Cardinal Community School District Pauses Open Enrollment
posted September 2, 2022
The Cardinal Community School District Board of Directors has voted to pause open enrollment into the district. The board’s decision comes after consideration of Iowa’s new law, allowing open enrollment any time during the school year. Students who are already open enrolled and are currently attending Cardinal will not be affected.
“Cardinal enrollment continues to grow exponentially, and we simply need time to put a plan in place to allow students to open enroll throughout the school year,” Cardinal CSD Superintendent Joel Pedersen said.
The district plans to accept open enrollment applications starting January 1, 2023, for the 2023-2024 school year. We anticipate capping some grade levels and programs if demand exceeds district space and resources.
“We will communicate all guidelines and options within the next few months,” Pedersen said. “We encourage families not to hesitate if they are interested in open enrollment opportunities at Cardinal once the open enrollment window opens.”
From 1992 to 2010, Cardinal experienced negative open enrollment numbers and declining overall enrollment. That changed in 2010, and now we have seen an increase of 54.9% since then — the sixth largest increase in the state.
“Our enrollment change over the past 10 years is unprecedented in rural Iowa,” Pedersen said. “We are proud to be a positive outlier and truly believe the best is yet to come.”
As more students have enrolled in the district, Cardinal has worked diligently to grow its staff and program offerings to meet the needs of both new and current students. Temporarily pausing open enrollment will provide time for the administration and school board to develop a plan for continuing to grow district resources for the growing student population.
“The bottom line is parents want their kids to attend Cardinal, and we are proud of that,” Pedersen said. “Open enrollment is very important to the district and will continue to be a part of our growth into the future.”
