1
What tradition at Cardinal Charter Academy should never be changed?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
584
Elementary
STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CARDINAL CHARTER·NCES 370035803325
Cardinal Charter Academy
1020 St. Charles Place, Cary, NC 27513 · (919) 653-5000 · Wake County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY12-CITYCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL584 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work
Student : Teacher
45.2:1
13 FTE teachers
STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
47%
277 students
STATE 82%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 63 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 93 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 73 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 63 | 11% |
| Grade 4 | 72 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 63 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 50 | 9% |
| Grade 7 | 60 | 10% |
| Grade 8 | 47 | 8% |
This year's kindergarten class (63) is 34% larger than its 8th grade class (47).
Student demographics
76%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
STATE 71% · 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
Schools most like Cardinal Charter Academy
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Charter Academy this school | 584 | 47.4% | N/A |
| Winget Park Elementary Charlotte | 677 | 44.3% | 69.7% |
| Wake Forest Charter Academy Wake Forest | 650 | 44.8% | N/A |
| Patriots Elementary Concord | 636 | 37.3% | 64.8% |
| Highland Elementary Burlington | 661 | 53.7% | 53.4% |
| Carolina Forest Elementary Jacksonville | 570 | 47.9% | 66.0% |
Matched among North Carolina 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 Charter Academy ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Wake County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 584 | #390 of 1,485 | #72 of 139 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 45.2:1 | #1,376 of 1,377 | #137 of 137 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 75.5% | #15 of 1,379 | #3 of 137 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 47.4% | #1,179 of 1,414 | #47 of 128 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -40.2% | #22 of 937 | #1 of 91 |
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
584
-331 (-36%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
45.2:1
was 16.1:1
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 | 584 | 12.9 | 45.2:1 | 47% (277) |
| 2023-24 | 720 | 28.7 | 25.1:1 | 41% (296) |
| 2022-23 | 700 | 42.5 | 16.5:1 | 37% (259) |
| 2020-21 | 915 | 57 | 16.1:1 | 23% (210) |
| 2017-18 | 976 | 51 | 19.1:1 | 5% (47) |
| 2015-16 | 927 | 55 | 16.9:1 | 10% (91) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cardinal Charter Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 40% (976 to 584); teachers down 75% (51 to 12.9).
About Cardinal Charter Academy
Cardinal Charter Academy is an elementary school located in Cary, North Carolina, in Wake County. It educates 584 students in kindergarten through 8. The school's enrollment is 25% above the 467 average for elementary schools in North Carolina.
Cardinal Charter Academy belongs to Cardinal Charter.
The most common group at Cardinal Charter Academy is Black students, at 34%. Other groups make up 26% White, 21% Hispanic, 12% Asian, and 7% multiracial. Wake County as a whole is about 19% Black, so the school's share is higher. Pick two students at random and there is a 76% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The ratio of students to teachers is 45.2:1, with 12.9 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. The school has more students per teacher than the 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina. Lunch subsidy eligibility at Cardinal Charter Academy is 47%.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Wake County show that the median household income is $105,768, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 57%, and roughly 5% of residents are in poverty. Besides Cardinal Charter Academy, Wake County has 236 other public schools.
Nearby, Kingswood Elementary is about 0.6 miles away. Cardinal Charter Academy is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles.
NCES assigns Cardinal Charter Academy the locale City: Mid-size, meaning inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000. Cardinal Charter Academy is a publicly funded charter school.
Federal data show a 36% enrollment decrease, from 915 in 2020-21 to 584 in 2024-25. Students per teacher rose from 16.1 in 2020-21 to 45.2 in 2024-25.
To ask about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Wake County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,178,653
Census ACS
Median income
$105,768
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
57%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
237
184,790 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cary
- Panther Creek HighHigh · 2,609 students
- Green Hope HighHigh · 2,304 students
- Green Level HighHigh · 2,283 students
- Cary HighHigh · 2,044 students
- Triangle Math and Science AcademyCombined · 1,904 students
- Mills Park MiddleMiddle · 1,632 students
Nearby schools
- Kingswood Elementary0.6 mi · 427
- Northwoods Elementary0.6 mi · 579
- West Cary Middle0.7 mi · 824
- Reedy Creek Middle1.1 mi · 805
- Reedy Creek Elementary1.2 mi · 605
- Cary Elementary1.4 mi · 477
Frequently asked questions
About Cardinal Charter AcademyHow many students attend Cardinal Charter Academy?
Cardinal Charter Academy enrolls approximately 584 students in grades KG-08.
What grades does Cardinal Charter Academy serve?
Cardinal Charter Academy serves grades KG-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Charter Academy?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Cardinal Charter Academy is approximately 45.2:1 (13 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Cardinal Charter Academy?
At Cardinal Charter Academy, the student body is approximately 26% White, 21% Hispanic, 34% Black, 12% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Cardinal Charter Academy?
Cardinal Charter Academy is overseen by Cardinal Charter in Wake County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.