The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in Social studies. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cardington-lincoln Elementary School
Cardington-Lincoln Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in a small rural village in Morrow County. The school sits in a compact community of roughly a few thousand residents anchored by a historic downtown along Main Street and surrounded by farmland and industrial parks. Housing values in the Cardington area are moderate and slightly above the state average, with a mix of residential development drawing some commuter interest from the Columbus metro area. The neighborhood character remains decidedly rural and agricultural, with most working adults driving to jobs outside the village or in nearby manufacturing facilities.
The school's enrollment is modest, with approximately four hundred students distributed across six grades from pre-K through fourth. About half of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating an economically mixed population with a substantial share facing household financial strain. The student body is predominantly white, with very small numbers of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations was not provided.
On state math testing in grades three through four, about half of students achieved proficiency or above. In English language arts over the same grades, proficiency fell just under half. Results on science and social studies assessments are available only from years well in the past and do not reflect current performance, so state testing data on those subjects is not current. Participation in state assessments is complete. When compared to the four other districts in Morrow County, Cardington-Lincoln Elementary's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile of county performance, below the county median; a parent may want to explore current classroom practice and support systems with school leadership to understand the school's approach to strengthening proficiency in core academics.
The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet program. It serves only elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. District-level information from recent years has been sparse, but parents should know that the school's parent district, Cardington-Lincoln Local Schools, has placed a permanent improvement levy on the ballot three times in recent years and has failed each time. Permanent improvement funds cover facilities, buses, and capital maintenance; when those levies fail, those costs shift to the general operating fund, which can constrain spending on classroom instruction and materials. This is a financial picture worth understanding if you are considering a move into the district.
The school sits on its own campus rather than embedded in the downtown, and the community is rural with limited public transit. The village operates recreation programs and parks, and a local library serves the broader area. Most families in the district drive to work, with commute times longer than the national average, so the school draws from a base of working parents rather than a concentrated urban neighborhood.
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