Lincoln Elementary, White Bear Lake MN

Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Elementary

Lincoln Elementary sits in the White Bear Lake Area School District, a public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The school is situated in White Bear Lake, a lakeside suburban city about twenty miles north of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. The community retains a distinct small-town identity despite its proximity to the Twin Cities; the lake itself is central to daily life, with seasonal recreation like sailing, ice fishing, and the weekly summer Marketfest downtown. The city is largely built out as an established suburb, with a population that has seen a slight decline in recent years. Housing in the area commands values and rents that align with the broader state market, and the local economy is driven by a mix of corporate headquarters, manufacturing, and local retail and dining.

The district runs nine elementary sites, two middle schools, and two high school campuses spread across the area. Lincoln Elementary is one of those elementary schools, operating as a regular public school.

On state assessments in the most recent testing year, Lincoln Elementary posted results that place it in the top quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades when compared to other districts in Ramsey County. In reading, the share of students meeting or exceeding standards was largest in fifth grade, with a strong showing, while third and fourth graders also recorded solid proficiency rates. In math, proficiency was similarly strong across the tested grades, with the highest rates seen among fourth graders. Science results, which are tested only at fifth grade in Minnesota, were lower than the school’s reading and math marks. Because this is a single year of data, and the state has indicated assessment changes for science, a parent may want to ask the school about how they approach that subject.

The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Asian, Hispanic, Black, and two-or-more-races students represented. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with individualized education plans and English learners was not reported in the available information. The school has an enrollment of roughly the size you would expect for an elementary serving these grades, with class groups that appear balanced across the grade levels.

Lincoln Elementary does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. The school is not a charter or magnet, and Title I status was not provided. No information was available on discipline, course access, or staffing ratios. The district brief returned no recent boundary or attendance changes from web research.

For a family considering this school, the takeaway is one of solid academic performance in the core subjects of reading and math, with results that rank among the stronger elementary options in the county. The science score is a softer spot and worth a conversation with the school to understand their approach. The community is an established, lake-oriented suburb with a slower pace of growth, and the school itself is a conventional neighborhood elementary within a larger district system. This is a school that fits a family looking for a reliable academic foundation in a stable suburban setting where the lake and its recreation shape much of local life.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 375%

School 75% · District 59% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

Grade 478%

School 78% · District 62% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 48% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 360%

School 60% · District 49% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 473%

School 73% · District 51% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 582%

School 82% · District 67% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Science

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 26% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

This schoolWHITE BEAR LAKE SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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-income46%Higher-income65%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income53%Higher-income78%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income70%Higher-income85%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income85%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income65%Higher-income81%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income67%17 pp gap