West Lincoln-broadwell Elem Sch, Lincoln IL

Original Research by School Decision on West Lincoln-broadwell Elem Sch

West Lincoln-Broadwell Elementary School serves grades prekindergarten through 8 in Lincoln, Illinois, a small county-seat town in the grain belt between Springfield and Bloomington. The school enrolls a small student body distributed across all grade levels, with the largest cohorts in seventh grade and prekindergarten. The student population is predominantly white, with one Hispanic student and no reported students in other racial or ethnic groups. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility data were not available.

Academic performance shows a sharp grade-level divide. In English language arts, proficiency is low in grades 3 and 5, moderate in grades 4 and 6, and markedly strong in grades 7 and 8, where the vast majority of students meet state proficiency standards. Mathematics tells a different story: fourth grade shows strong proficiency, but grades 3, 5, and 6 fall well below the midline, while grades 7 and 8 rebound to solid performance. Science proficiency in fifth and eighth grades is low to moderate. A parent may want to explore with the school what accounts for the uneven performance across grades and subjects, particularly the struggles in upper-elementary math and science.

Within Logan County's districts, West Lincoln-Broadwell's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, indicating stronger aggregate test results than most peer districts in the county. Test participation is comprehensive, with nearly all students assessed.

Lincoln itself is a town of modest size with a walkable historic downtown anchored by the Logan County Courthouse and a mix of local restaurants and shops. The broader economic character rests on manufacturing, healthcare, and agricultural services. The area experienced a significant shock in 2022 when Lincoln College, a historically Black private institution and major local employer, closed after 157 years of operation. Employment has declined modestly since then. Housing values in the Lincoln area are below both the state and national averages, making it a relatively affordable market, though mortgage affordability depends on household income.

The school is located at 2695 Woodlawn Road, on the commercial corridor rather than in the historic downtown. No recent major district policy changes or referenda were identified in publicly available sources. As a prekindergarten-through-eighth-grade school in a small, single-school district, West Lincoln-Broadwell serves all students in its service area across an unusually broad age span without separate buildings for early and later grades. This structure creates both cross-age exposure and operational constraints typical of rural and small-town schools. Families considering this school should understand that it serves a small, demographically homogeneous community and should verify what academic supports or interventions the school offers for students who struggle in particular grades or subjects.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 39 pts above state median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 38 pts above state median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 39 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 53%

even with state median

Grade 690%

School 90% · District 90%

▲ 39 pts above state median

Grade 793%

School 93% · District 93%

▲ 42 pts above state median

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 31 pts above state median

Science

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 4 pts above state median

This schoolWest Lincoln-Broadwell ESD 92, 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.