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Does Cardinal Elementary have enough mental health and stress support?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
495
Elementary
DISTRICT 360 · STATE 325
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CARDINAL COMM SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 190624001975
Cardinal Elementary
5414 Hwy 16, Eldon, IA 52554 · (641) 652-3591 · Wapello County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL495 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.5:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
64%
319 students
DISTRICT 60% · STATE 41%
Community
4
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 114 | 23% |
| Kindergarten | 74 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 81 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 67 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 75 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 84 | 17% |
Student demographics
21%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 21% · STATE 48% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Cardinal Comm School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
ISASP 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
68.2%
IA avg 73.6% . +8.6pp since 2023
Math
68.2%
IA avg 70.9% . +5.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the ISASP, Iowa's statewide test, about 68 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 68 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Iowa schools, those numbers are about 74 and 71. Reading and writing scores are up about 9 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 6 points.
ISASP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 68.2% | 68.2% |
| 2023-24 | 59.6% | 62.7% |
% Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: ISASP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
64.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
59.7%
based on IA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 65% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 60% typical for Iowa schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Iowa's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Where Cardinal Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Iowa | In Wapello County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 64.7% | #413 of 564 | #3 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 68.2% | #409 of 564 | #4 of 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 68.2% | #356 of 564 | #3 of 7 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 495 | #104 of 705 | #2 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.9:1 | #212 of 561 | #4 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 20.6% | #411 of 561 | #8 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.0% | #126 of 168 | #5 of 6 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list.
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
495
+19 (+4%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
was 16.4:1
% White
89%
was 90%
% Hispanic
8%
was 5%
% Black
0%
was 1%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free or reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 495 | 38.3 | 12.9:1 | 64% (319) |
| 2023-24 | 529 | 34.3 | 15.4:1 | 66% (348) |
| 2022-23 | 514 | 36.7 | 14.0:1 | 65% (332) |
| 2017-18 | 476 | 29 | 16.4:1 | 63% (300) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cardinal Elementary.
About Cardinal Elementary
Cardinal Elementary is a high-enrollment elementary school. Its address is in Eldon, Iowa. The student body numbers 495 students, from pre-K through 4. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Iowa is about 325, so this school runs 52% above that.
Cardinal Comm School District enrolls 1,079 students, and its 3 schools include Cardinal Elementary.
About 89% of the student body at Cardinal Elementary is White. Beyond that, enrollment is 8% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. In Wapello County overall, about 79% of residents are White. Pick two students at random and there is a 21% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Dividing enrollment by its 38.3 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 12.9:1. That is lower than the 13.7:1 average for elementary schools in Iowa. Eligible students account for 64% of enrollment in the free or reduced-price lunch program. Across public schools in Wapello County, the average is 48%.
Cardinal Elementary scores 64.7% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 59.7%.
Federal survey data for Wapello County show that the median household income is $64,766, roughly 20% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. There are 18 public schools in Wapello County, enrolling about 6,892 students in all.
The shortest distance from Cardinal Elementary to another public school is about 0.2 miles, to Cardinal Junior High. Counting only straight-line distance, 2 other public schools are within five miles. On state test proficiency, Cardinal Elementary ranks 3rd in a group of 7 nearby schools.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Rural: Distant: in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Enrollment at Cardinal Elementary grew 4% between 2017-18 and 2024-25, from 476 to 495 students. Federal data show the ratio falling from 16.4:1 to 12.9:1.
Parents and students can post about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at Cardinal Elementary. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Wapello County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
35,362
Census ACS
Median income
$64,766
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
18
6,892 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cardinal Comm School District
- Cardinal Junior HighMiddle · 314 students
- Cardinal High SchoolHigh · 270 students
Other schools in Eldon
- Cardinal Junior HighMiddle · 314 students
- Cardinal High SchoolHigh · 270 students
Nearby schools
- Cardinal Junior High0.2 mi · 314
- Cardinal High School0.2 mi · 270
- Wilson Elementary School9.1 mi · 335
- Ottumwa High School9.4 mi · 910
- Douma Elementary School10.1 mi · 327
- Fahrney Elementary10.1 mi · 490
Frequently asked questions
About Cardinal ElementaryHow many students attend Cardinal Elementary?
Cardinal Elementary enrolls approximately 495 students in grades PK-04.
What grades does Cardinal Elementary serve?
Cardinal Elementary serves grades PK-04.
How many students per teacher at Cardinal Elementary?
Approximately 12.9:1 students per teacher at Cardinal Elementary.
What is the student diversity at Cardinal Elementary?
Student demographics at Cardinal Elementary are roughly 89% White, 8% Hispanic, 0% Black, 3% Two or more.
Is Cardinal Elementary public or private?
Cardinal Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Cardinal Comm School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.