The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Science. The lowest is 56% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Middle School
Lincoln Middle School serves about students in grades six through eight in Mount Prospect, a northwest Chicago suburb built on postwar residential patterns with a compact, walkable downtown centered on the Metra station. The school sits on a neighborhood campus rather than downtown, typical of how the district distributed its elementary and junior high schools across the village's new neighborhoods starting in the postwar era.
The school's state assessment results show proficiency in the mid-range for a Cook County school. In English language arts, students in grade six reached proficiency at a rate above the school's average, while seventh and eighth graders were lower. In math, the pattern reversed: sixth and seventh grades came in below half, while eighth grade climbed higher. Science proficiency in eighth grade was solid. Across all subjects and grades reported, the school's overall proficiency sits above the midpoint among Cook County district schools. A parent may want to look further into whether the upward swing in eighth-grade math and ELA proficiency reflects stronger classroom instruction at that level, differentiation in support, or cohort variation.
State testing data for grades three through five are not available because Lincoln serves only middle grades; the school does not test elementary students. Assessment participation rates are strong, at or above ninety-nine percent across the grades tested.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and a very small presence of Black students. Free-or-reduced-price lunch data were not available in the records. The school does not report special education or English learner counts, so a parent seeking that detail would need to contact the district directly.
Mount Prospect SD 57 is in the midst of substantial physical change. In November, voters approved a bond referendum to build a new Lincoln Middle School and expand Westbrook School for Young Learners. The new Lincoln building will be constructed around the existing school before demolition, meaning the school will operate during construction through roughly the start of the 2027-28 school year. The district is also implementing full-day kindergarten by 2027-28 to comply with state law, a shift parents with younger siblings should note.
The district itself is small and serves a single, cohesive suburban community. Mount Prospect is a village of modest size with a strong commuter culture, easy rail access to Chicago via the Metra, and concentrated employment in health care, manufacturing, retail, and pharmaceuticals. Housing values in the area have appreciated and are above the state benchmark; rents are moderately priced. The downtown is genuinely walkable around the Metra station, but outside that core the village follows standard suburban form with auto-oriented retail corridors. Recent development has pushed downtown redevelopment with new mixed-use and rental housing near transit, alongside the transformation of the old enclosed mall into an open-air retail center.
For families considering Lincoln, the key factors are the current academic trajectory showing mid-range county proficiency, an imminent school rebuilding project that will bring physical disruption but a new facility, and a settled suburban community with good bones but limited walkability away from downtown. The school serves a stable, majority-white student population in a school district with manageable scope and clear capital plans.
See more original research from School Decision →