Enrollment
643
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lexington, KY
Cardinal Valley Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cardinal Valley Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210186000392
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cardinal Valley Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Kentucky schools.
- #18 of 38
- schools in Lexington · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.7:1
- small classes for Kentucky
- 73.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Cardinal Valley Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 83% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cardinal Valley Elementary School ranks #18 of 38 schools in Lexington, KY.
School address
District: Fayette County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210186000392 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.1%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cardinal Valley Elementary School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cardinal Valley Elementary School
Cardinal Valley Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Lexington, Kentucky, enrolling 643 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 73.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 643 puts it in the larger third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Among 335 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kentucky schools statewide, it ranks #273, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (77%) and African American (13%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 322 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Fayette County spends $15,849 per pupil, 20% above the Kentucky average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Lexington's public schools, it stands alongside Sandersville Elementary (765 students): Cardinal Valley Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.7:1 vs 15:1).
Fayette County also operates Lafayette High School (2,370 students) and Bryan Station High School (2,030 students) alongside Cardinal Valley Elementary School.
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 Valley Elementary School compares
Cardinal Valley Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.7:1 | ▼ 23% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.1% | ▲ 23% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 643 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
643
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 17% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.5%
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
$15,849
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kentucky avg of $13,211
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 322 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.6 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 77.3%
African American 13.2%
White 6.5%
Two or More 2.6%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.0, Cardinal Valley Elementary School is more mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fayette County, which includes Cardinal Valley Elementary School.
$15,849
Per student
+20%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.8%
State 35.5%
Federal 14.7%
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 Valley Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bryan Station High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Henry Clay High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paul Laurence Dunbar High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Frederick Douglass High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cardinal Valley Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,370
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,030
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,939
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,828
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,770
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar other schools in Lexington
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Sandersville Elementary
Standard public school
765 students 15:1 students per teacher
Coventry Oak Elementary
Standard public school
755 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Stonewall Elementary School
Standard public school
674 students 14:1 students per teacher
Tates Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
626 students 12:1 students per teacher
Lansdowne Elementary School
Standard public school
610 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Wellington Elementary
Standard public school
608 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kentucky, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~643 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cardinal Valley Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cardinal Valley Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Fayette County'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 Valley Elementary School
How many students attend Cardinal Valley Elementary School?
Cardinal Valley Elementary School has 643 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lexington, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Valley Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cardinal Valley Elementary School is 11.7:1, which is 23% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cardinal Valley Elementary School?
73.1% of students at Cardinal Valley Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cardinal Valley Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cardinal Valley Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 77.3% of enrollment, in Lexington, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cardinal Valley Elementary School?
Cardinal Valley Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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 Valley Elementary School rank among schools in Lexington?
By Resource Investment Index, Cardinal Valley Elementary School ranks #18 of 38 schools in Lexington, KY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lexington on the city page.
Is Cardinal Valley Elementary School a good school?
Cardinal Valley Elementary School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Kentucky 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 Fayette County?
Besides Cardinal Valley Elementary School, Fayette County also operates Lafayette High School (2,370 students), Bryan Station High School (2,030 students), and Henry Clay High School (1,939 students). See the Fayette County 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.