The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 32% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cardinal Community Academy Charter School
Cardinal Community Academy Charter School serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Keenesburg, a small rural plains town along the I-76 corridor northeast of Denver. It is a charter school within the Weld County School District RE-3J, which means it operates with some autonomy from the district while remaining a public school. The school is small, with enrollment distributed evenly across each grade level. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and a handful of students identifying as two or more races. Data on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as students receiving special education or English learner services, was not available. A parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
On state assessments, the school showed stronger performance in English language arts, where roughly two-thirds of students met or exceeded the state’s proficiency standard. In mathematics, just under half of students reached that bar. Science results were lower, particularly at the fifth-grade level, and the eighth-grade science result was suppressed for data privacy, which means the number of students tested was too small to report publicly. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it in the top quarter of districts in Weld County. That is a meaningful signal of above-average academic performance relative to local peers, and a clear strength of this school.
Because Cardinal Community Academy ends at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. The school also had no data available on chronic absenteeism. These gaps are consistent with the grade band the school serves and the limited reporting for some measures.
The school is a regular public charter with no magnet designation. There was no information in the available data about course access, staffing ratios, or discipline practices, so those dimensions remain unclear from this review.
Keenesburg itself is a farming community with a modest downtown grid centered on Main Street and Broadway Avenue, where Town Hall and the Meeting Hall are located. The town’s character is agricultural and residential, with limited commercial activity. The Wild Animal Sanctuary, a large refuge for rescued big carnivores, is a notable local institution and draws visitors. Recreation is quiet, centered on Schey Park and the Banner Lakes State Wildlife Area. The town has seen steady but modest population growth and adopted a 2024 Comprehensive Plan, suggesting active planning for future development. The area is car-dependent, with no public transit identified. For families considering this school, the setting offers a small-town, rural environment with a close-knit feel.
No recent district-level changes of lasting impact were found in the search, meaning the district context appears stable for now.
For a family looking at this school, the academic story is the standout: strong ELA performance and overall proficiency that outpaces most other districts in Weld County, even if math results are more moderate. The small size and even grade distribution mean each class is similarly sized. The lack of data on economic disadvantage and special populations is a gap worth exploring with the school directly. The charter status gives the school some flexibility, though the available data does not specify how that autonomy translates into programming. The rural community offers a quiet, agricultural setting, and parents should anticipate a car-dependent lifestyle. This school is best suited for families who value above-average elementary and middle school academics in a small, rural charter environment and want to avoid a larger district school setting.
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