Is Cardenas Elementary School a good school?

Cardenas Elementary School ranks 1329 th of 2067 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cardenas Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 766 students attended Cardenas Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Cardenas Elementary School?

Students at Cardenas Elementary School are 96% Hispanic, 3% African American, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Cardenas Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Cardenas Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Farragut Career Academy High School

Cardenas Elementary School

Summary:

Cardenas Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 817 students in grades PK-8 in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The school has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Illinois elementary schools, with a 2 out of 5 star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cardenas Elementary faces several key challenges. The school has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching as high as 44.7% in the 2021-2022 school year, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. Academically, Cardenas students perform below district and state averages on standardized tests, with only 34% proficient or better in English Language Arts and 17.9% proficient in math. However, the school does have some bright spots, as Hispanic students and English Language Learners perform relatively better than other subgroups. Cardenas Elementary serves a high-poverty student population, with over 92% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

While Cardenas Elementary lags behind the state averages and the performance of nearby Legacy Elementary and KIPP Chicago Chrtrs - Ascend Academy charter schools, it does perform better than some other nearby public schools in the Little Village area, such as Kanoon Elementary Magnet School, McCormick Elementary, and Dvorak Technology Academy. The school's relatively high per-student spending, around $17,500 in the 2022-2023 school year, suggests that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to improving student outcomes, and addressing the root causes of the school's challenges, such as chronic absenteeism, may be key to driving improvement.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

2345 S Millard Ave
Chicago, IL 60623-3110

(773) 534-1465

District: Chicago Public Schools District 299

SchoolDigger Rank:
1329^th of 2,067 Illinois Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,667

Students who attend Cardenas Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Farragut Career Academy High School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.9

Number of students: 766

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.6%

African American:

3.1%

White:

1.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 94.9%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Cardenas Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Cardenas Elementary School ranks worse than 64.3% of elementary schools in Illinois. It also ranks 149^th among 452 ranked elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 32.64. (See more...)

Compare Details Cardenas Elementary School ranks better than 54.4% of middle schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 47.62. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (95.6%), African American (3.1%), White (1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 94.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cardenas Elementary School is 12.9, which is the 189^th best among 452 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299. (See more...)

Compare Cardenas Elementary School employs 59 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cardenas Elementary School is $19,667. 288 elementary schools in the Chicago Public Schools District 299 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cardenas Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Cardenas Elementary School 1329^th of 2067 Illinois public elementary schools. (See Cardenas Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

SchoolDigger ranks Cardenas Elementary School 621^st of 1363 Illinois public middle schools. (See Cardenas Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Chicago Public Schools District 299:

SchoolDigger ranks Chicago Public Schools District 299 688^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Cardenas Elementary School?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Cardenas Elementary School

Compare

Rank History for all elementary school students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	40.52	1184^th	2086	43.2%
2021	26.22	1379^th	1948	29.2%
2022	35.96	1251^st	2082	39.9%
2023	31.62	1356^th	2077	34.7%
2024	32.64	1329^th	2067	35.7%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	47.51	326^th	743	56.1%
2021	32.49	405^th	537	24.6%
2022	58.34	199^th	768	74.1%
2023	43.57	382^nd	788	51.5%
2024	41.18	456^th	826	44.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	38.96	652^nd	1194	45.4%
2022	30.50	763^rd	1113	31.4%
2023	32.50	741^st	1156	35.9%
2024	35.32	729^th	1195	39.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	60.65	548^th	1816	69.8%
2021	37.82	910^th	1514	39.9%
2022	56.23	634^th	1763	64.0%
2023	49.36	833^rd	1808	53.9%
2024	45.67	908^th	1793	49.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	31.70	1359^th	2019	32.7%
2021	22.56	1312^th	1680	21.9%
2022	36.76	1158^th	1970	41.2%
2023	38.73	1126^th	1957	42.5%
2024	34.94	1198^th	1942	38.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Disabled students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	25.73	723^rd	907	20.3%
2024	30.72	632^nd	886	28.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	49.86	922^nd	2019	54.3%
2021	28.11	1191^st	1707	30.2%
2022	35.51	1184^th	1977	40.1%
2023	25.51	1441^st	1984	27.4%
2024	31.03	1289^th	1959	34.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	54.79	344^th	955	64.0%
2021	40.37	403^rd	742	45.7%
2022	51.52	398^th	954	58.3%
2023	44.67	493^rd	970	49.2%
2024	46.03	451^st	959	53.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Cardenas Elementary School

Compare

Rank History for all middle school students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	29.34	954^th	1356	29.6%
2021	25.28	919^th	1241	25.9%
2022	38.95	767^th	1369	44.0%
2023	48.64	616^th	1367	54.9%
2024	47.62	621^st	1363	54.4%

See the entire list of Illinois Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school English Language Learner students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	37.99	232^nd	339	31.6%
2022	39.68	264^th	454	41.9%
2023	46.21	199^th	480	58.5%
2024	39.13	276^th	486	43.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for middle school Special Education students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	29.27	602^nd	792	24.0%
2022	45.59	308^th	781	60.6%
2023	57.61	222^nd	805	72.4%
2024	54.76	250^th	802	68.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for middle school Low Socio Economic Status students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	45.37	629^th	1217	48.3%
2021	34.03	679^th	1019	33.4%
2022	60.19	357^th	1221	70.8%
2023	68.39	262^nd	1234	78.8%
2024	64.60	311^th	1219	74.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for middle school Female students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	27.05	950^th	1276	25.5%
2021	21.55	826^th	1017	18.8%
2022	31.06	842^nd	1286	34.5%
2023	42.59	690^th	1275	45.9%
2024	46.28	617^th	1251	50.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for middle school Disabled students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	61.36	151^st	674	77.6%
2024	67.92	114^th	639	82.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for middle school Male students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	31.65	859^th	1296	33.7%
2021	25.91	779^th	1048	25.7%
2022	47.76	581^st	1286	54.8%
2023	54.13	502^nd	1292	61.1%
2024	48.03	571^st	1264	54.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for middle school Hispanic students at Cardenas Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IL State Percentile
2019	35.69	413^th	639	35.4%
2021	32.71	363^rd	517	29.8%
2022	48.23	298^th	662	55.0%
2023	58.55	199^th	661	69.9%
2024	57.37	215^th	643	66.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Cardenas Elementary School.

If you have first-hand knowledge about Cardenas Elementary School, submit a rating!

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Cardenas Elementary School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	9	11	1	909	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	930
1989	11	11	n/a	906	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	928
1990	2	5	n/a	657	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	664
1991	3	5	0	642	0	n/a	n/a	0	650
1992	1	7	0	678	0	n/a	n/a	0	686
1993	1	4	0	658	0	n/a	n/a	0	663
1994	3	2	0	670	2	n/a	n/a	0	677
1995	0	12	0	975	0	n/a	n/a	0	987
1996	0	12	0	975	0	n/a	n/a	0	987
1997	3	7	0	772	0	n/a	n/a	0	782
1998	4	14	0	809	0	n/a	n/a	0	827
1999	6	14	0	842	0	n/a	n/a	0	862
2000	3	5	0	831	0	n/a	n/a	0	839
2001	0	12	0	817	0	n/a	n/a	0	829
2002	2	19	0	774	0	n/a	n/a	0	795
2003	2	19	0	774	0	n/a	n/a	0	795
2004	2	11	0	759	0	n/a	n/a	0	772
2005	0	10	0	712	0	n/a	n/a	0	722
2006	1	5	0	716	0	n/a	n/a	4	726
2007	0	8	0	645	0	n/a	n/a	8	661
2008	3	10	1	599	0	n/a	n/a	4	617
2009	1	6	0	575	0	n/a	n/a	0	582
2010	1	10	0	602	0	n/a	n/a	0	613
2011	3	7	0	621	3	0	1	0	635
2012	4	6	0	628	0	0	1	0	639
2013	2	4	0	641	0	0	0	0	647
2014	4	27	0	669	0	0	0	0	700
2015	1	26	1	667	0	0	1	0	696
2016	2	30	2	629	1	0	1	0	665
2017	2	22	2	581	1	0	2	0	610
2018	1	27	0	530	0	0	3	0	561
2019	2	54	2	1093	1	0	1	0	1153
2020	9	45	2	985	1	0	4	0	1046
2021	7	45	1	956	1	0	2	0	1012
2022	7	36	0	835	1	0	3	0	882
2023	7	27	1	780	0	0	2	0	817
2024	8	24	0	732	0	0	2	0	766

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cardenas Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	930	39.0	23.8	n/a
1989	928	40.0	23.2	n/a
1990	664	42.0	15.8	n/a
1991	650	34.0	19.1	n/a
1992	686	35.0	19.6	n/a
1993	663	37.0	17.9	n/a
1994	677	35.0	19.3	n/a
1995	987	44.0	22.4	n/a
1996	987	44.0	22.4	n/a
1997	782	36.0	21.7	n/a
1998	827	33.0	25.1	n/a
1999	862	37.0	23.3	n/a
2000	839	36.0	23.3	n/a
2001	829	37.0	22.4	n/a
2002	795	38.0	20.9	69.1
2003	795	38.0	20.9	69.1
2004	772	33.1	23.3	68.1
2005	722	40.7	17.7	65.7
2006	726	42.0	17.3	67
2007	661	30.0	22.0	97.4
2008	617	32.0	19.3	100.2
2009	582	32.0	18.2	99.5
2010	613	31.0	19.7	99.5
2011	635	32.0	19.8	99.5
2012	639	32.0	19.9	99.1
2013	647	37.1	17.4	99.4
2014	700	35.0	20.0	99.1
2015	696	39.0	17.8	98.7
2016	665	34.0	19.5	98.2
2017	610	31.3	19.4	97.7
2018	561	28.6	19.5	96.8
2019	1153	71.0	16.2	96.6
2020	1046	74.5	14.0	94.4
2021	1012	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	882	66.0	13.3	94.7
2023	817	61.5	13.2	92.7
2024	766	59.0	12.9	94.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Cardenas Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	930	39.0	23.8	n/a
1989	928	40.0	23.2	n/a
1990	664	42.0	15.8	n/a
1991	650	34.0	19.1	n/a
1992	686	35.0	19.6	n/a
1993	663	37.0	17.9	n/a
1994	677	35.0	19.3	n/a
1995	987	44.0	22.4	n/a
1996	987	44.0	22.4	n/a
1997	782	36.0	21.7	n/a
1998	827	33.0	25.1	n/a
1999	862	37.0	23.3	n/a
2000	839	36.0	23.3	n/a
2001	829	37.0	22.4	n/a
2002	795	38.0	20.9	69.1
2003	795	38.0	20.9	69.1
2004	772	33.1	23.3	68.1
2005	722	40.7	17.7	65.7
2006	726	42.0	17.3	67
2007	661	30.0	22.0	97.4
2008	617	32.0	19.3	100.2
2009	582	32.0	18.2	99.5
2010	613	31.0	19.7	99.5
2011	635	32.0	19.8	99.5
2012	639	32.0	19.9	99.1
2013	647	37.1	17.4	99.4
2014	700	35.0	20.0	99.1
2015	696	39.0	17.8	98.7
2016	665	34.0	19.5	98.2
2017	610	31.3	19.4	97.7
2018	561	28.6	19.5	96.8
2019	1153	71.0	16.2	96.6
2020	1046	74.5	14.0	94.4
2021	1012	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	882	66.0	13.3	94.7
2023	817	61.5	13.2	92.7
2024	766	59.0	12.9	94.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Immunization Rates