Lincoln Elementary Magnet School, Albany GA

Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elementary Magnet School

Lincoln Elementary Magnet School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Albany, a mid-sized regional hub in southwest Georgia. The school sits in a working city anchored by healthcare, manufacturing, and education employment, with a downtown riverfront district and commercial corridors extending outward. Albany has experienced gradual population decline over the long term, though recent housing development and economic announcements—including a new KIPP high school, corrugated box expansion by Pratt Industries, and auto parts manufacturing—suggest stabilization. Home values are moderate, and the district's school property-tax rate has been rolled back six times over nearly two decades, sitting below historical levels as of early in this decade.

Lincoln Elementary enrolls a small school population across its grade band. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a low-income student body. The vast majority of students are Black, with very small shares of Hispanic, white, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available.

On state testing, the school's proficiency picture is mixed by grade and subject. In mathematics, third-grade students show proficiency above the midpoint, but fourth and fifth grades show notably lower rates, with fifth-grade math proficiency falling to under half. English language arts proficiency is also inconsistent: third grade reaches the midpoint, but fourth and fifth grades sit below it. Science proficiency in fifth grade is a strength, with results well above the midpoint. A single social studies result from over a decade ago shows very high proficiency, but that assessment has since been discontinued in Georgia, so current classroom performance in that subject is not reported. Only one recent school year of data is available, so trend over time cannot be assessed.

The school carries a magnet designation in its name, though the data provided does not detail the specific magnet theme or selection process. Parents who are drawn to a magnet program or who value school choice within the district may want to look into what academic focus, if any, the magnet mission provides.

Dougherty County School System has pursued structural investments relevant to families considering the district. The Board of Education has sustained a multi-year property-tax reduction, rolling back the millage rate six times in roughly two decades and reaching historically low levels. Against a backdrop of rising school-related property taxes elsewhere in Georgia, this represents tangible cost relief for homeowners. The district also established Georgia's first registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor, a workforce initiative intended to build a homegrown pipeline into teaching and stabilize classroom staffing.

Lincoln Elementary sits within a school system serving a single county and a city navigating slow growth. For families relocating to Albany or choosing schools within the district, the school's low-income concentration, uneven proficiency results, and mixed academic performance across grades should factor into the decision. The science proficiency is a noteworthy point of strength. The property-tax environment and workforce stability efforts reflect district-level stability that may matter for families planning longer tenure.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 378%

School 78% · District 31% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 30% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 24% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 23% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 24% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 29% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Science

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 39% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-895%

School 95% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

This schoolDougherty County, 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.