The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Bellwood, a small residential suburb roughly fourteen miles west of downtown Chicago. The school enrolls a little over three hundred students in a neighborhood characterized by Chicago-style bungalows and brick ranches on a connected street grid. The student body is predominantly Black, with a meaningful Hispanic population and a small multiracial group; race/ethnicity data show these two communities as the school's makeup, with no reported enrollment of white, Asian, or Native American students. Free-and-reduced-price lunch rates were not available in the data, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the share of students who qualify for meal assistance.
State testing results from the 2024-25 school year show proficiency rates that are below midpoint among districts in Cook County. In mathematics, third grade proficiency reached the highest rate at the school, with just under half the tested students reaching proficiency or above. Fourth and fifth grade math proficiency dropped notably from there, to around one in five students and then one in six in fifth grade. English language arts tracked similarly: third grade showed the strongest performance at just under half, fourth grade at around one in three, and fifth grade at just under three in ten. Science testing in fifth grade, the only grade level with state science assessment data reported, showed the lowest performance across all subjects, with proficiency around one in seven students. The pattern across grade levels and subjects suggests that students in the upper elementary years are facing growing academic challenges in tested areas. A parent interested in how the school addresses these gaps should have a conversation with school leadership about instructional strategies, intervention programs, and support available for students not meeting grade-level expectations.
The school's grade configuration means there are no graduation rates, college-and-career pathway data, or secondary program offerings to report. Attendance, chronic absenteeism, and discipline information were not provided in the available data. The school's website is not listed in the profile, so a parent seeking more detail about the school's day-to-day operations, curriculum approach, or extracurricular offerings should contact the school or Bellwood SD 88 directly.
Bellwood itself is anchored by the Metra station on the Union Pacific West Line, offering commuter rail access to Chicago, and the village has a strong residential character with active parks and library systems. A major workforce housing project called Bellwood Gateway, opening in spring of 2026, is meant to anchor a new downtown district along St. Charles Road, signaling the village's focus on retaining families and young professionals. The housing market in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with home values and rental costs that are stable but with notably tight inventory. The local job base centers on health care, administrative services, and manufacturing, reflecting an industrial corridor along the village's eastern edge and the broader transportation and logistics infrastructure of the region.
Lincoln Elementary sits within a district and community still building momentum on downtown development and community anchors. For families considering this school, the academic data warrant direct conversation with teachers and administrators about how the school supports students in core subjects and what progression looks like as students move through the grade levels.
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