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Lincoln Elementary School

Q: Is Lincoln Elementary School a good school?

Lincoln Elementary School ranks 312 th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

312^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 576 Iowa Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of Iowa elementary schools

Summary

Lincoln Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades 3-5 in the Spencer Community School District in Spencer, Iowa. The school has 462 students and is ranked 312 out of 576 Iowa elementary schools, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Lincoln Elementary has seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from 14.5% in 2021-2022 to 21.6% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the state average and the rates of nearby schools like Fairview Park Elementary (21.6%) and Johnson Elementary (21.6%). The school's test scores are generally on par with the district and state averages, with some notable exceptions, such as a higher 4th-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate but a lower 5th-grade Math proficiency rate compared to state averages.

Lincoln Elementary has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 45.14% to 50.11% over the past few years, which is higher than the rates at nearby schools. The school's spending per student of $12,820 in 2018-2019 is higher than the state average but lower than some nearby schools. While Lincoln Elementary's performance is generally solid, the high chronic absenteeism rates and free/reduced lunch rates suggest the school may be facing challenges related to student engagement, socioeconomic factors, or other barriers to learning, which could be impacting its overall ranking and performance.

442

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,820

Per pupil spending ?

53.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

615 4th Ave. SW
Spencer, IA 51301

(712) 262-3752

District: Spencer Community School District

Students who attend Lincoln Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Spencer Middle School
High:	Spencer High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.0%

Hispanic:

10.4%

Two or more races:

5.0%

See top rated Iowa elementary schools

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 68th percentile in 2015 → 46th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school72%

District avg72%

Iowa avg71%

312^th of 576

Iowa public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 22 pts since 2015

From top 32% (2015) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Iowa Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

100^th of 313Spencer 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	52.4	312 of 576	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.4	324 of 557	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.3	305 of 565	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.9	245 of 574	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.4	179 of 567	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.8	208 of 603	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.7	166 of 567	70.7%	★★★★☆
2017	65.2	223 of 574	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	62.2	260 of 599	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	69.1	197 of 616	68.0%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Iowa (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts73%~ state avg

Mathematics72%~ state avg

Science66%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Lincoln Elementary School

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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	3-5	615 4th Ave. SW	Spencer	51301	Clay County	Spencer Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 262-3752	442	28	15.6	53.6%	349 (79.0%)	14 (3.2%)	46 (10.4%)	11 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.0%)	52.4	312^th of 576 public elementary schools	45.8%		50.4	324^th of 557 public elementary schools	41.8%	12	69.8	79.1	69.7	74.4	73.9	68.3	66.2	$12,820	$475	$12,345
Johnson Elementary	Public	PK-K	724 West 9th Street	Spencer	51301	Clay County	Spencer Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 262-2710	201	18	11.0	53.2%	163 (81.1%)	3 (1.5%)	20 (10.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.5%)								(n/a)								$13,320	$574	$12,747
Fairview Park Elementary	Public	1-2	1508 5th Ave. East	Spencer	51301	Clay County	Spencer Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 262-4842	249	21	12.0	59.8%	196 (78.7%)	7 (2.8%)	30 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (6.0%)								(n/a)								$14,305	$896	$13,408
Clay Central-Everly Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	401 Church St	Royal	51357	Clay County	Clay Central-Everly Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 933-2241	53	8	6.7	64.2%	47 (88.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.8%)								(n/a)								$19,042	$975	$18,066
Ruthven-Ayrshire Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1505 Washington St	Ruthven	51358	Palo Alto County	Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 837-5211	89	9	9.8	49.4%	75 (84.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (9.0%)	2 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.5%)	9.1	533^rd of 576 public elementary schools	7.5%		13.6	495^th of 557 public elementary schools	11.1%	38			53.3			46.7	40.0	$16,696	$876	$15,821
Okoboji Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	705 N Ave	Milford	51351	Dickinson County	Okoboji Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 338-2458	491	39	12.5	31.8%	424 (86.4%)	8 (1.6%)	40 (8.1%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	79.6	77^th of 576 public elementary schools	86.6%		70.2	159^th of 557 public elementary schools	71.5%	82	78.8	84.8		88.2	89.1			$13,036	$648	$12,387
Graettinger-Terril Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 S. Schooley St.	Terril	51364	Dickinson County	Graettinger-Terril Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 853-6111	149	16	9.3	53.7%	138 (92.6%)	1 (0.7%)	9 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	51.2	322^nd of 576 public elementary schools	44.1%					(n/a)	81.8	80.0	62.5	86.4	56.7	68.8	62.5	$16,449	$451	$15,999
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	400 3rd St NW	Hartley	51346	O'Brien County	Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 928-2020	261	22	11.9	50.2%	212 (81.2%)	5 (1.9%)	40 (15.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	70.1	172^nd of 576 public elementary schools	70.1%		78.1	82^nd of 557 public elementary schools	85.3%	90	72.1	90.2		79.1	82.9			$32,082	$769	$31,314
Sioux Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4440 U.S. Hwy 71	Sioux Rapids	50585	Buena Vista County	Sioux Central Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 283-2571	229	21	10.9	45.4%	179 (78.2%)	1 (0.4%)	42 (18.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.2%)	48.4	339^th of 576 public elementary schools	41.1%		58.6	266^th of 557 public elementary schools	52.2%	73	52.4	95.2	70.6	57.1	76.2	73.5	61.8	$12,124	$630	$11,494
Spirit Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	709 28th Street	Spirit Lake	51360	Dickinson County	Spirit Lake Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(712) 336-2822	547	38	14.3	27.6%	477 (87.2%)	13 (2.4%)	33 (6.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.5%)	77.3	102^nd of 576 public elementary schools	82.3%		82.1	58^th of 557 public elementary schools	89.6%	44	83.1	84.9		89.9	79.3			$11,763	$432	$11,331

Frequently Asked Questions about Lincoln Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Lincoln Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Spencer Middle School
High : Spencer High School

How many students attend Lincoln Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 442 students attended Lincoln Elementary School.

Is Lincoln Elementary School a good school?

Lincoln Elementary School ranks 312^th of 576 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Lincoln Elementary School?

Students at Lincoln Elementary School are 79% White, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Asian.

What district is Lincoln Elementary School in?

Spencer Community School District

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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.