The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Science. The lowest is 24% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln El Sch
Lincoln Elementary is a small kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school in Bethlehem serving around three hundred students. The school enrolls a largely Hispanic student body and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of South Bethlehem neighborhoods around Lehigh University and the former steel sites where many working families live.
The school's state assessment results present a mixed picture. In the most recent math and English language arts testing, proficiency rates were in the low range, with fewer than one in four students scoring at proficient levels in either subject. Science performance, measured most recently, was considerably stronger, with roughly two-thirds of tested students meeting proficiency. The gap between science and literacy performance is substantial enough that a parent may want to look into this further with the school directly, particularly given that early elementary is a foundational period for reading and writing.
The school sits within Bethlehem Area School District, which has made a district-wide commitment to the Science of Reading approach. Beginning in 2021, the district extended this literacy methodology from grades K-3 into upper elementary and secondary grades, training teachers across content areas in research-backed instructional practices for comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. Lincoln would be part of that initiative. The district reported gains in early reading benchmarks at the kindergarten level following this training.
However, families should be aware that the district has faced public scrutiny over its property tax practices. In 2023, the Pennsylvania Auditor General criticized BASD for using accounting maneuvers to justify tax increases in years when the auditor determined the revenue was unnecessary. Additionally, for the current school year, seven BASD schools were placed on state improvement lists due to academic performance concerns. Lincoln Elementary was not among those flagged, though other elementary schools in the district, namely Freemansburg and Marvine, received state improvement designations.
Bethlehem itself is a mid-sized Lehigh Valley city with two distinct walkable downtown cores and a mixed character blending colonial history, industrial heritage, and an active arts scene. The city is in active growth phase, with significant mixed-use redevelopment underway around the South Side and a major affordable housing project in planning. Housing values in the zipcode are moderate relative to state and national benchmarks, and rentals remain relatively accessible, though families should understand the broader regional economic context of stable but modest employment and moderate wage conditions.
The school's enrollment is stable across grade levels, and it draws from neighborhoods that are dense, walkable, and anchored by higher education and civic institutions. Families in this attendance area tend to have deep roots in South Bethlehem or are drawn by proximity to Lehigh University. The peer environment is economically and ethnically diverse and reflective of Bethlehem's working and professional-class character.
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