Lincoln Acres, National City CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Acres

Lincoln Acres serves kindergarten through sixth grade in National City, a dense, working-class San Diego Bay community with a predominantly Hispanic population and a mix of older residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and industrial areas near the water. The school sits within National Elementary District and enrolls a student body that reflects the city's demographics and economic profile.

The enrollment is small to moderate, with a fairly even distribution across grades. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating high economic need across the school community. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller Asian, Filipino, and other communities represented.

On California's state assessments in 2024-25, Lincoln Acres shows proficiency rates well below the state benchmark across both math and English language arts. In math, proficiency across tested grades ranges from low in fourth grade to modest in sixth grade, with an overall proficiency rate in the low range. In English language arts, results are similarly low in third and fourth grades, improve notably in fifth grade, and rise to a higher level in sixth grade. Science proficiency, tested in fifth grade, is low. Trend data is limited to a single year, so direction of change cannot be assessed. When proficiency is averaged across subjects and grades, Lincoln Acres lands in the bottom quartile relative to elementary schools within San Diego County, a positioning that reflects substantial gaps in student mastery of grade-level content.

The disparity in performance between lower grades and sixth grade, particularly visible in English language arts where sixth-grade proficiency is substantially higher, suggests grade-level variation in student readiness or instructional capacity. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what is driving this pattern and what support is available for students in earlier grades.

National City itself is in transition, with new affordable housing and transit-oriented development in its downtown and central neighborhoods. The San Diego Trolley Blue Line connects the city to downtown and the Mexican border. Parks, including Kimball Park with sports courts and a skate park, are within walking distance for many families, and a new intergenerational community centered on affordable housing and senior services opened recently in the central neighborhood. The broader housing market in the zip code reflects regional San Diego pricing, with median home values and rents reflecting the region's affordability challenge relative to household income.

No data on specialized programs, staffing, attendance, or discipline were available for this school. Information about district-level priorities or recent changes was also not found, so the school's position within broader district strategy could not be assessed.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 34% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 26% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 26% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 27% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 28% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 29% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 36% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 41% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Science

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 21% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

This schoolNational Elementary, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income71%37 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income41%21 pp gap