The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Math. The lowest is 32% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elementary
Lincoln Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in Little Falls, the county seat of Morrison County. The school is part of the Little Falls Community Schools district. Little Falls is a small city developed at falls on the Mississippi River, with a historic downtown, a mix of residential neighborhoods, and industrial areas tied to its manufacturing heritage. The surrounding region includes agricultural land and lake country. The community blends historical preservation with small-town civic life, and major employers include Camp Ripley, manufacturing firms, and local government.
The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of students who identify as two or more races, Hispanic, Black, or American Indian. Roughly half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of household economic need. State testing data from the 2023-24 school year provides a mixed picture of academic performance across subjects and grades.
In math, Lincoln Elementary’s third graders had a proficiency rate that placed the school above the midpoint among districts in Morrison County. Fourth graders performed at a similar level. Fifth graders, however, showed a noticeably softer result in math, with less than half of students meeting proficiency standards. A parent may want to discuss with the school how math instruction and support shift in the upper elementary grades.
In English language arts, the pattern was different. Third and fourth graders tested below a majority-proficient level in reading. Fifth graders, by contrast, posted a stronger result, with more than half of students demonstrating proficiency. Science is tested only at fifth grade, and that rate was lower than the fifth-grade reading result, falling below a majority-proficient level as well.
The proficiency index used for the county comparison rolls together all tested subjects and grades into a single measure. On that index, Lincoln Elementary sits above the midpoint among districts in Morrison County, meaning its combined performance is better than that of some nearby peers but not the highest in the area. A parent considering this school should weigh the variability across grades and subjects. The school’s strongest showing in the available data is fifth-grade reading; its weakest is fifth-grade math and science. The third- and fourth-grade reading results, both below majority proficiency, are worth a closer look.
The district does not appear to have any recent high-profile changes such as boundary redesigns, major budget referendums, or curriculum overhauls that would directly affect a family’s experience at Lincoln Elementary. Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with home values below the state median but close to the national figure. The housing market has seen some appreciation recently, though not as sharply as the statewide trend. The area’s unemployment rate has been stable and in line with national norms.
Lincoln Elementary is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and there is no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline. Those gaps are typical for a school serving only elementary grades. The school’s location in the residential fabric of Little Falls means most students walk, bike, or get dropped off from home; it is not a regional magnet drawing from a wide attendance zone. For a family seeking a neighborhood elementary school in a small city with a historic downtown and a manufacturing-and-government economic base, Lincoln Elementary offers a familiar, community-anchored setting with academic results that vary by grade and subject.
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