6% in 4th grade vs. Cardinal's 43.4%). That said, Cardinal shows pockets of excellence with specific student groups: English Language Learner students climbed from the 15th to the 62nd percentile statewide over two years, and African American students earned a 4-star ranking in 2024–25. The school's class sizes also improved, with the student–teacher ratio dropping from 20.7 to 15.7.

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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Compare Cardinal Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2016 → 11th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (52% vs 72% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!VA Studies scores 29 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg52%

Virginia avg72%

991^st of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 2% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

118^th of 131Richmond 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
2026	14.8	991 of 1111	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	47.5	339 of 591	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	60.9	119 of 315	62.2%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	12.2	1010 of 1100	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	26.9	484 of 619	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	31.1	786 of 1040	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
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
2026	20.9	935 of 1099	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
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)

English Language Learner (2026)62nd percentile+51 vs school

African American (2026)43rd percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)24th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)22nd percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)15th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)8th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics63%-10 vs state

Science50%-19 vs state

English Reading44%-27 vs state

VA Studies41%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cardinal Elementary

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SOL Mathematics (2026)			SOL Science (2026)	SOL English Reading (2026)			SOL VA Studies (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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%)	14.8	991^st of 1111 public elementary schools	10.8%		7.9	1045^th of 1110 public elementary schools	5.9%	54	70.1	57.4	62.7	50.0	49.6	43.4	39.8	41.1	$10,372	$443	$9,930
Broad Rock Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4615 Ferguson Ln	Richmond	23234	Chesterfield County	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%)	20.7	934^th of 1111 public elementary schools	15.9%		14.9	983^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	11.4%	49	61.5	68.4	52.4	49.5	53.8	61.7	56.4	60.2	$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%)	14.9	988^th of 1111 public elementary schools	11.1%		20	928^th of 1110 public elementary schools	16.4%	60	56.4	43.0	81.8	55.7	39.8	41.0	51.9	21.5	$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%)	5.2	1068^th of 1111 public elementary schools	3.9%		19	942^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	15.1%	126	55.9	52.8	40.7	33.3	27.3	42.9	38.5	47.2	$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%)	8	1043^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	6.1%		3.7	1081^st of 1110 public elementary schools	2.6%	38	48.7	60.8	47.3	50.6	32.1	49.0	46.5	45.5	$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%)	62.5	448^th of 1111 public elementary schools	59.7%		76.9	267^th of 1110 public elementary schools	75.9%	181	64.2	93.2	76.6	78.7	56.6	88.6	85.1	79.6	$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%)	5.1	1073^rd of 1111 public elementary schools	3.4%		2.7	1094^th of 1110 public elementary schools	1.4%	21	55.2	37.5	41.9	48.7	45.8	31.8	48.0	29.9	$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%)	3	1089^th of 1111 public elementary schools	2.0%		5.5	1071^st of 1110 public elementary schools	3.5%	18	29.0	57.4	38.4	28.7	27.9	42.0	34.9	30.7	$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%)	2.7	1092^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	1.7%		4.1	1079^th of 1110 public elementary schools	2.8%	13	48.7	43.2	46.9	34.6	26.7	44.3	39.5	30.7	$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%)	6.1	1058^th of 1111 public elementary schools	4.8%		8.2	1042^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	6.1%	16	58.1	52.5	34.9	30.2	34.4	49.2	34.1	49.2	$13,958	$1,513	$12,445

Frequently Asked Questions about Cardinal Elementary

Is Cardinal Elementary a good school?

Cardinal Elementary ranks in the bottom 10.8% of Virginia elementary schools.

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

What is the racial makeup of Cardinal Elementary?

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

How many students attend Cardinal Elementary?

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

What district is Cardinal Elementary in?

Richmond City Public Schools

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresAug 25, 2026

2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataFeb 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 6, 2026

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.