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How has CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
424
Elementary
DISTRICT 316 · STATE 272
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SO SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHS·NCES 317686000236
CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
820 E 29TH STREET, SO SIOUX CITY, NE 68776 · (402) 494-1662 · Dakota County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL424 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 43% of Nebraska public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Nebraska public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 21.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
61%
257 students
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 37%
Community
1
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 | 54 | 13% |
| Kindergarten | 62 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 56 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 65 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 62 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 62 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 63 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (62) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (63).
Student demographics
49%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 57% · 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 SO SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHS. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NSCAS 2024-25 . % On Track + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
49.6%
NE avg 57.6%
Math
63.5%
NE avg 60.6%
What this means: On the NSCAS, Nebraska's statewide test, about 50 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 64 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Nebraska schools, those numbers are about 58 and 61.
Source: NSCAS. 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
56.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.1%
based on NE schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 57% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% typical for Nebraska 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 Nebraska'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 →
Schools most like CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's state test result (56.6% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school | 424 | 60.6% | 56.6% |
| EARLY LEARNING ACADEMY LEXINGTON | 279 | 57.7% | N/A |
| MOCKINGBIRD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OMAHA | 473 | 71.9% | 46.7% |
| BLUMFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OMAHA | 373 | 66.8% | 50.9% |
| SCHUYLER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCHUYLER | 715 | 51.7% | 52.5% |
| WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NORFOLK | 227 | 69.6% | 56.0% |
Matched among Nebraska elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Nebraska | In Dakota County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 56.6% | #249 of 311 | #3 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 63.5% | #230 of 398 | #3 of 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.6% | #335 of 438 | #3 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 424 | #110 of 587 | #1 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.3:1 | #134 of 379 | #6 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.6% | #167 of 379 | #5 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 60.6% | #42 of 359 | #5 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.2% | #109 of 135 | N/A |
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. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
424
+15 (+4%) vs 2020
+62% since 2000-01, when it was 262
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 12.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 424 | 31.8 | 13.3:1 | 61% (257) |
| 2023-24 | 434 | 33.8 | 12.9:1 | 67% (291) |
| 2022-23 | 432 | 33.9 | 12.7:1 | 61% (263) |
| 2020-21 | 409 | 34 | 12.0:1 | 65% (266) |
| 2017-18 | 411 | 33.8 | 12.2:1 | 53% (219) |
| 2015-16 | 437 | 33 | 13.2:1 | 59% (259) |
| 2010-11 | 392 | 35 | 11.2:1 | 66% (258) |
| 2000-01 | 262 | 19 | 13.8:1 | 18% (46) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
Since 2017-18: students up 3% (411 to 424); teachers down 6% (33.8 to 31.8).
About CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a high-enrollment elementary school in SO SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHS, located in SO SIOUX CITY, Nebraska. Its 424 students are spread across pre-K through 5. The typical figure for elementary schools in Nebraska is about 272 students.
SO SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHS has 3,871 students in 8 schools, and CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of those schools.
CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's enrollment is 70% Hispanic. Other groups make up 15% White, 7% Black, 2% Asian, and 2% Native American. County-wide, 42% of Dakota County residents are Hispanic. CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has a diversity index of 49%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Its teaching staff equals 31.8 full-time positions, a ratio of 13.3:1. That ratio is under the 21.0:1 average for elementary schools in Nebraska. Around 61% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is graded C+ by allk12, scoring above 43% of Nebraska public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
After adjusting for student poverty, CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL lands between the top and bottom 10% of Nebraska schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 56.6%; the prediction is 55.1%.
Across Dakota County, median household income is about $70,329, roughly 15% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 10%. The public schools of Dakota County number 11 and enroll about 4,437.
Nearby, SOUTH SIOUX HIGH SCHOOL is about 0.3 miles away. CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's average proficiency of 56.6% compares with 52.1% for its nearest scored neighbors.
For locale, NCES codes CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL as Suburb: Mid-size.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 4%, from 409 to 424. Its ratio of students to teachers was 12.0:1 in 2020-21, and 13.3:1 in 2024-25.
Community posts for CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL can cover sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Dakota County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
21,354
Census ACS
Median income
$70,329
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
4,437 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in SO SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHS
- SOUTH SIOUX HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,193 students
- SOUTH SIOUX CITY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 781 students
- COVINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 408 students
- HARNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 328 students
- LEWIS & CLARK ELEMENTARY SCHElementary · 253 students
- DAKOTA CITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 246 students
Other schools in SO SIOUX CITY
- SOUTH SIOUX HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,193 students
- SOUTH SIOUX CITY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 781 students
- COVINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 408 students
- HARNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 328 students
- LEWIS & CLARK ELEMENTARY SCHElementary · 253 students
- E N SWETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLElementary · 238 students
Other Cardinal Elementary schools
7 other US public schools in 6 states are named Cardinal Elementary. CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is the 6th largest of the 8.
- Cardinal ElementaryRichmond, VA · 821 students
- Cardinal ElementaryArlington, VA · 682 students
- Cardinal Elementary SchoolBrownsburg, IN · 650 students
- Cardinal ElementaryMUSKEGON, MI · 611 students
- Cardinal ElementaryEldon, IA · 495 students
Nearby schools
- SOUTH SIOUX HIGH SCHOOL0.3 mi · 1,193
- SOUTH SIOUX CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL0.5 mi · 781
- E N SWETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL0.5 mi · 238
- COVINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL0.7 mi · 408
- HARNEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1.0 mi · 328
- LEWIS & CLARK ELEMENTARY SCH1.5 mi · 253
Frequently asked questions
About CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLWhat is the total enrollment at CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 424 students in grades PK-05.
Is CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL an elementary, middle, or high school?
CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Approximately 13.3:1 students per teacher at CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
How diverse is CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL reports a student body of 15% White, 70% Hispanic, 7% Black, 2% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in?
CARDINAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is part of SO SIOUX CITY COMMUNITY SCHS.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.