The Lincoln Academy, Beloit WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on The Lincoln Academy

The Lincoln Academy is a public charter school in Beloit, Wisconsin, serving students from pre-kindergarten through 11th grade. It opened in fall 2021 under a charter from the University of Wisconsin Office of Educational Opportunity, making it a relatively new option for families in the area. The school is housed in a former retail space and has already grown to capacity, with a waiting list each year. Its board has authorized preliminary steps toward expansion within the same property to add seats and broaden facilities for career pathways and extracurriculars.

Enrollment is moderate for a school spanning these grades. The student body is diverse: roughly two in five students are Hispanic, nearly the same share are White, and there are smaller but notable populations of Black students and students of two or more races. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic mix of the community. The school uses a lottery for admission, and demand has exceeded available spots since its founding.

The Lincoln Academy’s academic approach is built on three stated pillars: academic rigor, character development, and career exploration. Starting in kindergarten, students have individualized learning plans, and high school students are expected to complete internships or youth apprenticeships and can take dual-credit and career-certification courses on campus. Because the school has not yet added 12th grade, there is no graduation rate to report. State testing data is available for grades three through eight, which covers math, English language arts, science, and social studies.

Proficiency rates vary noticeably by grade and subject. In math, the share of students reaching proficiency ranges from roughly a third in sixth grade to about two-thirds in third grade. In English language arts, the range is similar, with the lowest point in sixth grade and the highest in third grade. Science proficiency is lower across the tested grades, at about one in five students. Social studies proficiency sits around two in five in fourth grade and one in three in eighth grade. When all tested subjects and grades are combined into a single index, the school’s overall proficiency level falls in the bottom quarter among the school districts of Rock County. Parents who want to understand this performance better may want to discuss with the school how these results align with its growth and the recentness of its founding.

The school environment is shaped by its location in Beloit, a city that blends industrial heritage with an active downtown redevelopment along the Rock River. The area has seen sustained investment, including new downtown housing and hotels, a minor league baseball stadium, and a year-round riverfront recreation complex. Beloit College is a short distance from the school, and cultural amenities such as museums, a public library, and a symphony are part of the city’s fabric. Interstate highways provide direct connections to nearby cities.

Housing in the zip code that covers the school’s area is priced below the state and national medians, with home values that have increased modestly in the past year. Rents are similarly below national benchmarks. This makes the immediate area relatively more affordable than many parts of Wisconsin, which may be relevant for families considering a move.

The Lincoln Academy is still adding grades and physical capacity, and the district brief notes that a buildout was completed in 2023 to accommodate ongoing expansion. The school’s emphasis on career exploration and individual learning plans sets a distinct approach to the middle and high school years. For families who value a charter school model with a structured pathway toward college and career readiness, and who are comfortable with a school whose academic results are still developing as it grows, this may be a fit. Those focused on high-stakes test performance should weigh the proficiency data carefully and ask the school about its trajectory and plans for the upper grades.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 33%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 4 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 51%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

This schoolThe Lincoln Academy Inc, 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-income56%Higher-income56%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income26%Higher-income67%41 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income56%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income43%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income64%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income44%Higher-income73%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income63%Higher-income72%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income34%Higher-income53%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income50%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income57%34 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income59%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income64%14 pp gap