The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in English language arts. The lowest is 64% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elementary
Lincoln Elementary sits on Devereux Drive in Burlingame, a small, affluent Peninsula city known for its tree-lined streets and walkable downtown. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public elementary school in the Burlingame Elementary School District.
Academic results, measured by California's CAASPP Smarter Balanced assessments, are strong. Across the tested grades in both English language arts and math, proficiency rates run well into the upper range, with fifth-grade ELA particularly high and third-grade math also standing out. The one area worth watching is fifth-grade science on the California Science Test, where the proficiency rate is lower than the ELA and math results, sitting closer to the middle of the pack. Parents who care about science preparation may want to ask the school how science instruction is sequenced across the elementary grades. Placed against districts in San Mateo County, Lincoln's overall proficiency index lands above the midpoint of that comparison set, which is a meaningful position given that San Mateo County includes some of California's highest-performing districts.
The student body is a mix of white and Asian students who together make up the large majority of enrollment, with smaller shares of multiracial and Hispanic students. The school is not Title I designated, and only a small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, consistent with Burlingame's affluent character. Data on English learner rates and students with IEPs was not reported in the available data, so those are gaps a parent should raise directly with the school or district office.
Because Lincoln only goes through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, as that measure applies to high school. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available in the data provided.
The district itself has made one change worth knowing for families thinking about the longer arc. The Burlingame Elementary School District has adopted an algebra-for-all policy at the middle school level, meaning every student is expected to complete algebra before leaving eighth grade. This was publicly reported as a response to parent demand for a more academically competitive pathway. For a family enrolling a kindergartner at Lincoln today, this shapes what the middle school years will look like.
Property owners in Burlingame should be aware that in late 2024 voters approved Measure GG, a new parcel tax layered on top of an existing school parcel tax, Measure L. Both taxes will run concurrently for several years before Measure L expires. Publicly reported figures describe Measure GG as structured around a per-square-foot levy on building improvements, capped per parcel, with revenue directed to teacher retention and academic programs. This is a real ongoing cost that families who own property in the district will carry.
The housing market around Lincoln reflects Burlingame broadly. Home values in the zip code are dramatically above the California statewide median and far above national norms. Estimated monthly ownership costs are well beyond what most national income benchmarks would consider affordable, and rents are also high relative to income. Year-over-year home values have continued to climb. Burlingame is in an active period of housing production driven by state mandates, with new units being added near transit corridors, though affordable-category units are lagging behind market-rate approvals.
Burlingame itself is compact and genuinely walkable. Two commercial districts, Burlingame Avenue and Broadway, each have their own character, and the historic Caltrain station connects the city to San Francisco and the broader Peninsula. Washington Park sits near the downtown station. The employment base in and around the city spans technology, healthcare, and life sciences, which helps explain both the household income profile and the demand that keeps housing costs elevated.
Program-level details for Lincoln Elementary were not included in the data provided, so specifics about enrichment, arts, sports, or after-school offerings are not something this account can address.
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