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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 510126000442

Cardinal Forest Elementary

8600 Forrester Blvd, Springfield, VA 22152 · (703) 923-5200 · Fairfax County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL680 STUDENTS
Enrollment
680
Elementary
DISTRICT 630 · STATE 499
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
55 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
31%
212 students
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 66%
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

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K315%
Kindergarten8212%
Grade 19614%
Grade 29814%
Grade 310115%
Grade 49714%
Grade 59113%
Grade 68412%

This year's kindergarten class (82) is about the same size as its 6th grade class (84).

Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · STATE 71% · US 70%
White
29343%
DISTRICT 36% · STATE 43% · US 43%
Hispanic
16124%
DISTRICT 29% · STATE 20% · US 30%
Black
8012%
DISTRICT 10% · STATE 21% · US 15%
Asian
10415%
DISTRICT 18% · STATE 8% · US 6%
Two+
416%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 7% · US 5%
Native American
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
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
Male
32147%
Female
35953%

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Test scores

SOL 2024-25 . % Passing
English Language Arts
79.0%
VA avg 74.2% . -4.0pp since 2022
Math
80.0%
VA avg 72.7% . +0.0pp since 2022

What this means: On the SOL, Virginia's statewide test, about 79 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 80 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Virginia schools, those numbers are about 74 and 73. Reading and writing scores are down about 4 points since 2022, while math scores have held steady.

SOL results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2579.0%80.0%
2023-2477.0%80.0%
2022-2383.0%80.0%
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: SOL. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
76.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
79.6%
based on VA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.5pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 76% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 80% typical for Virginia 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 Virginia'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 Forest Elementary

Cardinal Forest Elementary's state test result (76.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Cardinal Forest Elementary this school68031.2%76.2%
White Oaks Elementary
Burke
69924.5%84.3%
Bristow Run Elementary
Bristow
56228.6%84.4%
Baker-Butler Elementary
Charlottesville
69230.2%76.1%
Newington Forest Elementary
Springfield
57925.7%78.7%
Bennett Elementary
Manassas
74637.0%78.6%
Matched among Virginia 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 Forest Elementary ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn VirginiaIn Fairfax County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
76.2%#411 of 1,101#67 of 136
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
80.0%#398 of 1,111
▼ 54
#65 of 136
▼ 7
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
79.0%#349 of 1,111
▲ 40
#65 of 136
▲ 1
Enrollment
ranked largest first
680#218 of 1,176#54 of 144
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
12.4:1#234 of 1,105#29 of 143
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
71.7%#152 of 1,106#37 of 143
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
31.2%#931 of 1,157#72 of 140
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+8.1%#149 of 324#19 of 32
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 2024-25
Enrollment
680
+96 (+16%) vs 2020
+19% since 1990-91, when it was 570
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 13.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2568054.912.4:131% (212)
2023-2470047.814.6:130% (209)
2022-2363243.314.6:130% (187)
2020-215844413.3:1N/A
2017-186294115.3:129% (185)
2015-166374215.2:127% (172)
2010-115923616.4:126% (154)
2000-016803817.9:117% (117)
1990-915703615.8:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cardinal Forest Elementary.

Since 2017-18: students up 8% (629 to 680); teachers up 34% (41 to 54.9).

About Cardinal Forest Elementary

This page covers Cardinal Forest Elementary, a medium-sized elementary school in Springfield, Virginia. Enrollment is 680 students in 2024-25, and the school serves pre-K through 6. Against the 499-student average for elementary schools in Virginia, enrollment here is 36% higher.

The 199 schools in Fairfax County Public Schools enroll 179,323 students altogether, Cardinal Forest Elementary among them.

By race and ethnicity, the largest group at Cardinal Forest Elementary is White (43%). Other students are 24% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and 6% multiracial. Cardinal Forest Elementary has a diversity index of 72%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.4:1 at Cardinal Forest Elementary, with 54.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. The 13.8:1 average for elementary schools in Virginia is higher than this school's figure. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 31%.

The BeatsExpectations prediction for Cardinal Forest Elementary is 79.6%, and its average proficiency rate on state tests is 76.2%.

Within Fairfax County, median household income is about $153,637, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 65% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 4%. Federal data list 222 public schools in Fairfax County, with a combined enrollment of about 174,475.

The school nearest to Cardinal Forest Elementary is West Springfield High, at a distance of about 0.4 miles. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Cardinal Forest Elementary places 8th of 9 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.

NCES describes the area around Cardinal Forest Elementary as Suburb: Large, meaning in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.

Cardinal Forest Elementary saw enrollment rise 16% between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

Parents and students can post about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs at Cardinal Forest Elementary. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.

Fairfax County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
1,147,837
Census ACS
Median income
$153,637
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
65%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
222
174,475 students

Quick facts

School name
Cardinal Forest Elementary
District
Fairfax County Public Schools
Address
8600 Forrester Blvd, Springfield, VA 22152
Phone
(703) 923-5200
County
Fairfax County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–06
Total enrollment
680
Teachers (FTE)
55
Student–teacher ratio
12.4:1
Free and reduced lunch
212 (31%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
510126000442
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Fairfax County Public Schools
Other schools in Springfield
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Cardinal Forest Elementary
What is the total enrollment at Cardinal Forest Elementary?
Cardinal Forest Elementary enrolls approximately 680 students in grades PK-06.
What age range does Cardinal Forest Elementary serve?
Cardinal Forest Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Forest Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Cardinal Forest Elementary is approximately 12.4:1 (55 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Cardinal Forest Elementary?
At Cardinal Forest Elementary, the student body is approximately 43% White, 24% Hispanic, 12% Black, 15% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Cardinal Forest Elementary in?
Cardinal Forest Elementary is part of Fairfax County Public Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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