The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 56% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elem School
Lincoln Elementary School serves grades 3 and 4 in Princeton, Illinois, a small Bureau County seat with a historic downtown anchored by brick Victorian-era buildings and a mix of health care, retail, and manufacturing employment. The school sits in a community where housing values have appreciated modestly, and where growth has emphasized downtown preservation rather than rapid expansion.
The school's enrollment is small, drawing from both third and fourth grade cohorts of roughly equal size. In terms of academic performance on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), the school shows a clear grade-level trajectory. Third graders demonstrated stronger proficiency in both math and English language arts than their fourth-grade peers. In math, third-grade students achieved proficiency at a rate well above half the class, while fourth graders reached proficiency at a lower rate. The pattern reverses somewhat in ELA, where both grades cluster around the 55 to 60 percent mark. Fourth-grade math performance, at just under half the class reaching proficiency, stands as the school's clearest area of relative weakness. All students tested participated in the assessment, which is standard for both grades.
Compared to other districts in Bureau County, Lincoln Elementary's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile of schools in that peer group. The school sits well above the county median on this metric, driven by the stronger third-grade results and moderate fourth-grade performance.
Enrollment data show the school serves a community that is predominantly white, with a smaller Hispanic population and a very small representation of Asian, Black, and Native Hawaiian students. The specific count of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, nor were rates for students receiving special education services or English learner support. These data gaps are common at the elementary level and do not indicate weakness; they simply mean a parent would want to contact the school directly to understand the full profile of student needs and support systems in place.
The school feeds into the broader Princeton ESD 115 district. Recent searches found no major district referendums, curriculum shifts, or capital projects that would signal significant change to families. The district appears to be operating within a steady-state context in a town where employment and housing markets are stable, with modest year-over-year appreciation rather than boom-or-bust cycles.
For a family choosing between early elementary options in this setting, Lincoln Elementary offers a small-school experience in a rural community with a cohesive downtown and long-standing civic anchors like the library and courthouse. The third-grade performance is a strength worth noting; the fourth-grade math results warrant a conversation with school staff about curriculum, instruction, and support strategies as students transition to upper elementary.
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