Cardinal Elementary

Located at 5414 Hwy 16, in Eldon, Iowa, Cardinal Elementary is an expansive elementary-level community that educates 495 students (grades pre-K through 4), overseen by Cardinal Comm School District. That puts it 52% above the typical public school in Iowa, which averages around 325 students.

Within Cardinal Comm School District, which oversees 3 schools and 1,079 students, Cardinal Elementary is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Cardinal Elementary records that nearly all students (89%) are White. Other groups include 8% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Wapello County as a whole is about 79% White, so the school skews visibly more White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.7:1, putting Cardinal Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 64% of students at Cardinal Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably above Wapello County's rate of about 48%.

With demographic context factored in, Cardinal Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 59.7%; this one delivers 64.7%.

In the area at large, Wapello County reports that the typical household earns roughly $64,766 per year, 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 12%. Across Wapello County's 18 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,892 students), Cardinal Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Cardinal Junior High is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Cardinal Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 55.5%.

Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cardinal Elementary has ticked up 4%, going from 476 students in 2018 to 495 in 2025. Class-load math has pulled in: from 16.4:1 in 2018 to 12.9:1 in 2025.

On this page, members of the Cardinal Elementary community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.