Cardinal Middle School, Middlefield OH

Original Research by School Decision on Cardinal Middle School

Cardinal Middle School serves a small student population in grades five through eight as part of the Cardinal Local District in Middlefield, Ohio. The school now houses all elementary and middle grades following a significant restructuring in the district: the former elementary building closed in the summer of 2024, and all K-6 students moved into the middle school building on Almeda Drive, while grades 7 and 8 also attend this same facility. This consolidation reshaped where and how Cardinal students learn.

The student body is predominantly white and reflects the rural and small-town character of Geauga County. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school participates fully in Ohio's state assessments across all tested grades and subjects.

In English language arts, performance varies by grade. Fifth-grade students show the strongest results, with a majority meeting proficiency standards. Sixth grade drops notably, with proficiency falling to just over half. Seventh and eighth grades remain below that mark. Overall, the ELA pattern suggests students struggle more in the upper middle grades.

Mathematics presents a greater challenge. Fifth grade shows moderate proficiency, but sixth grade dips sharply. Seventh grade reaches a low point, with less than four in ten students meeting standards. Eighth grade recovers somewhat but still falls short of fifth-grade levels. The progression indicates that mathematics proficiency becomes increasingly difficult as students advance through the school.

Science results are brighter. Fifth-grade students reach proficiency at rates similar to math, and eighth-grade performance improves substantially, with roughly two-thirds of students meeting standards. This represents one of the school's stronger showing areas. A social studies assessment from several years ago showed proficiency near three in five students, though this data is older and does not reflect the current year.

When positioned against other districts in Geauga County, Cardinal Middle School's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. Other districts in the county show substantially higher results across tested subjects and grades, indicating that students here face steeper academic headwinds than their peers elsewhere in the region.

The school is physically located in Middlefield, a small village centered on manufacturing and the region's significant Amish community. Home values in the area are moderate for Ohio, and the village is growing at a managed pace with new residential subdivisions adding homes gradually. The district has undergone real change with the closure of Jordak Elementary and the consolidation of buildings. Proceeds from the sale of the former elementary property are being invested in facility upgrades—HVAC, roofing, and parking improvements—at the remaining school buildings students now use.

Parents considering Cardinal should understand that the school serves a rural, small-population area where students show particular difficulty in middle-grades mathematics. The consolidation is fresh, and facilities are receiving attention and investment. A parent may want to look into further with the school what academic supports or interventions exist to address the performance dip in grades six and seven, particularly in math, and how the recent consolidation has affected student stability and staff continuity.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 560%

School 60% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median

Grade 646%

School 46% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 737%

School 37% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median

Grade 853%

School 53% · district not reported

▲ 53 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 576%

School 76% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 653%

School 53% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 757%

School 57% · district not reported

▲ 15 pts above state median

Grade 842%

School 42% · district not reported

▲ 12 pts above state median

Science

Grade 560%

School 60% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 866%

School 66% · district not reported

▲ 36 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 661%

School 61% · district not reported

▼ 3 pts below state median

This schoolCardinal Local, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income87%37 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income55%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income64%31 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income49%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income76%51 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income47%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income40%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income64%34 pp gap