The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Central Elem School
Central Elem School is a small public elementary school in Lincoln, Illinois, serving kindergarten through fifth grade with a student body of about the size typical for that grade band in a rural county setting. The school is located at 100 7th Street in downtown Lincoln, the county seat of Logan County, and is part of Lincoln ESD 27.
Lincoln itself is a historic town centered on its courthouse square and rooted in Abraham Lincoln heritage and Route 66 tourism. The community sits between Springfield and Bloomington in a grain and farmland region. Major local employers include Eaton Corporation, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, and agricultural services. The city has experienced modest employment decline in recent years and absorbed a significant economic shock in 2022 when Lincoln College, a historically Black institution that had served the area for over a century and a half, closed permanently. Development is now small-scale infill rather than major expansion, with new residential activity mostly in existing neighborhoods.
The school's student body is predominantly white, with smaller numbers of multiracial and Hispanic students and a very small Black enrollment. Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, with enrollment distributed across those seven grade levels.
On the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), Central Elem's performance in 2024-25 shows variation by grade and subject. In mathematics, third grade performed notably above the middle of the county's districts, while fourth grade was weaker and fifth grade moderate. In English language arts, third grade was below the middle, fourth grade was moderate, and fifth grade was among the stronger grades at the school. Science results for fifth grade, the only tested grade, were at the middle of the county range. Fourth-grade ELA testing had one student absence, but overall participation was strong across tested grades.
The comparison data position Central Elem's overall proficiency index in the top quartile among Logan County's districts, which is a strength relative to that peer set. That said, the picture within the school is uneven: some grade-subject combinations show real attainment while others fall noticeably below. Third-grade ELA at about half proficient, and fourth-grade mathematics at about six in ten, suggest areas where a parent may want to look into further with the school about instructional approach or student support.
The school serves a very small enrollment across seven grade levels, which may mean mixed-age or combined classes, looping teachers, and close relationships between staff and families. State assessment data for grades six through eight shows no results, which is expected because Central Elem is configured as an elementary school and does not serve those grades.
District-level context is thin, but publicly reported information indicates Logan County school districts were put to voters to expand the existing school facility sales tax revenue to cover school resource officers and mental health professionals, framed as no new tax increase but a redirection of existing revenue to safety and mental health services alongside facility maintenance.
Housing in the 62656 zip code where the school sits is modestly valued relative to both state and national benchmarks and appreciates at a pace above the national rate. Mortgage affordability and unemployment remain in typical ranges for the region.
A parent considering Central Elem would be choosing a small, locally rooted elementary school in the historic core of a community in transition. The school sits in a place with stable basic services but modest economic momentum and appears to serve a homogeneous student body. Test results show capability in some grades and subjects but soft spots in others, making direct conversation with school staff about curriculum and support structures worthwhile before enrolling.
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