Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Lincoln Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

491^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Lincoln Elementary School is a public elementary school in Waterloo, Iowa, serving 492 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Waterloo Community School District, which is ranked 287 out of 313 districts in the state.

Lincoln Elementary School faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, lower-than-average test scores in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, and a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 84.87% to 87.8% over the past few years. However, the school spends $14,309 per student, which is higher than the district and state averages, suggesting that it may have access to additional resources to address the needs of its student population.

When comparing Lincoln Elementary School to other nearby schools within the Waterloo Community School District, it becomes evident that Lincoln is one of the lower-performing schools. For example, Kittrell Elementary School and Lou Henry Elementary School have higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates than Lincoln. The school's proximity to the Cedar Falls Community School District may also present opportunities for collaboration and the sharing of best practices to help improve Lincoln's performance.

463

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,309

Per pupil spending ?

81%

Free/discounted lunch ?

302 Cedar Bend St
Waterloo, IA 50703

(319) 433-1990

District: Waterloo Community School District

Students who attend Lincoln Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	George Washington Carver Academy
High:	East High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

45.4%

White:

22.2%

Two or more races:

14.5%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

Compare Lincoln Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2015 → 15th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Iowa average (56% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (40% vs 22% Iowa)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg62%

Iowa avg71%

491^st of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 7% (2015) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Waterloo Community School District

287^th of 313Waterloo Community School District among Iowa districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Iowa percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	491 of 576	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	486 of 557	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	502 of 565	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.2	502 of 574	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.9	535 of 567	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.6	595 of 603	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.7	554 of 567	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.3	551 of 574	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	4.8	580 of 599	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	8.8	571 of 616	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	22.4	518 of 603	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	18.3	563 of 624	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.4	619 of 626	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics61%-13 vs state

English Language Arts58%-13 vs state

Science36%-28 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Lincoln Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Lincoln Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Lincoln Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ISASP English Language Arts (2025)				ISASP Mathematics (2025)				ISASP Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	302 Cedar Bend St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1990	463	38	12.0	81.0%	103 (22.2%)	210 (45.4%)	55 (11.9%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.4%)	67 (14.5%)	19.5	491^st of 576 public elementary schools	14.8%		15.4	486^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.7%	5	64.5	62.5	46.6		61.3	62.5	60.3		36.2	$14,309	$1,947	$12,361
Fred Becker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1239 Sheldon St	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2180	501	38	13.1	78.0%	187 (37.3%)	145 (28.9%)	59 (11.8%)	11 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.8%)	74 (14.8%)	16.7	499^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.4%		15.1	489^th of 557 public elementary schools	12.2%	10	49.3	50.0	53.3		64.8	59.1	63.3		48.3	$13,341	$1,146	$12,194
Cunningham School	Public	PK, KG-5	1224 Mobile St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2600	443	35	12.6	91.4%	32 (7.2%)	258 (58.2%)	50 (11.3%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.8%)	60 (13.5%)	3.8	561^st of 576 public elementary schools	2.6%		3.2	545^th of 557 public elementary schools	2.2%	16	33.9	42.4	32.8		58.1	31.8	52.5		21.7	$14,512	$2,793	$11,718
Irving Elementary School	Public	K-5	1115 W. 5th Street	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2800	353	33	10.5	89.2%	70 (19.8%)	127 (36.0%)	64 (18.1%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.9%)	55 (15.6%)	33.3	446^th of 576 public elementary schools	22.6%		32.3	436^th of 557 public elementary schools	21.7%	10	75.5	70.8	58.3		65.3	62.5	66.7		47.9	$13,386	$1,643	$11,742
Kingsley Elementary School	Public	K-5	201 Sunset Rd	Waterloo	50701	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2210	337	29	11.6	49.9%	193 (57.3%)	47 (13.9%)	32 (9.5%)	14 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.7%)	42 (12.5%)	69.8	174^th of 576 public elementary schools	69.8%		61.6	232^nd of 557 public elementary schools	58.3%	58	80.6	78.2	72.6		88.7	80.0	87.1		66.1	$12,606	$882	$11,722
Cedar Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2417 Rainbow Dr	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 553-2855	451	34	13.3	33.7%	348 (77.2%)	25 (5.5%)	22 (4.9%)	8 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)	41 (9.1%)	54.6	295^th of 576 public elementary schools	48.8%		59.7	258^th of 557 public elementary schools	53.7%	37	77.3	70.8	71.1	76.2	84.8	64.6	77.8	68.3	75.6	$11,656	$449	$11,208
Lowell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1628 Washington St	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-1900	538	42	12.7	77.9%	145 (27.0%)	145 (27.0%)	128 (23.8%)	24 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (5.8%)	64 (11.9%)	17.2	498^th of 576 public elementary schools	13.5%		14	492^nd of 557 public elementary schools	11.7%	6	40.8	48.7	64.3		59.2	43.6	66.1		44.6	$14,090	$1,974	$12,115
Orchard Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3909 Rownd St	Cedar Falls	50613	Black Hawk County	Cedar Falls Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 553-2465	458	34	13.5	28.6%	357 (77.9%)	6 (1.3%)	19 (4.1%)	23 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.8%)	39 (8.5%)	70.9	163^rd of 576 public elementary schools	71.7%		64.3	206^th of 557 public elementary schools	63.0%	43	88.7	81.8	80.0	76.5	96.8	80.0	80.0	68.6	71.9	$12,775	$396	$12,378
Highland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	812 Idaho St	Waterloo	50703	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2630	448	38	11.9	89.5%	126 (28.1%)	115 (25.7%)	131 (29.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.1%)	59 (13.2%)	12.8	515^th of 576 public elementary schools	10.6%		12	502^nd of 557 public elementary schools	9.9%	13	43.1	48.2	50.9		63.9	46.4	66.0		41.5	$12,711	$1,327	$11,383
Kittrell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1304 Oregon St	Waterloo	50702	Black Hawk County	Waterloo Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 433-2910	576	46	12.4	71.5%	200 (34.7%)	156 (27.1%)	96 (16.7%)	43 (7.5%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (6.1%)	45 (7.8%)	39	405^th of 576 public elementary schools	29.7%		26.9	451^st of 557 public elementary schools	19.0%	46	47.7	65.3	69.6		77.9	72.0	70.9		58.2	$12,433	$1,211	$11,221

Frequently Asked Questions about Lincoln Elementary School

What district is Lincoln Elementary School in?

Waterloo Community School District

Is Lincoln Elementary School a good school?

Lincoln Elementary School ranks in the bottom 14.8% of Iowa elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Lincoln Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Lincoln Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : George Washington Carver Academy
High : East High School

How many students attend Lincoln Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 463 students attended Lincoln Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Lincoln Elementary School?

Students at Lincoln Elementary School are 45% African American, 22% White, 14% Two or more races, 12% Hispanic, 5% Pacific Islander.

Rate Lincoln Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

IAIowa Elementary School Rankings

IAIowa District Rankings

Schools in Waterloo, IA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Lincoln Elementary School!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.