Cardinal Elementary School

Cardinal Elementary School is an elementary-level community of modestly sized scale in Maquoketa, Iowa, run under Maquoketa Comm School District, enrolling 260 students in grades pre-K through 2.

Cardinal Elementary School is one of 4 schools operated by Maquoketa Comm School District, a district that works with 1,259 students overall.

On the student-mix side, Cardinal Elementary School reports that nearly all students (82%) are White. The remainder consists of 7% Pacific Islander, 4% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 2% Black. By comparison, Jackson County as a whole is about 95% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Cardinal Elementary School shows 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.7:1. The state averages around 13.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 61% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is above Jackson County's rate of about 43%.

Across the wider county, census data for Jackson County shows the typical household earns roughly $74,186 per year, about 20% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Jackson County runs 9 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,628 students), of which Cardinal Elementary School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Briggs Elementary School, around 0.9 miles off. Within five miles, there are 3 other public schools.

The school occupies a town-center site.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cardinal Elementary School has decreased 14%, going from 304 students in 2018 to 260 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 12.7:1 in 2018 to 11.7:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.