The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Science. The lowest is 25% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School sits on South Scott Street in Adrian, the county seat of Lenawee County. It is a regular public school in the Adrian Public Schools district, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school's enrollment is modest for its grade band, with the largest cohorts concentrated in kindergarten, third, and fourth grades.
The student body reflects Adrian's working-class and mixed composition. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic makeup is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and small percentages of students identifying as two or more races, Black, or Asian. The school lists pre-kindergarten in its served grades, though current enrollment data shows no pre-kindergarten pupils recorded, with kindergarten being the earliest grade with enrolled students. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available.
Adrian itself is a small city with a layered identity. It is home to Siena Heights University, Adrian College, and a Jackson College campus, which gives the town a steady student presence. Manufacturing employers like Adrian Steel, Plastic Omnium, and Inergy Automotive anchor the local economy, and the public sector, including the county and the school district, is a major employer. Downtown runs along Main Street and includes the Croswell Opera House, the oldest theater in Michigan, along with civic and cultural venues. Heritage Park and Trestle Park offer mountain bike trails, river boardwalks, and a pedestrian walkway along a former railroad trestle. Population estimates suggest Adrian has been relatively stable or in slight decline, with no major new housing developments identified in publicly reported sources. The urban area extends beyond city limits into surrounding townships.
The housing market around the school is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below the Michigan state benchmark and roughly half the national benchmark, with recent year-over-year appreciation indicating a rising market. The price-to-income ratio is low, and estimated monthly mortgage costs reflect the prevailing mortgage rate environment. Rental data was not available for this location. For a family considering buying, the area offers relatively accessible housing prices compared with much of the state.
On state assessments, Lincoln's results tell a mixed story. In math, third-grade proficiency is low, fourth grade shows some improvement, and fifth grade reaches a moderate level. The pattern in English language arts is more striking: third-grade proficiency is very low, fourth grade remains modest, and fifth grade jumps to a level where a majority of tested students are proficient. Science proficiency in fifth grade falls in the middle range, and social studies is also in a moderate band. Participation rates were not reported across the tested grades.
Measured against districts in Lenawee County, Lincoln's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint. The comparison set used here is the county's districts, and within that group Lincoln is in the lower portion. This does not capture everything about a school, but it does give a sense of where academic outcomes currently stand relative to nearby systems. A parent weighing this school may want to look into the grade-to-grade progression and what supports are in place for earlier grades, where proficiency levels are lowest.
Because Lincoln serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was not available, and discipline, staffing, and course access information was not provided. Title I status was also not reported, though the free and reduced-price lunch rate suggests the school likely serves a population that would qualify for additional support. The district brief searched for recent parent-relevant changes in Adrian Public Schools and found little of lasting impact to report.
What a family gets at Lincoln is a neighborhood elementary school in an affordable, culturally active small city with a strong higher-education presence and a manufacturing base. The academic results show real growth between third and fifth grade, particularly in reading, but the lower proficiency in the early grades is a factor to weigh. The school's position relative to its county peers is below the midpoint on proficiency. Families drawn to Adrian's character and cost of living will want to ask the school directly about early-grade interventions, English learner services, and supports for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, since those data points were not available in the provided materials.
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