The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in English language arts. The lowest is 66% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School is a regular public school in Spencer, Iowa, serving grades three through five. It is part of the Spencer Comm School District and sits squarely in the middle elementary years, meaning families who enroll here will be looking ahead to a middle school transition after fifth grade.
On state assessments administered through the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, Lincoln posted solid proficiency rates across the tested subjects. In mathematics, roughly three out of four students scored at or above the proficient level, and in English language arts the rate was similar. Science proficiency, tested only at one grade in this band, was a bit lower but still showed a majority of students meeting the mark. These results come from a single testing year, so there is no multi-year trend to judge improvement or decline. The school’s overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the two districts in Clay County, a modest but positive standing in a small comparison set.
The student body is of a size typical for an elementary serving only three grades. Nearly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that gives a sense of the economic diversity in the building. Racially, the student population is predominantly white, with a Hispanic enrollment that makes up under ten percent and small numbers of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent who wants to know about special education or language support should ask the school directly.
Lincoln is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation, and it does not appear to receive Title I funding, though that status was not confirmed. The school offers no specialized programs in the data provided, and there is no information on course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism. For an elementary school, these gaps are common in public data, but they mean a family will need to rely on a visit or conversation with the school to understand class sizes, enrichment offerings, and behavioral climate.
Spencer itself is the county seat of Clay County, a regional trade and service center for surrounding farm country. Its downtown district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, holds a walkable cluster of cultural amenities: a public library, community theater, art gallery, and the Clay County Fairgrounds, which draw large seasonal crowds. The economy leans on health care, retail, and manufacturing, and housing values in the area are modest relative to both state and national benchmarks. In June 2024, the town experienced severe flooding when the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan rivers overflowed, damaging hundreds of homes and businesses and prompting a federal disaster declaration. That event is likely still shaping the community’s recovery and may affect school enrollment or family decisions in the near term. The district itself reported no recent major changes in its operations or priorities, so a parent evaluating the school will be weighing a stable institutional environment against the broader context of a town recovering from a natural disaster.
For a family considering Lincoln Elementary, the picture is straightforward. It is a regular public elementary school in a small Midwestern city with a compact downtown, a solid academic record relative to its county peers, and a student population that reflects the area’s demographics. The lack of data on special populations, discipline, and staffing means those factors deserve a direct inquiry. The school’s grade band also means that the high school outcomes, such as graduation rate, do not apply, and families should keep an eye on the full feeder pattern through the Spencer district.
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