Lincoln Elementary, San Bernardino CA

Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elementary

Lincoln Elementary is a small regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in San Bernardino, located on West 13th Street in the central part of the city. The school sits within San Bernardino City Unified School District, which serves both San Bernardino and Highland and is anchored by a district-wide strategic plan called Vision 2030: SBCUSD SHINES, adopted in April 2024, that prioritizes academic expectations, equity, wellness, and safe learning environments.

Lincoln's enrollment is small, concentrated heavily in the lower elementary grades. The vast majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the economic profile of this part of San Bernardino. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller groups of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The school's peer environment is economically and racially homogeneous by design and circumstance of neighborhood.

State test results from the 2024-25 school year show proficiency in math and English language arts that falls in the bottom quartile relative to other schools tested in San Bernardino County. In math, third grade students showed low proficiency, fourth grade was lower still, and fifth grade was the lowest of the three grades tested. In English language arts, third grade proficiency was similarly low, while fourth and fifth grades showed modest gains but still well below the proficiency benchmark. Fifth grade science proficiency was also very low. The school has only one year of state testing data on file, so trend information is not available. These results indicate that students are facing significant academic challenges in foundational reading and math skills.

San Bernardino itself is the largest city by population in San Bernardino County, the largest county in the nation. The city combines residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and institutional anchors including the restored Santa Fe Depot train station, the Feldheym Library, and California State University San Bernardino. Downtown and surrounding areas are experiencing planned infill development with mixed-use structures and new retail and commercial activity. The housing market in the 92405 zip code, where Lincoln is located, shows median home values at a level below the California state benchmark, and monthly rents are moderate relative to mortgage payments. Families seeking an affordable housing footprint in an area with ongoing neighborhood investment may find San Bernardino workable, though a parent may want to look into the school's specific academic trajectory and support services further with the district, given the proficiency data.

The district has structured its high schools around Linked Learning career pathways that integrate college-prep academics with career-technical education and dual enrollment, and holds multiple Gold-certified pathways among the highest in the state. While this signals a strong secondary model, Lincoln serves only through fifth grade and does not offer the high school pathways directly. For families at Lincoln, the pathway forward depends on middle school placement and the district's pipeline into those high school career programs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 31% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 23% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 19% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 31% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 422%

School 22% · District 32% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 34% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 18% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

This schoolSan Bernardino City Unified, 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.