The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in Social studies. The lowest is 14% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lincoln Middle
Lincoln Middle serves grades six through eight in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as a regular public school within the Kenosha Unified School District. It is a mid-sized middle school for its grade band and serves a student body that is economically diverse by some measures, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the school’s enrollment is majority Hispanic and Black, with a sizable white population and a smaller share of students who identify as two or more races; Asian and other groups are present in very small numbers.
On the 2023-24 Wisconsin Forward assessments, the state’s testing program, Lincoln Middle’s results were low across all tested subjects and grades. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced was roughly one in eight in sixth and eighth grades and about one in six in seventh grade. English language arts proficiency rates were similarly modest, ranging from roughly one in four students in sixth and seventh grades to just over one in four in eighth grade. Eighth-grade science results were comparable to the ELA figures, while social studies showed a somewhat higher share of students meeting the proficient threshold, though still a minority of test takers. The data carries a caution that Wisconsin changed cut scores for ELA and math in this testing cycle, so direct year-over-year comparisons are not straightforward. Participation rates were high across all grades and subjects, exceeding ninety-five percent.
When placed alongside other school districts in Kenosha County, Lincoln Middle’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quarter of the comparison set. This is a school where academic attainment, measured by state standards, is an area that a parent may want to explore further with the school to understand the specific instructional supports and interventions available.
A critical fact for any family considering this school is that it is slated for closure. In 2023, the Kenosha Unified School District voted to close Lincoln Middle along with five elementary schools as part of a “rightsizing” initiative driven by declining enrollment that began years earlier and is projected to continue into the 2030s. The district’s enrollment has dropped from a higher figure to a lower one in the last year, creating budget pressure that led to the consolidation plan. Attendance boundaries are being redrawn, and the number of neighborhood school options across the district is shrinking. A parent with a child currently enrolled at Lincoln Middle should confirm the timeline for the closure and what the feeder pattern will be going forward; families moving into the area may find that the school is not accepting new enrollments or that the district’s plans have already shifted.
Data on some other common school environment measures, such as chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, staffing ratios, or special education and English learner counts, were not available in the public reporting we reviewed, so a full picture of student support and school climate is incomplete here.
Kenosha itself is a mid-sized city on Lake Michigan with a long industrial and manufacturing history. Major employers include toolmaker Snap-on and apparel company Jockey International, along with large distribution centers from companies such as Amazon and Uline. The downtown lakefront has been redeveloped into HarborPark, with museums, a restored electric streetcar system, parks, and public beach access. The city is the northern terminus of Chicago’s Metra commuter rail line, making it a feasible commute option for some workers. Higher education institutions including University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Carthage College have campuses in the area. Housing in the school’s ZIP code is moderately priced relative to the state and national benchmarks, and rental costs are a meaningful but not outsized share of typical income.
For a family trying to understand what Lincoln Middle offers, the overriding reality is that the school is winding down. The academic results are low relative to county peers, and the student body reflects the broader socioeconomic diversity of its Kenosha neighborhood. The district’s consolidation decisions mean that the middle school landscape in Kenosha is shifting, and families should look closely at which schools will serve grades six through eight in the coming years and what programs those schools offer.
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