Lincoln Elementary School

Lincoln Elementary School operates as a close-knit K-5 school in DeKalb, Illinois, one of the schools within DeKalb CUSD 428. Current enrollment sits at 272 students spanning grades K through 5. By comparison, Illinois's public schools average about 381 students each, so Lincoln Elementary School sits 29% smaller than that benchmark.

Lincoln Elementary School is one of 12 schools operated by DeKalb CUSD 428, a district that educates 6,771 students overall.

Looking at the student body, Lincoln Elementary School lists that the largest single group is Black at 45%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 37% White, 10% Hispanic, 7% multiracial. By comparison, DeKalb County as a whole is about 7% Black, so the school skews noticeably more Black than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Lincoln Elementary School lists 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.8:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.9:1, putting Lincoln Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 63% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against DeKalb County (around 48%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Lincoln Elementary School falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 35.2%; this one comes in at 18.4%, -16.9 points off the demographic line.

Around the school, community-level numbers for DeKalb County indicate median household income runs about $70,724, 33% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, DeKalb County runs 43 public schools (combined enrollment of about 16,328 students), of which Lincoln Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Founders Elementary School, roughly 0.4 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Lincoln Elementary School. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Lincoln Elementary School ranks 6th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 24.5%.

The campus sits in an outer-ring setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Lincoln Elementary School has edged up 5%, going from 259 students in 2018 to 272 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 51% to 37% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 17.1:1 in 2018 to 15.8:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Lincoln Elementary School community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.