Enrollment
821
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Richmond, VA
Cardinal Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cardinal Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510324001361
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cardinal Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools.
- #37 of 63
- schools in Richmond · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Virginia
- 98.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Cardinal Elementary has class sizes larger than 86% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cardinal Elementary ranks #37 of 63 schools in Richmond, VA.
School address
District: Richmond City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510324001361 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.5%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cardinal Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cardinal Elementary
Cardinal Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Richmond, Virginia, enrolling 821 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.4:1 is larger than about 86% of Virginia schools and 18% above the 13.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 98.5% of students qualify for free meals, 71% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 821 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 172 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #58.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 274 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Richmond City Public Schools spends $21,583 per pupil, 47% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 25.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Richmond's public schools, it stands alongside Elizabeth Holladay Elementary (859 students): Cardinal Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.4:1 vs 16.2:1).
Richmond City Public Schools also operates Huguenot High (1,469 students) and River City Middle (1,150 students) alongside Cardinal Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cardinal Elementary compares
Cardinal Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 18% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.5% | ▲ 71% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 821 | top 23% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
821
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 86% in Virginia - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$21,583
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 274 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 86.4%
African American 11.2%
White 1.5%
Two or More 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 86.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.1, Cardinal Elementary is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richmond City Public Schools, which includes Cardinal Elementary.
$21,583
Per student
+47%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.0%
State 34.3%
Federal 25.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Cardinal Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huguenot High | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| River City Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| George Wythe High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Armstrong High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cardinal Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,469
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 1,150
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,116
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 749
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 709
- Students per teacher
- 8.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools in Richmond
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Elizabeth Holladay Elementary
Standard public school
859 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Falling Creek Elementary
Standard public school
823 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Maybeury Elementary
Standard public school
691 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Dumbarton Elementary
Standard public school
684 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Tuckahoe Elementary
Standard public school
682 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
G.H. Reid Elementary
Standard public school
671 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~821 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cardinal Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cardinal Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Richmond City Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Cardinal Elementary
How many students attend Cardinal Elementary?
Cardinal Elementary has 821 students enrolled. It is a public school in Richmond, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Elementary is 16.4:1, which is 18% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cardinal Elementary?
98.5% of students at Cardinal Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cardinal Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cardinal Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 86.4% of enrollment, in Richmond, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cardinal Elementary?
Cardinal Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cardinal Elementary rank among schools in Richmond?
By Resource Investment Index, Cardinal Elementary ranks #37 of 63 schools in Richmond, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Richmond on the city page.
Is Cardinal Elementary a good school?
Cardinal Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Virginia schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Virginia schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Richmond City Public Schools?
Besides Cardinal Elementary, Richmond City Public Schools also operates Huguenot High (1,469 students), River City Middle (1,150 students), and George Wythe High (1,116 students). See the Richmond City Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.