Abraham Lincoln Elementary, Santa Rosa CA

Original Research by School Decision on Abraham Lincoln Elementary

Abraham Lincoln Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Santa Rosa's lower-income west side, with an enrollment composed almost entirely of Hispanic students, a substantial majority of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits in a neighborhood that is more car-dependent than downtown, though still within the city proper.

The academic picture here is severe. State testing data from the most recent year shows proficiency rates well below any reasonable threshold across all tested grades and subjects. In math, students in grades four and five showed proficiency at zero, while grade three reached about one in seven and grade six about one in seventeen. In English language arts, proficiency was similarly low across the grade span, ranging from about one in twelve in grade four to about one in six in grade six. Science proficiency in grade five was about one in fifteen. These are among the lowest proficiency rates documented in Sonoma County schools.

A parent evaluating this school should understand that these are not margins of improvement but structural academic distress. The very small proficiency numbers suggest widespread struggle with grade-level content across the student body. No prior-year data allows a trend comparison, so it is not possible to say whether this reflects a sudden collapse, steady underperformance, or a school in recovery. The school does not report English learner or special education population counts, so detail on how language and learning-difference support is resourced remains unavailable.

The enrollment is small, around what you would expect for a neighborhood elementary in a mid-sized city, with fairly balanced grade-by-grade distribution. The student body is economically disadvantaged, with roughly two in three students on free or reduced-price lunch, and overwhelmingly Hispanic. This is a homogeneous, low-income community school.

The broader context matters significantly here. The Santa Rosa Elementary School District faces a fiscal crisis. Albert Biella and Brook Hill elementary schools closed in June 2025, and Steele Lane is slated to close in June 2026. The district has cut more than fifty teaching and counseling positions since 2024, and average class sizes have risen substantially, with elementary classes after kindergarten now projected at around thirty-two students. District leaders have also unveiled plans to reconfigure grade groupings, converting some elementary campuses into transitional kindergarten through third grade schools and shifting older grades elsewhere. Abraham Lincoln itself was named in publicly reported closure proposals, so a family enrolling here should confirm the school's current operational status and any planned reconfiguration directly with the district, as these plans may shift.

The district has passed a general obligation bond for facility upgrades and is considering a parcel tax to address its ongoing deficit. Both carry property-tax implications that families moving into the area will encounter.

Housing in the 95401 zip code, where the school is located, carries moderate affordability pressure relative to California, with median home values in the upper hundreds of thousands and monthly rents in the mid-two-thousands. This is less expensive than the state average but still substantial for a family budget.

A parent considering Abraham Lincoln should treat it as a school under acute institutional stress, with test results indicating significant academic struggle and a district undergoing consolidation that directly affects elementary placements. Direct conversation with school and district leadership about operational stability, current staffing, and actual class sizes is essential before enrollment.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 33% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 26% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 21% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 66%

School 6% · District 28% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 30% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 45%

School 5% · District 29% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 33% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Grade 617%

School 17% · District 40% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 24% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

This schoolSanta Rosa 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.