Enrollment
277
Elementary
DISTRICT 382 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·STERLING CUSD 5·NCES 174231004256
Lincoln Elementary School
1501 E 6th St, Sterling, IL 61081 · (815) 625-1449 · Whiteside County
GRADES 03–05ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL277 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 62% of Illinois public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
12.6:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
70%
195 students
DISTRICT 62% · STATE 56%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 83 | 30% |
| Grade 4 | 87 | 31% |
| Grade 5 | 107 | 39% |
Student demographics
56%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within Sterling CUSD 5. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
46.4%
IL avg 51.0% . +16.1pp since 2023
Math
41.0%
IL avg 37.9% . +14.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 46 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 16 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 14 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 46.4% | 41.0% |
| 2023-24 | 30.3% | 26.6% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
40.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
30.9%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 31% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Lincoln Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School's state test result (40.8% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Elementary School this school | 277 | 70.4% | 40.8% |
| Rock Cut Elementary School Loves Park | 261 | 67.4% | 21.3% |
| Belle Alexander Elementary School Kewanee | 241 | 73.0% | N/A |
| Robina Lyle Elementary School Bridgeview | 329 | 67.8% | 37.5% |
| Butterworth Elementary School Moline | 273 | 71.1% | 32.3% |
| Maple Elementary School Loves Park | 313 | 74.8% | 31.9% |
Matched among Illinois elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Lincoln Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Whiteside County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.8% | #889 of 1,925 | #8 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 41.0% | #940 of 2,077 ▼ 8 | #6 of 10 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.4% | #1,138 of 2,077 ▲ 30 | #7 of 10 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 277 | #1,673 of 2,419 | #6 of 14 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.6:1 | #755 of 2,035 | #5 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 56.3% | #704 of 2,042 | #1 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 70.4% | #735 of 2,132 | #4 of 14 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.1% | #569 of 1,461 | #4 of 9 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
277
-71 (-20%) vs 2020
-27% since 1990-91, when it was 377
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 277 | 22 | 12.6:1 | 70% (195) |
| 2023-24 | 305 | 21.8 | 14.0:1 | 68% (206) |
| 2022-23 | 350 | 22.1 | 15.8:1 | 62% (217) |
| 2020-21 | 348 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 334 | 17 | 19.6:1 | 66% (221) |
| 2015-16 | 329 | 16 | 20.6:1 | 57% (188) |
| 2010-11 | 363 | 19 | 19.1:1 | 55% (200) |
| 2000-01 | 276 | 20 | 13.8:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 377 | 17 | 22.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Lincoln Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 17% (334 to 277); teachers up 29% (17 to 22).
About Lincoln Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School is a small elementary school in Sterling, Illinois, (ZIP code 61081). Enrolled students number 277 students, in grades 3 through 5. Enrollment is 27% lower than the average for elementary schools in Illinois, which is about 381.
District-wide, Sterling CUSD 5 has 6 schools and 3,253 students.
Lincoln Elementary School's enrollment is 58% White. Other groups make up 31% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, and 2% Black. County-wide, 85% of Whiteside County residents are White. By the diversity index, Lincoln Elementary School comes in at 56%.
The school employs the equivalent of 22 full-time teachers, for a ratio of 12.6:1. Among elementary schools in Illinois, the typical ratio is 13.9:1. The free or reduced-price lunch share, often used to gauge student poverty, is 70%. Public schools in Whiteside County average 55%.
allk12 grades Lincoln Elementary School a B. The grade compares the school only with Illinois public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
Schools in Illinois with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 30.9%. Lincoln Elementary School scores 40.8%.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Whiteside County show that median household income is about $67,500, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 21%, and about 8% of people live in poverty. Lincoln Elementary School is one of 50 public schools in Whiteside County, which together enroll about 8,445 students.
The nearest public school is Jefferson Elementary School, at about 0.5 miles. Lincoln Elementary School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Lincoln Elementary School comes in 3rd of 7 nearby schools on average proficiency.
Lincoln Elementary School has an NCES locale of Town: Distant.
The number of students declined from 348 to 277 over 4 years.
Questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Whiteside County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
54,947
Census ACS
Median income
$67,500
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
50
8,445 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sterling CUSD 5
- Sterling High SchoolHigh · 999 students
- Challand Middle SchoolMiddle · 726 students
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolElementary · 450 students
- Franklin Elementary SchoolElementary · 407 students
- Washington Elementary SchoolElementary · 394 students
Other schools in Sterling
- Sterling High SchoolHigh · 999 students
- Challand Middle SchoolMiddle · 726 students
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolElementary · 450 students
- Franklin Elementary SchoolElementary · 407 students
- Washington Elementary SchoolElementary · 394 students
- ROE 47 Student Support ALOPCombined
Other Lincoln Elementary schools
213 other US public schools in 37 states are named Lincoln Elementary. Lincoln Elementary School is the 158th largest of the 214.
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolChicago, IL · 868 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolPalatine, IL · 772 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolCalumet City, IL · 717 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolBelvidere, IL · 573 students
- Lincoln ElementaryPlainfield, IL · 536 students
Nearby schools
- Jefferson Elementary School0.5 mi · 450
- Challand Middle School0.7 mi · 726
- Sterling High School0.8 mi · 999
- Franklin Elementary School1.0 mi · 407
- Washington Elementary School1.5 mi · 394
- Merrill Elementary School1.6 mi · 258
Frequently asked questions
About Lincoln Elementary SchoolHow large is Lincoln Elementary School?
Lincoln Elementary School enrolls approximately 277 students in grades 03-05.
What grades does Lincoln Elementary School serve?
Lincoln Elementary School serves grades 03-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lincoln Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Lincoln Elementary School is approximately 12.6:1 (22 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Lincoln Elementary School?
At Lincoln Elementary School, the student body is approximately 58% White, 31% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 8% Two or more.
What district is Lincoln Elementary School in?
Lincoln Elementary School is part of Sterling CUSD 5.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.