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Alumni: what's one memory from Sparta Lincoln School that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
735
Elementary
DISTRICT 422 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SPARTA CUSD 140·NCES 173690003806
Sparta Lincoln School
203A Dean Ave, Sparta, IL 62286 · (618) 443-5331 · Randolph County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL735 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 39% of Illinois public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-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
13.8:1
53 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.9:1 · STATE 13.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
66%
482 students
DISTRICT 50% · STATE 56%
Community
5
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 65 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 72 | 10% |
| Grade 1 | 74 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 76 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 82 | 11% |
| Grade 4 | 76 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 66 | 9% |
| Grade 6 | 71 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 81 | 11% |
| Grade 8 | 72 | 10% |
This year's kindergarten class (72) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (72).
Student demographics
47%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 42% · 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
Sparta Lincoln School→Sparta High School
Based on grade levels within Sparta CUSD 140. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
46.8%
IL avg 51.0% . +22.4pp since 2023
Math
27.4%
IL avg 37.9% . +13.8pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 27 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 22 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 14 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 46.8% | 27.4% |
| 2023-24 | 24.4% | 13.6% |
% 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
34.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.6%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+1.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 34% 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 Sparta Lincoln School
Sparta Lincoln School's state test result (34.6% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparta Lincoln School this school | 735 | 65.6% | 34.6% |
| Herrin C U S D 4 Elementary School Herrin | 712 | 68.3% | 54.5% |
| Arland D Williams Jr Elementary School Mattoon | 653 | 68.6% | 46.1% |
| Thomas S Baldwin Elementary School Quincy | 564 | 64.7% | 36.5% |
| Lincoln-Douglas Elementary School Quincy | 588 | 61.9% | 44.3% |
| Ridge Lawn Elementary School Chicago Ridge | 572 | 70.3% | 27.6% |
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 Sparta Lincoln School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Randolph County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.6% | #1,102 of 1,925 | #3 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 27.4% | #1,377 of 2,077 ▲ 90 | #3 of 6 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 46.8% | #1,120 of 2,077 ▲ 279 | #3 of 6 ▲ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 735 | #98 of 2,419 | #1 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #1,176 of 2,035 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 46.9% | #984 of 2,042 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 65.6% | #856 of 2,132 | #1 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.7% | #548 of 615 | N/A |
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
735
+27 (+4%) vs 2020
+28% since 1990-91, when it was 574
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 | 735 | 53.1 | 13.8:1 | 66% (482) |
| 2023-24 | 741 | 51.1 | 14.5:1 | 66% (489) |
| 2022-23 | 732 | 53.1 | 13.8:1 | 69% (507) |
| 2020-21 | 708 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 723 | 47.9 | 15.1:1 | 59% (427) |
| 2015-16 | 775 | 47 | 16.5:1 | 50% (386) |
| 2010-11 | 390 | 31 | 12.6:1 | 60% (233) |
| 2000-01 | 468 | 29 | 16.1:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 574 | 30 | 19.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sparta Lincoln School.
Since 2017-18: students up 2% (723 to 735); teachers up 11% (47.9 to 53.1).
About Sparta Lincoln School
Sparta Lincoln School is classified as an elementary school. It is located in Sparta, Illinois. It reported 735 students in pre-K through 8 in 2024-25. Elementary schools in Illinois average about 381 students, which makes this school 93% larger than average.
The district, Sparta CUSD 140, operates 3 schools serving 1,153 students.
About 70% of the student body at Sparta Lincoln School is White. Other groups include 16% Black, 11% multiracial, and 3% Hispanic. By comparison, Randolph County residents are about 86% White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 47, compared with 70 nationally.
On staff are 53.1 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 13.8:1. The average for elementary schools in Illinois is about 13.9:1. About 66% of students at Sparta Lincoln School are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. For comparison, public schools in Randolph County average 51%.
On the allk12 Grade, Sparta Lincoln School lands at C+, ahead of 39% of Illinois public elementary schools.
Test results at Sparta Lincoln School are within a point of what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (34.6% actual, 33.6% predicted).
In the surrounding county, Randolph County, the median household earns about $68,131 a year, 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Sparta Lincoln School, Randolph County has 16 public schools.
Sparta High School is about 0.2 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Other public schools within ten miles number at least 8. Ranked by average proficiency, Sparta Lincoln School places 4th out of 9 schools in its immediate area.
Sparta Lincoln School is in rural territory far from an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Remote.
The school's enrollment rose 4% from 2020-21 to 2024-25.
People can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates and other school topics. Members of the school community can share what they know.
Randolph County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
30,058
Census ACS
Median income
$68,131
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
16
3,876 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sparta CUSD 140
- Sparta High SchoolHigh · 309 students
- Evansville Attendance CenterElementary · 109 students
Nearby schools
- Sparta High School0.2 mi · 309
- Coulterville High School6.5 mi · 64
- Coulterville Junior High School6.5 mi · 44
- Coulterville Elementary School6.5 mi · 77
- Marissa Elementary School8.2 mi · 266
- Marissa Jr & Sr High School8.9 mi · 226
Frequently asked questions
About Sparta Lincoln SchoolHow many students attend Sparta Lincoln School?
Sparta Lincoln School enrolls approximately 735 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does Sparta Lincoln School serve?
Sparta Lincoln School serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Sparta Lincoln School?
Approximately 13.8:1 students per teacher at Sparta Lincoln School.
How diverse is Sparta Lincoln School?
Sparta Lincoln School reports a student body of 70% White, 3% Hispanic, 16% Black, 0% Asian, 11% Two or more.
What district is Sparta Lincoln School in?
Sparta Lincoln School is part of Sparta CUSD 140.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.