Lincoln Elem School, Chicago IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elem School

Lincoln Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through grade eight in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, part of Chicago Public Schools District 299. With enrollment distributed roughly evenly across its grades, the school is a neighborhood anchor serving a diverse student body in a predominantly white, affluent, and highly educated lakeside community where housing values are significantly above both state and national benchmarks.

In state testing, Lincoln performs solidly across subjects. Math proficiency ranges from strong results in the lower grades to more modest performance in grade eight, where roughly one in three students do not meet state proficiency benchmarks. English language arts is the school's clearer strength, with particularly high results in grade five and sustained performance in the low-to-mid eighties across most other grades. Science proficiency at grade five reaches the high range, while grade eight science proficiency sits in the mid-seventies. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Cook County districts. Test participation rates are consistently high, near or above 98 percent, indicating reliable assessment data.

The student body reflects the neighborhood's diversity within an affluent urban context. A substantial majority of students are white. Asian students comprise a meaningful share of enrollment, while Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students each represent smaller though non-trivial populations. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data and English learner enrollment counts were not available in the data provided, so a reader interested in understanding economic diversity or language-support services within the school community may want to look into this further with the school directly.

The neighborhood surrounding Lincoln is a dense, mixed-income lakefront area within Chicago's well-established North Shore. Housing values have appreciated significantly in recent years and remain well above median values for both Illinois and the nation. Rental costs are also elevated, reflecting the area's desirability. The broader Chicago region has resumed population growth after years of decline, with recent housing approvals and multifamily development concentrated downtown and along the North Lakefront. Lincoln Park itself is one of Chicago's oldest neighborhoods, anchored by the Lincoln Park Zoo, a major museum campus, and extensive lakefront green space.

At the district level, Chicago Public Schools is undergoing structural change. The school board transitioned from full mayoral appointment to a hybrid model in late 2024 and will move to full elections in November 2026, giving parents a direct voice in district governance. The district also adopted a new strategic plan in 2024 that signals a long-term shift toward strengthening neighborhood schools, moving away from the school-choice model that has historically defined CPS enrollment. Additionally, CPS replaced its numeric school ratings in late 2024 with holistic accountability dashboards that broaden how schools are evaluated beyond test scores and attendance. The district has also deployed a universal PreK-12 curriculum called Skyline across all content areas, standardizing instructional materials where schools previously selected their own.

State assessment data for grades three through eight is current; kindergarten and grade one results were not available, as those grades are not tested in Illinois. No graduation rate is applicable, as the school does not serve high school grades. Data on special education enrollment, chronic absenteeism, and free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility were missing from the available information.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 38% · ▲ 48 pts above district

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

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 29% · ▲ 55 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 55 pts above county median

Grade 588%

School 88% · District 24% · ▲ 64 pts above district

▲ 58 pts above state median · ▲ 66 pts above county median

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 23% · ▲ 57 pts above district

▲ 56 pts above state median · ▲ 62 pts above county median

Grade 776%

School 76% · District 27% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 54 pts above county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 23% · ▲ 45 pts above district

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 387%

School 87% · District 36% · ▲ 51 pts above district

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

Grade 485%

School 85% · District 39% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 594%

School 94% · District 43% · ▲ 51 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

Grade 685%

School 85% · District 45% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 785%

School 85% · District 46% · ▲ 39 pts above district

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

Grade 883%

School 83% · District 48% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Science

Grade 591%

School 91% · District 29% · ▲ 62 pts above district

▲ 54 pts above state median · ▲ 64 pts above county median

Grade 875%

School 75% · District 31% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

This schoolChicago Public Schools Dist 299, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income70%52 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income67%39 pp gap