Lincoln Elementary School, Dayton KY

Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elementary School

Lincoln Elementary School serves students from preschool through sixth grade in Dayton, a small, compact river city on the Ohio River directly across from Cincinnati. The school is part of the Dayton Independent district, which is undergoing a notable reconfiguration: middle school grades are moving from the elementary building to the high school building, so Lincoln now houses grades PK through six. The district cites declining enrollment as the reason for consolidating from three buildings to two, and this restructuring shapes how resources and facilities are used.

Academically, Lincoln’s performance on Kentucky’s state assessments is mixed and varies noticeably by grade and subject. In math, third graders achieved proficiency at a rate around half, while fourth-grade results were suppressed from public reporting due to small group sizes. Fifth-grade math proficiency was markedly lower, and sixth graders rebounded to a rate above two in five. In English language arts, the pattern is similar: third and fifth graders performed at about two in five proficient, fourth graders at roughly three in ten, and sixth graders at about half. Science results for fourth grade were also suppressed. Social studies for fifth graders showed proficiency at about one in four. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency index sits above the midpoint among districts in Campbell County, but the range across grades and subjects indicates that some cohorts face real challenges. A parent may want to look into how the school supports students in the grades where performance is weaker, particularly fifth-grade math and social studies.

The student body is large for an elementary school serving this grade span, and the vast majority of students come from households with low income, as reflected in a very high share qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are two or more races, Hispanic, and Black. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in this profile.

Dayton itself is a walkable, historic river town experiencing a surge of new housing development along the Ohio River, including multi-family projects and a suburban-style subdivision. The city maintains several parks and a riverfront trail system. Housing values in the area are modest relative to national benchmarks, and rents have been rising. The city’s compact size and proximity to downtown Cincinnati give residents access to a major urban core while maintaining a small-town feel. For families considering Lincoln Elementary, the school sits within this community’s fabric, integrated into its residential streets rather than on a separate campus.

Because Lincoln serves only through grade six, there is no graduation rate or high school outcomes to report. The school’s academic picture is one of variation rather than consistency, with relative strength in early elementary math and sixth-grade reading but soft spots in intermediate grades. The district’s reconfiguration means that students who start at Lincoln will transition to a combined middle-high school building for seventh grade, a change that may matter to families planning a longer arc. The very high concentration of poverty is a contextual factor that affects the peer environment and the types of resources the school likely draws upon. For a family focused on a small-city setting with recent investment and redevelopment, Lincoln Elementary offers a full elementary pathway within a district that is actively reshaping itself.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 351%

School 51% · District 47% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 17% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 38% · ▲ 4 pts above district

even with state median

English language arts

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 37% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 29% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 36% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 46% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 22% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

This schoolDayton Independent, 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

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income70%32 pp gap