Lincoln Elem, Great Bend KS - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elem

Lincoln Elementary is a public school serving prekindergarten through sixth grade in Great Bend, Kansas. It is one of five elementary schools in the Great Bend USD 428 district. The school sits on Broadway in a residential part of the city.

Great Bend is the county seat of Barton County and acts as a commercial and government hub for central Kansas. The city’s population has been slowly declining over recent decades, but it still anchors the region with employers such as a regional hospital, Barton Community College, and county government. Home values in the area are modest, and rents are low enough that housing is notably affordable relative to national benchmarks. Commutes are short, and the city provides dial-a-ride transit rather than fixed-route buses. The context is a stable small city with a traditional downtown centered on the county courthouse, not a fast-growing suburb.

Lincoln Elementary enrolls a student body of modest size for its grade band. The student population is predominantly white, with a noticeable Hispanic share and small numbers of other racial groups. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic mix of the community. The school does not have public data available on the share of students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

Academically, Lincoln Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Barton County. This is a strong signal, though the picture varies by grade and subject. In English language arts, third graders show very high proficiency, while fourth and sixth graders are around the midpoint. Fifth graders are also solid. Math results are more uneven: third graders are strong, but fourth and sixth graders show lower proficiency, and fifth graders sit between them. Science results for fifth graders are in the middle range. The pattern suggests reading instruction may be a particular strength, especially in the early grades, while math at the upper elementary level may be an area a parent would want to explore further with the school.

The school serves only elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate, and state testing at this level covers only the tested grades. No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing was available in the public record. The district’s public information did not surface any recent major changes or initiatives that would directly affect a family’s decision. As a result, a parent evaluating Lincoln Elementary will find the most concrete evidence in the classroom level test results and the school’s position among area districts.

For a family choosing a school in central Kansas, Lincoln Elementary offers an accessible option in a low-cost housing market, with overall academic outcomes that are competitive in Barton County. The unevenness in math by grade is worth a direct conversation with the school. The school’s size and community setting suit a family looking for a neighborhood school in a stable, slower-growing city rather than a rapidly expanding suburban environment.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 40% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 35% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 39% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 31% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 385%

School 85% · District 49% · ▲ 36 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 40% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 41% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 30% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median

Science

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 36% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median

This schoolGreat Bend, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income83%Higher-income86%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income53%Higher-income40%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income68%Higher-income64%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income53%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income54%Higher-income71%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income20%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income55%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income47%25 pp gap