The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Science. The lowest is 29% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Cardinal Elementary School
Cardinal Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in South Sioux City, a small Nebraska city that sits just across the Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa. The school is part of the South Sioux City Community Schools district. The city itself has a family-oriented residential base with a mix of neighborhoods, industrial development along the highway and I-29 corridor, and a main commercial street on Dakota Avenue. The 20-mile Al Bengtson Bike Trail provides a major recreational path, and local bus service connects South Sioux City to the broader metro area. The housing market here is more affordable than the national median, which fits with the community’s modest profile.
Cardinal Elementary enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with White students making up a smaller share and Black, Asian, and other groups each present in small numbers. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it reported no special Title I designation in the data. Because it does not serve older grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and because this is an elementary school, there are no Advanced Placement or career pathways to consider.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed and requires parents to look closely at results across subjects and grade levels. In math, fourth graders performed well and fifth graders performed in a middle range, but third graders showed no students meeting proficiency. In English language arts, fourth graders performed in a middle range, third graders performed at a low level, and fifth graders again showed no students meeting proficiency. In science, which is tested only in fifth grade, students performed at a high level. Across all grades and subjects combined, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Dakota County, though the county only has two districts, so that comparison is thin. The state testing data for some grade levels showing zero proficiency is a soft spot a parent would want to raise directly with the school to understand what supports are in place and whether the results reflect a small group of test-takers or a broader instructional challenge.
Trend data covering recent years shows that proficiency rates have declined in both math and English language arts, while science has held at a strong level. This decline is worth noting because it suggests that the school’s academic performance has been moving in the wrong direction, and a family may want to ask about any recent changes in curriculum, staffing, or instructional approach that could be affecting the trend.
No disciplinary data, staffing ratios, attendance rates, or chronic absenteeism figures were available in the profile. Without those, it is hard to assess the day-to-day school climate or whether student support systems are adequate. A parent considering this school would benefit from visiting and asking directly about class sizes, how the school supports students who are behind in reading and math, and what programs serve the large English learner population that is likely present given the demographic makeup.
The district brief found no major recent changes such as boundary shifts, school closures, or new initiatives that would be relevant to a family’s decision. The city itself is described as pursuing economic growth through its industrial park and has won an All-America City Award, but no specific new housing developments were named. The school sits within a community that is relatively flat and walkable, and both the school and civic institutions are likely integrated into the neighborhood fabric rather than set on a remote campus, though the data did not confirm exact locations relative to a downtown.
Cardinal Elementary is a school where a small number of grade levels show strong results, particularly in science and fourth-grade math, but the overall proficiency picture is low, and recent trends have been declining. It serves a high-need student population in a small, affordable community. A family would want to dig into grade-level reading outcomes and ask about supports for students who are not yet proficient before enrolling.
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