Lincoln Elementary

Lincoln Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 531 students in the San Bernardino City Unified school district, which faces significant educational challenges across the area.

Academically, Lincoln Elementary is one of the lowest-performing schools in California, ranking in the bottom 4% of all schools for the past decade, with fewer than 20% of students proficient in English and only about 10% proficient in math. This underperformance is notable because nearby schools with similar student populations, such as Captain Leland Norton Elementary and Riley Elementary, achieve significantly better results. Furthermore, the school's high chronic absenteeism rate of 32.2% is a concern, though it appears instructional quality may be a bigger factor, as some nearby schools with even higher absenteeism still post stronger academic outcomes.

Despite spending over $23,000 per student, which is comparable to or more than some higher-performing schools, Lincoln's results remain poor, suggesting challenges with how resources are used. A striking comparison is Savant Preparatory Academy of Business, a nearby charter school that spends less per student but achieves proficiency rates more than triple Lincoln's. Potential bright spots for Lincoln include some relative effectiveness with English Language Learner students and Spanish language instruction, which could be foundations for broader improvement.