The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elem School
Lincoln Elementary serves a small enrollment of second through fourth graders in Mendota, a rural community in north-central Illinois. The school's student body reflects its location: roughly half are white and about two-fifths are Hispanic/Latino, with smaller Black and multiracial populations. The enrollment is distributed fairly evenly across the three grade levels. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special education or English learner populations were not available.
On the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), the school's proficiency results in 2024-25 are below the midpoint among districts in LaSalle County. In math, third-grade students showed higher proficiency than fourth graders. In English language arts, performance in both grades fell short of state benchmarks. The school tested nearly all enrolled students in both subjects, indicating strong participation. Grade five and above are not served by this school, so no state testing data exist for those grades.
The proficiency picture here reflects a school with academic challenges that merit attention. A parent should have a direct conversation with the school about its reading intervention strategies, math support structures, and any tutoring or small-group instruction available to students who are not yet meeting grade-level targets. It would be worth asking what progress monitoring looks like and how the school communicates with families about a child's trajectory.
Mendota itself is a stable small city with mixed economic conditions. The town has invested in downtown revitalization, including a walk-accessible Main Street with restaurants, shops, and civic anchors like the Amtrak station and libraries. Housing remains affordable compared to state and national medians, with median home values well below the state benchmark and a buyer's market showing longer days on market. Historically tied to manufacturing and food processing, the city has faced recent headwinds: Del Monte Foods closed a major canning plant. The Schwan's facility and Beck's convenience chain remain active employers. The district itself is modernizing its three school buildings through recurring bond sales, with recent work completing HVAC upgrades at other sites, so the learning environments across the system are receiving capital investment.
The school sits within Mendota CCSD 289, a small district serving the city. Facility upgrades across the district mean Lincoln is part of a system actively addressing building infrastructure, though the academic profile suggests the focus now needs to be on instructional delivery and student achievement in core subjects.
See more original research from School Decision →